Ardian closes its second-generation Americas Infrastructure fund at US$2.1bn

Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announced the final closing of US$2.1bn for its latest Americas infrastructure fund – Ardian Americas Infrastructure Fund V (AAIF V). Continuing its successful investment strategy, AAIF V will invest in high-quality, mid-market US and other OECD American essential infrastructure assets in the telecommunications, transportation, and energy transition sectors.

The Ardian Infrastructure team now has over US$21bn assets under management across the globe. AAIF V was significantly oversubscribed, exceeding its hard cap of US$2.0bn, and significantly larger than the inaugural AAIF IV which raised US$800mm in 2018.

The successful fundraise attracted over 60 investors from 17 countries across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia, comprising major pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, Fund of Funds, endowments and high-net-worth investors. With a mix of returning investors, who on average doubled their previous commitments to the strategy, and new investors, the successful fundraising of AAIF V demonstrates the growing appetite for Ardian’s Americas infrastructure and asset management strategies.

“We are thankful for the support of our new and existing investors.  The success of our latest fundraise clearly demonstrates their continued trust in our approach. We will continue to prioritize long-term value creation through our disciplined industrial approach.” Mathias Burghardt, Member of the Executive Committee and Head of Ardian Infrastructure

“Closing a fund that is more than 2.5 times larger than its predecessor is an important achievement for the team and validation of our investment strategy in the Americas. The amount recommitted by our existing investors is further testament to the strong performance of the previous generation.” Stefano Mion, Co-Head of Ardian Infrastructure Americas

“The market opportunity for high-quality, mid-market infrastructure assets is compelling, and even more so with the powerful tailwinds from the Inflation Reduction Act. Our ability to leverage Ardian’s strong proprietary deal flow along with our industrial approach positions us exceptionally well in the current environment.” Mark Voccola, Co-Head of Ardian Infrastructure Americas

Since Ardian launched its dedicated Americas infrastructure fund in 2018, the team has deployed more than US$1bn in six investments across the energy, renewables and transportation sectors. It also grew the headcount of Ardian Americas infrastructure investment team to 13 over the past four years.
The team will continue to leverage its international network of industrial partners, construction companies and infrastructure operators, while continuing its successful approach of developing long-term relationships with local stakeholders, communities and regulators.

The fund is already over 15% committed via an infrastructure transaction acquiring Unison, a leading buyer and manager of telecom site properties in the U.S., to build a global platform of wireless infrastructure assets.

Ardian is an international leader in essential infrastructures. The Infrastructure team, which comprises more than 60 investment professionals worldwide including financial experts, operational engineers and data scientists, manages more than US$20bn. Ardian Infrastructure believes that bringing technological innovation is a key element of value creation through the increase of the assets operational efficiency. Ardian is also a pioneering manager in decarbonizing infrastructure assets in line with global climate change agreements. As part of its commitment, Ardian is developing a major renewable energy portfolio and introducing energy efficiency policies across all of its portfolio companies.