Boutique firm opens in Hong Kong, London

Galileo Capital aims to manage a range of private equity, venture capital, mutual and hedge funds.

A team of investment management professionals led by Anders Jacobsen and Paul Thompson have set up a boutique investment firm with offices in Hong Kong and London.

Galileo Capital Management will launch and manage a range of private equity funds, hedge funds, venture capital funds and mutual funds, the firm said in a statement.

Jacobsen was a derivatives fund manager for more than 10 years at Bankers Trust Investment Management. Prior to that, he was a director of the portfolio strategies group at Chase Manhattan Bank, where he was responsible for building a hedge fund-style investment offering. Between his time at Bankers Trust and the co-founding of Galileo Capital, he formed Galileo Consulting in 2004, which provides business and funding strategy consultancy to asset management companies.

Thompson was formerly the chief executive officer of Prudential’s asset management joint venture in China, the first foreign chief executive of a Chinese asset management operation. Prior to that, he led the development of the international investment funds business at Goldman Sachs from 1997 to 2001, based in London.

The funds launched by Galileo will target under-invested business sectors, the firm said. The firm will also advise clients on business entry strategies into China and this will include sourcing business partners in the country.

“The recent financial crisis has underlined the importance of China and more broadly of Asia as a source of growth and key determinant in the global economy,” Thompson said in a statement, adding that the firm will be able to incorporate China-related growth opportunities into its fund offerings where appropriate.

The firm could not be reached for comment.