The decreasing probability of a global recession, coupled with the unfolding interest-rate hiking cycle and a market valuation reset, positions the outlook for 2024 more favorably than the preceding year. This consensus sentiment resonates among investors and is expected to invigorate discussions at the forthcoming “0100 Conference Europe 2024”, scheduled to take place in Amsterdam from April 16th to 18th.
“The IPO market is already showing signs of improvement, and with the dealmaking environment warming up, we’re hopefully looking at a year of gradual recovery after the downturn experienced in 2023. Private equity is well-positioned to capitalize on this thaw, with significant reserves of dry powder ready to be deployed by fund managers”, emphasizes Natasha Franks, Head of Client Reporting at Zurich-based Alpha Associates.
Within the good vibes for 2024, Ricardo Miró-Quesada, Partner at Arcano Partners highlights the yet-to-be-seen prospects in the secondary market. “Private equity secondaries will become an even larger opportunity as the lack of liquidity and exits via traditional routes persists in 2024. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg in secondaries”.
In addition to the optimistic outlook, the ongoing global unrest and escalating conflicts, the as-yet-undiscovered social implications of AI, encompassing both its positive and negative aspects, and the growing imperative for investors to prioritize ESG and impact goals are high-priority topics on the agenda.
These issues will be also addressed at the upcoming event, which anticipates the participation of over 1000 private equity and venture capital professionals, along with more than 700 Limited Partners (fund investors) and General Partners (fund managers), featuring insights from a diverse panel of over 120 speakers. “In this highly dynamic industry, we witness rapid changes from one conference to the next. Our goal is to consistently keep investors informed and connected, creating spaces for periodic and in-depth conversations to unfold”, says Pavol Fuchs, CEO of Zero One Hundred Conferences.
Global unrest and geopolitical matters
The outset of 2024 has been marked by global conflicts and geopolitical crises, stirring concern among investors. Nicolò Miscioscia, Partner and Head of Private Markets at DECALIA, points out a “disturbing accustomization to existing and prospective armed conflicts.” This apprehension resonates with Marc de Kloe, Partner at Theta Capital Management, who expresses unease about the upcoming 12 months, citing “global unrest and escalation of conflicts.”
The two faces of AI
Describing one of this year’s challenges as the 'uncharted territory of AI social impact,' Nicolò Miscioscia, highlights the nuanced nature of the tool that holds the potential for both positive and negative outcomes. Natasha Franks expands on this: “Artificial Intelligence is also poised to further integrate into business operations across the industry, offering the potential for greater efficiency in portfolio management”.
ESG and Impact goals
2024 will be the year for impact funds to grow and ESG reporting capabilities to consolidate, as regulatory pressure starts to materialize in Europe. “This year, we’ll be running our third annual ESG reporting campaign, in addition to raising our SFDR Article 9 Impact Fund-of-Funds. Over the past year, ESG reporting standards have matured rapidly from a supplementary exercise to an industry-wide obligation, and we’re pleased to see this trend reflected in the continuous improvement of our fund managers”, says Natasha Franks from Alpha Associates.
Spain-headquartered Arcano Partners has also a say on this matter. “We have recently launched our second impact private equity fund to invest mainly across three themes: healthcare & wellbeing, quality education and decarbonization. This fund is focused on investing in funds and companies generating social and environmental impact alongside attractive financial returns”. Ricardo Miró-Quesada comments.
In DECALIA’s case, the Swiss investment management company currently focuses on the launch of a climate-focused program within its “GPs Acceleration” model.
The 2nd edition of 0100 Conference Europe will gather over +1000 senior private equity/ venture capital executives, fund investors, fund managers, and industry experts. Hear firsthand from the most influential voices across Europe on April 16th, 17th, and 18th 2024 at Leonardo Royal Hotel Amsterdam, Paul van Vlissingenstraat 24, 1096 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands. For media registration please contact laura@0100conferences.com.
About Zero One Hundred Conferences
Zero One Hundred Conferences is a leading provider of offline and online events for PE & VC players in various regions in Europe with a global outreach. In the last 8 years, we organized 47 events with 1500+ speakers, 6000+ investors, and 11500+ attendees. The locations of these events were Amsterdam, Berlin, Luxembourg, Dublin, Copenhagen, Rome, Vienna, Tallinn, Limassol, Prague and Bratislava.
