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1788 Capital Trust
1788 Capital Trust S.A. is the Geneva-based multi-family office for the de Spoelberch family, one of three Belgian founding lineages behind Anheuser-Busch...
1788 Capital Trust
1788 Capital Trust S.A. is the Geneva-based multi-family office for the de Spoelberch family, one of three Belgian founding lineages behind Anheuser-Busch InBev. The family's wealth traces to the 14th-century brewing traditions that eventually merged under the AB InBev umbrella, generating one of Europe's largest industrial fortunes. Directors Olivier de Spoelberch and Grégoire de Spoelberch represent the family's direct stewardship, while director Guy de Selliers de Moranville — former Deputy Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development — brings institutional and emerging-market connectivity from his parallel chairmanships at Ivanhoé Cambridge and board seats at M1 Group and Umicore. The office's investment apparatus spans multiple parallel vehicles rather than a single balance sheet. Verlinvest, the Brussels-based growth equity arm shared with the de Mévius family, targets consumer brands across health, food, and lifestyle sectors. Cobepa, the legacy private equity platform held jointly with other Belgian industrial dynasties, operates independently as a mid-market buyout and growth investor. At the center sits 1788 Capital Trust, which orchestrates direct private equity stakes, real estate holdings, fund-of-funds commitments, and secondary-market positions. The family's disclosed geographic focus remains concentrated in Europe, with sector emphases that include ClimateTech, AgriTech, Digital Health, EdTech, Mobility, and Luxury. A notable structural anchor is the de Spoelberch holding company Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS), which holds a direct shareholder stake in JAB Holding — the Reimann family's rapidly consolidating consumer-and-coffee empire — making 1788's principals co-investors in JAB's ambitions. The office operates from Geneva with a deliberately low profile. Team size and aggregate assets under management are not publicly disclosed. The professional network, however, is unusually dense within European institutional circles. Guy de Selliers chairs the board of Ivanhoé Cambridge, the global real estate arm of Canadian pension giant CDPQ, sits on the board of Belgian insurer Ageas alongside the Mikati family's M1 Group, and holds directorships at emerging-market asset manager The Rohatyn Group and Belgian retailer MCC. The de Spoelberch family's patronage footprint is equally substantial, with foundations including the Baillet Latour Fund and Fondation de Spoelberch supporting the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and medical research at KU Leuven. What structurally differentiates 1788 Capital Trust from most European multi-family offices is its architecture as a decentralized network of co-investing platforms rather than a captive single-family balance sheet. Unlike a monolithic SFO that consolidates all holdings under one CIO, the de Spoelberch family operates through distinct, independently governed vehicles — 1788 Capital Trust, Verlinvest, Cobepa, and the EPS stake in JAB — each with its own management team and investment mandate. This hub-and-spoke model effectively makes the family a permanent anchor LP and co-GP across multiple parallel funds, a posture that produces a deal-sourcing surface area far broader than the office's headcount would suggest.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Geneva
Corporate office
Geneva, Switzerland
Principals
Olivier de Spoelberch
Director
Grégoire de Spoelberch
Director
Guy de Selliers de Moranville
Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Where does the de Spoelberch family's underlying wealth come from?
The de Spoelberch family is one of three Belgian founding dynasties behind Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer by volume. Their stake traces back to the original brewing operations that, through successive mergers — Interbrew, AmBev, and ultimately the 2008 acquisition of Anheuser-Busch — created the modern AB InBev entity. The family's holding company Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS) also holds a direct stake in JAB Holding, the consumer-focused investment firm of Germany's Reimann family.
Who makes investment decisions at 1788 Capital Trust?
Investment governance is shared among the de Spoelberch family directors — Olivier and Grégoire de Spoelberch — and senior independent director Guy de Selliers de Moranville. De Selliers brings an unusual institutional background: he is a former Deputy Vice President of the EBRD, Chairman of Ivanhoé Cambridge (CDPQ's real estate arm), and a director at Umicore, Ageas, and emerging-market manager The Rohatyn Group. The office does not publicly name a single CIO, reflecting its decentralized, multi-platform architecture.
Is 1788 Capital Trust a single-family or multi-family office?
Structurally it is registered as a multi-family office in Geneva, though its primary capital base is the de Spoelberch family. The multi-family designation may reflect service to branches of the extended family or to other families within the AB InBev ecosystem. In practice, the office operates as the coordinating hub for a constellation of family-controlled investment platforms, including the growth-equity firm Verlinvest and the private equity platform Cobepa.
How is 1788 Capital Trust related to Verlinvest and Cobepa?
Verlinvest is the Brussels-based growth-equity firm shared by the de Spoelberch and de Mévius families, focused on global consumer brands. Cobepa is an independent private equity platform historically owned by the de Spoelberch family alongside other Belgian industrial dynasties. 1788 Capital Trust sits at the center of this network, coordinating family-level allocations while each platform operates with its own management, investment committee, and geographic mandate.
Does 1788 Capital Trust co-invest alongside external families or GPs?
Yes. The de Spoelberch family's holding company EPS is a direct shareholder in JAB Holding, making the family a permanent co-investor alongside the Reimann family's consumer-platform strategy. Separately, 1788 Capital Trust was a shareholder in Sienna Capital, the alternative investment platform of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), which is controlled by the Frère and Desmarais families. The office's posture appears to favor deeply embedded, long-duration co-investment relationships rather than transaction-by-transaction syndications.
Which investment strategies does 1788 Capital Trust pursue directly?
The office deploys across direct private equity, real estate, collectibles and passion assets, fund-of-funds commitments, philanthropic and mission-related investing, and secondaries and special situations. Sector focuses include ClimateTech, AgriTech and FoodTech, EdTech, Digital Health, Mobility and Transportation, and Luxury. Geographic activity concentrates in Europe, with an explicit ESG filter on direct investments.
What is the relationship between 1788 Capital Trust and JAB Holding?
The de Spoelberch family, through its holding company Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS), is a direct shareholder in JAB Holding, the investment vehicle of Germany's Reimann family. JAB has aggressively consolidated the global coffee and fast-casual food sectors, acquiring brands including Keurig Dr Pepper, Panera Bread, Pret A Manger, and Caribou Coffee. The EPS stake makes the de Spoelberch family a long-term, passive co-investor in JAB's entire portfolio of consumer platform companies.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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