Raising from LPs in Switzerland: How Managers from Outside Switzerland Get Their First Meetings
If you manage a private fund outside Switzerland and want to meet Swiss LPs, expect the capital behind the meeting to come from anywhere, treat Geneva and Zurich as equals, and meet face to face whenever it is practical.
Switzerland is the largest market for Private Capital Development (PCD) introductions outside the United States. PCD has arranged one-to-one introductions with Swiss allocators for managers from the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Asia and Europe, and its co-founder has led delegations of managers to Zurich and Geneva since 2013. This page sets out what we see around those meetings.
Who allocates to managers from outside Switzerland
Switzerland is a global financial center first and a national market second. It remains the world’s largest booking center for cross-border wealth, with about US$2.7 trillion at the end of 2024, according to Boston Consulting Group. The practical consequence for a manager: do not assume the money behind a Swiss meeting is Swiss. One Swiss fund of funds that has met many managers PCD introduced invests capital that is largely Brazilian. Swiss family offices often manage wealth made in Japan, China or elsewhere. It does not change how you prepare, but it should change what you assume.
The Swiss institutions that have taken first meetings with managers PCD introduced, in rough order of how often they appear in our record:
- Family offices and multi-family offices, in Geneva, Zurich and beyond.
- Funds of funds and private equity investors, including venture fund-of-funds programs.
- Pension funds (Pensionskassen), including corporate and cooperative-sector plans.
- Private banks and wealth managers, often investing on behalf of their clients.
- Foundations.
How a first meeting in Switzerland works
- Face to face when it is practical. Swiss allocators appreciate meeting in person. A first meeting by video is common, and an in-person meeting that follows it carries weight.
- Two meetings in a row is a good sign. In 2026, a U.S. venture manager held a first meeting by video with a Swiss fund of funds. The LP’s analyst then brought in a colleague based near Madrid, and the second meeting took place in person while the manager was traveling in Europe. When an LP adds a colleague and asks to meet again, the conversation is moving.
- The LP may meet you outside Switzerland. Swiss institutions often have people in other European cities. If you are traveling in Europe, say so. The meeting may come to you.
Two centers, not one
Geneva and Zurich are equally important. Plan for both rather than choosing one. They sit in different cantons, and in Switzerland that matters: calendars, customs and the institutions themselves differ from one to the other. A manager who treats Switzerland as a single city will miss half of it.
When to go
Beyond the obvious national and religious holidays, watch the cantonal calendar. A holiday in Geneva is not necessarily a holiday in Zurich. Geneva, for example, observes the Jeûne genevois in September; Zurich takes the afternoon off for Sechseläuten in April. Check both cantons before you fix dates for a trip that covers both cities.
Why meeting in person matters in Switzerland
PCD’s co-founder has been bringing managers to Switzerland for more than a decade. PCD’s co-founder, Randy Mitchell, led the first Impact Investing mission to Zurich in September 2013, while at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He brought emerging-market managers to Zurich in 2016. Under PCD, a global delegation followed in Zurich in March 2019, and another in Geneva and Zurich in November 2021.
Those visits compound. One Swiss allocator met PCD in person during the 2021 delegation in Geneva. It has since met more than twenty managers PCD introduced.
That is also why Swiss allocators keep taking the meetings. The largest fund managers are over-marketed to LPs; a Swiss allocator hears from them constantly. What it values is a manager it would not otherwise meet, introduced by someone it knows. PCD’s introductions come from Randy Mitchell’s own email address, and many of the allocators who receive them are people he has met in person. Not all of them, but many.
Where PCD's role ends
PCD builds a manager's standing with Swiss allocators and arranges the introduction. It does not offer or promote a fund, and it does not solicit investment on a manager's behalf, in Switzerland or anywhere else. Questions about offering fund interests to investors in Switzerland belong with the manager's own counsel there.
If you are an allocator checking that a manager is regulated and licensed in its home market, or a manager preparing to be checked, PCD's Global Directory of Fund-Manager Regulators names the regulator and the public register to consult in each major jurisdiction.
Private capital associations in Switzerland
- Swiss Private Equity & Corporate Finance Association (SECA) — seca.ch. The national body for private equity, venture capital and corporate finance, based in Zug.
The full, verified list of more than 100 associations worldwide is in PCD's Global Directory of Private Capital Associations.
Frequently asked questions
Do Swiss LPs invest in funds managed outside Switzerland?
Yes. Family offices, funds of funds, pension funds, private banks and foundations in Switzerland all take first meetings with managers from outside the country. Because Switzerland is the world’s largest center for cross-border wealth, much of the capital they manage originates elsewhere.
Should I meet LPs in Geneva or in Zurich?
Both. They are equally important, sit in different cantons and have different calendars. Plan a trip that covers both cities.
Is the money behind a Swiss LP Swiss?
Often not. A Swiss fund of funds or family office may be investing wealth made in Brazil, Japan, China or elsewhere. Do not assume a Swiss meeting means Swiss capital.
Is a first meeting with a Swiss LP better in person or by video?
In person when it is practical. A first meeting by video is common, and an in-person follow-up, sometimes outside Switzerland, is a strong sign of interest.
When should I avoid visiting Swiss LPs?
Around national and religious holidays, and around cantonal holidays, which differ between Geneva and Zurich. Check both cantons’ calendars before fixing dates.
Looking at investors in Switzerland?
If you have no relationships there yet, the introduction is the part we do.
Cross-border LP introductionsEducational content only. This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy before publication. It is general information, current as of the "Last reviewed" date shown above, and is not legal, tax or compliance advice. Private Capital Development LLC is not a law firm and is not a broker-dealer. PCD facilitates relationships between fund managers and institutional investors, on a flat-fee retainer.
Private Capital Development, a Benefit LLC, is a Maryland-based firm founded in 2018 that connects private capital fund managers with institutional allocators through personal, one-to-one introductions. Capital Mobilization is the name of its capital-introduction practice.