Key Takeaways
- • Sagard named Truelink Capital II, Goldenpeak Fund I, Allied Industrial Partners and Axiom Equity as winners of its 2026 Emerging Manager of the Year Awards, presented in Paris during IPEM Global 2026.
- • Truelink Capital II closed its second fund at a $2.0 billion hard cap in March 2026, exceeding its $1.5 billion target.
- • Goldenpeak closed Goldenpeak Fund I at £375 million after a heavily oversubscribed 12-week fundraising process; the London firm was founded in 2025.
- • Allied Industrial Partners and Axiom Equity were recognized for exits, including Allied's simultaneous sale of two portfolio companies to TPG and Axiom's partial exit from Joblogic.
- • The awards honor emerging managers raising their first or second funds across Europe and the U.S., selected by a panel of intermediaries and institutional investors and voted on by GPs, LPs and intermediaries.
Summary
Sagard has named Truelink Capital II, Goldenpeak Fund I, Allied Industrial Partners and Axiom Equity as the winners of its 2026 Emerging Manager of the Year Awards, according to a Business Wire release dated September 21, 2026. The awards, established in 2024, are being presented by Sagard for the first time following the completion of its partnership with Unigestion. They recognize emerging managers, those raising their first or second funds, across Europe and the U.S. for fundraising, successful exits and broader business momentum over the past year. Finalists were selected by a panel of intermediaries and institutional investors active in the emerging manager space, and winners were determined by voting from GPs, LPs and intermediaries.
In the U.S. fundraising category, Los Angeles-based Truelink Capital, which focuses on industrials and business services, closed Truelink Capital II at its $2.0 billion hard cap in March 2026, above its $1.5 billion target. In the European fundraising category, London-based Goldenpeak, founded in 2025 and focused on high-growth business and information services companies across the UK and Ireland, closed Goldenpeak Fund I at £375 million following a heavily oversubscribed 12-week process.
In the exit categories, Allied Industrial Partners, an operationally focused lower-middle-market firm specializing in industrial businesses, was recognized for the simultaneous acquisition by TPG of two portfolio companies, Waste Eliminator and Liberty Waste Solutions, which Allied had transformed as regional waste management and recycling services. Axiom Equity, a UK- and Ireland-focused firm investing in high-growth AI-powered software businesses in the lower middle market, was recognized for its partial exit from Joblogic, a UK-based field service management software provider.
The winners were recognized at the annual Emerging Manager Conference, held in Paris in September within IPEM Global 2026. Now in its sixth year, the conference brings together emerging managers and institutional investors. Sagard says it has backed more than 100 emerging managers over three decades. Kim Pochon, Global Head of Primary Investments at Sagard Private Equity, said emerging managers bring differentiated strategies, specialization and investor alignment, and that the winners built investor momentum "in a challenging fundraising environment." Francesco Aldorisio, Global Head of Private Equity Investments, said attracting institutional investors and delivering realizations remain critical measures of a manager's ability to execute.
Sagard Private Equity, which manages over USD 23 billion in combined private equity assets following combinations with Performance Equity Management, BEX Capital and Unigestion's private equity platforms, is a middle-market private equity and venture capital platform. Sagard overall manages over USD 46 billion in assets across venture capital, private equity, private credit and real estate.
In the U.S. fundraising category, Los Angeles-based Truelink Capital, which focuses on industrials and business services, closed Truelink Capital II at its $2.0 billion hard cap in March 2026, above its $1.5 billion target. In the European fundraising category, London-based Goldenpeak, founded in 2025 and focused on high-growth business and information services companies across the UK and Ireland, closed Goldenpeak Fund I at £375 million following a heavily oversubscribed 12-week process.
In the exit categories, Allied Industrial Partners, an operationally focused lower-middle-market firm specializing in industrial businesses, was recognized for the simultaneous acquisition by TPG of two portfolio companies, Waste Eliminator and Liberty Waste Solutions, which Allied had transformed as regional waste management and recycling services. Axiom Equity, a UK- and Ireland-focused firm investing in high-growth AI-powered software businesses in the lower middle market, was recognized for its partial exit from Joblogic, a UK-based field service management software provider.
The winners were recognized at the annual Emerging Manager Conference, held in Paris in September within IPEM Global 2026. Now in its sixth year, the conference brings together emerging managers and institutional investors. Sagard says it has backed more than 100 emerging managers over three decades. Kim Pochon, Global Head of Primary Investments at Sagard Private Equity, said emerging managers bring differentiated strategies, specialization and investor alignment, and that the winners built investor momentum "in a challenging fundraising environment." Francesco Aldorisio, Global Head of Private Equity Investments, said attracting institutional investors and delivering realizations remain critical measures of a manager's ability to execute.
Sagard Private Equity, which manages over USD 23 billion in combined private equity assets following combinations with Performance Equity Management, BEX Capital and Unigestion's private equity platforms, is a middle-market private equity and venture capital platform. Sagard overall manages over USD 46 billion in assets across venture capital, private equity, private credit and real estate.
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