How has CORDET grown and developed over the past year?

From an investment point of view, we have had a busy 2021 so far, and both added new borrowers to our portfolio as well as supported existing borrowers with additional capital for growth. Overall, we have seen a very high deal flow over the past year, a consequence not only of the ongoing bank retrenchment from the smaller mid-market, which was accelerated by COVID-19, but also of our strong origination efforts with many new relationships built across our key markets.

From an operations point of view, we are continuing to expand the team and have brought several functions in-house, enabling us to further institutionalise as a business and offer our investors a better service at a lower cost.

What key strengths do you believe help CORDET to stand out from its competitors as an alternative credit investor?

At CORDET, we aspire to act as a trusted, long-term partner, and are committed to enabling transformational growth for the companies we invest in. For example, we often provide follow-on capital to support the value-creative growth journeys of our portfolio companies, be it through acquisitions or organic expansion plans. Structure and terms of our financings are tailored to the specific needs and with a flexible approach as the requirements of businesses may change over time. Our partnership-focused approach is facilitated by the fact that we invest exclusively within our circle of competence – that is, in industries which the team understands well.

What is your proudest achievement of the past twelve months and what plans do you have for CORDET and your own career development in the coming year?

I am extremely proud of my steep learning curve over the past twelve months, taking over more and more responsibility across the entire deal cycle, coaching younger team members and actively contributing to our business development. On these aspects I am lucky to have an employer with a progressive and nurturing management style who strongly promotes the development of its staff, providing ample opportunities for personal growth. One example is the recent introduction of a firm-wide ESG training with a half-day workshop every quarter, a result of our increasing focus on Responsible Investment, having been a signatory to the UNPRI since 2014. For the coming year, my plan for CORDET and myself is for us to continue our current growth journey – to look at exciting new deals across different industries and geographies, to further develop our network, to support existing portfolio companies, and to welcome new investors – and all of that as part of our nimble and ambitious team that fosters a supportive culture, which attracted me to CORDET in the first place.

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About Rebecca Fels Larsson

My name is Rebecca Fels Larsson, and I am part of the Investment Team at CORDET, an alternative credit investor that provides bespoke and scalable financing solutions to smaller mid-market companies in Northern Europe. I am based in our Stockholm office, and in my role as Investment Professional, I focus primarily on the origination, analysis, execution and subsequent monitoring of debt investment opportunities across the Nordics and DACH. Prior to joining CORDET in early 2019, I worked in EY’s Strategy and Transactions team where I started my career after graduating with a Master’s in Accounting and Finance from the University of St. Gallen in 2016.

At CORDET, we are currently investing from our second fund, and for both funds combined we have to date completed approximately 70 separate financing transactions across 30 different companies. Our primary investment focus is on resilient businesses that generate up to €20 million in EBITDA and are based in the UK, Ireland, the Nordics, DACH, or Benelux. Our portfolio companies are often leaders in their respective market niches and benefit from mega trends, such as technological change, climate change, or the ageing population.

With offices in London, Luxembourg, and Stockholm, we are a team of 23 professionals and senior advisors across different sub-teams, drawing from on average 20 years of specialist experience.