Berens Capital Management Funds And Team To Become Part Of Alternative Investment Group

SOUTHPORT, Conn., and NEW YORK, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternative Investment Group, an independent investment firm, announced today a transaction with Berens Capital Management, which will involve the Berens Capital Management team and funds becoming part of Alternative Investment Group on June 1st.  Berens Capital Management is a global asset manager known for its high-quality research and focus on emerging and frontier markets.  Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The transaction will position the combined team as a leader in emerging markets multi-manager investing, with Berens Capital Management's emerging and frontier markets expertise complementing Alternative Investment Group's longstanding strengths in U.S. and international long/short equity, credit, mortgages, event-driven and sustainability/ESG strategies.  The transaction will increase Alternative Investment Group's assets under management to approximately $1.25 billion.

David Storrs, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Alternative Investment Group, said, "This is a great development for our firm and enables us to deliver a broader array of investment solutions to our clients.  In Berens Capital, we have found a partner that is as passionate and dedicated as we are in delivering compelling investments and top-notch client service.  I have known Rod Berens for many years and he and his colleagues will allow us to expand our investment capability in emerging and frontier markets."

"Emerging markets were up 37% last year and we expect that with higher growth rates and more attractive valuations, emerging and frontier markets will significantly outperform developed markets.  Berens Capital's strong experience and long track record will help our investors access best-in-class emerging markets managers."

Rodney Berens, Founder and Co-CIO of Berens Capital Management, said, "We share David's enthusiasm for the return potential from investing in the developing world, and joining Alternative Investment Group will substantially enhance our ability to jointly exploit these opportunities for our clients.  Our firms share similar cultures and a dedication to sourcing and partnering with exceptional investment managers.  We are looking forward to joining with Alternative Investment Group to benefit our investors, employees and the managers we invest in."

The majority of the Berens Capital Management team are expected to join Alternative Investment Group.  Berens Capital Management Co-CIOs Rodney Berens and Timothy Schilt will continue as Co-CIOs of the Berens Capital Management portfolios and will become partners of Alternative Investment Group.  Mr. Berens and Mr. Schilt will join the Alternative Investment Group Investment Committees, contributing their expertise to the firm's overall investment decisions.  Berens Capital Management President Kathleen Kimiko Phillips-Lohrmann will join Alternative Investment Group's Management Committee. 

About Alternative Investment Group:
Alternative Investment Group was founded in 1996 and manages and advises approximately $900 million in four multi-manager hedge fund strategies: diversified, international, opportunistic, and sustainability/ESG.  The firm was founded by Stewart Greenfield, co-founder of Oak Investment Partners, one of the most successful U.S. venture capital firms, and David Storrs, the first Yale University endowment director and later President of The Common Fund, a then-$25 billion manager-of-managers providing investment programs for educational institutions.  Additional information is at www.altinv.com.

About Berens Capital Management:
Berens Capital Management was founded in 2000 and manages approximately $350 million, primarily in emerging and frontier markets.  Founder and Co-CIO Rodney Berens was Head of Global Equities at Salomon Brothers and previously Head of Equity Trading and Head of Global Equity Research at Morgan Stanley.  Co-CIO Timothy Schilt was previously Director of Research and Investment Strategist for Japan at Morgan Stanley, a Managing Director at Tiger Management focusing on Japan, and a Managing Director at K2 Advisors.  Additional information is at www.berenscapital.com.­

CONTACT: Steve Bruce / Ed Rowley, ASC Advisors, [email protected] / [email protected], 203-992-1230

SOURCE Alternative Investment Group