ROYC Collaborates with The Riverside Company to Launch a New Private Wealth Access Fund in Europe
In a strategic move that marks a significant advancement in democratizing access to private markets, ROYC, a leading provider of private markets operating systems, has partnered with global private equity firm The Riverside Company to structure and launch a new European Wealth Access Fund. This initiative represents a major step forward in broadening access to institutional-grade private equity opportunities for private wealth investors across Europe.
As private wealth increasingly shifts toward alternative investments in search of yield and long-term value, this collaboration leverages the strengths of both ROYC’s technology infrastructure and Riverside’s proven investment expertise. The result is a bespoke investment vehicle designed to streamline access to high-potential European small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), a market segment traditionally dominated by institutional capital.
Expanding Access to Lower Mid-Market Private Equity
Founded in 1988, The Riverside Company has built an impressive track record in the private equity space, with a core focus on growing businesses valued at up to $400 million. Over the past three decades, the firm has completed more than 1,000 investments and currently manages over $12 billion in assets globally. Its international portfolios span private equity and structured capital strategies, encompassing more than 140 active portfolio companies.
At the heart of Riverside’s strategy in Europe is a focus on acquiring and scaling high-potential SMEs operating in resilient, growth-oriented sectors such as technology and software, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and consumer products. These businesses offer significant growth potential and strategic value creation, especially within the lower mid-market—an area known for its attractive entry valuations, reduced competition, and compelling upside.
According to Karsten Langer, Managing Partner at Riverside Europe, the new fund will provide private wealth investors with unprecedented access to opportunities that are typically reserved for institutional capital. “This fund represents a unique opportunity for wealth investors to access value creation generally reserved for institutional investors,” he stated. “The lower mid-market offers structural advantages, including attractive entry tickets, less competition and growth potential.”
ROYC’s Role: Structuring and Technology for Scalable Distribution
At the core of this initiative is ROYC’s innovative Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), which played a critical role in structuring the investment vehicle and enabling a seamless, cross-border distribution model. Acting as both structuring advisor and financial technology partner, ROYC customized the fund’s architecture to meet the regulatory and operational demands of distributing private equity products across multiple European jurisdictions.
With its established setup in Luxembourg—one of the most reputable domiciles for European fund structures—ROYC delivered a tailored and cost-efficient solution that supports compliant and frictionless onboarding of wealth investors. The company’s cloud-native technology platform integrates core fund operations such as investor onboarding, reporting, compliance workflows, and middle- to back-office functions, enabling scalable investor servicing from day one.
ROYC’s infrastructure not only enhances operational efficiency but also allows Riverside to bring the fund to market faster while maintaining flexibility and cost control. As private markets increasingly become a strategic allocation for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and family offices, platforms like ROYC’s offer the much-needed bridge between product innovation and seamless distribution.
Enabling the Convergence of Private Equity and Private Wealth
This partnership exemplifies a broader trend in the asset management industry: the convergence of private equity strategies with private wealth distribution. Institutional-grade investment strategies, once accessible only through large pension funds and endowments, are now reaching a new class of investors—thanks to technological innovations and evolving regulatory frameworks.
Private market investments offer several advantages for wealth investors: the potential for outsized returns, long-term capital appreciation, and reduced correlation to public market volatility. However, accessing these opportunities has traditionally involved high minimums, complex documentation, and operational inefficiencies—barriers that ROYC’s platform is designed to remove.
ROYC’s embedded digital infrastructure simplifies the entire investor lifecycle—from onboarding to capital calls and distributions—making it possible to serve a broader spectrum of investors more efficiently. By digitizing what was once a highly manual and fragmented process, ROYC helps fund managers scale their distribution strategies without sacrificing compliance or investor experience.
Industry-Leading Collaboration
Octavian Popescu, CEO of ROYC, highlighted the importance of this partnership in accelerating the adoption of private markets within the wealth management ecosystem. “We are delighted to work with Riverside to support the structuring of this investment vehicle,” Popescu said. “As wealth management increasingly embraces private markets, seamless, rapid, and cost-efficient distribution solutions are becoming more critical than ever.”
He continued, “By combining structuring expertise with digital automation of operational processes, we enable our partners to scale faster and distribute smarter. This collaboration reflects our shared vision of opening up access to private equity and empowering wealth managers and investors with better tools and infrastructure.”
The Future of Fund Distribution in Europe
As European wealth investors seek more sophisticated and diversified portfolios, the demand for professionally managed private equity access funds is expected to grow. ROYC’s partnership with Riverside signals a broader shift toward digital-first, investor-centric fund structures that prioritize transparency, accessibility, and efficiency.
Furthermore, Luxembourg’s fund ecosystem continues to play a central role in facilitating pan-European fund launches, offering regulatory certainty and operational scalability for fund managers. ROYC’s presence in Luxembourg positions it as a key enabler of cross-border private wealth distribution, providing the necessary tools to navigate legal, tax, and compliance challenges across markets.
