Blue Earth Capital

Blue Earth Capital was founded in 2015 by Urs Wietlisbach and Michael Pfennig, two of the three founders of Partners Group, the publicly listed private-markets firm that manages over $140 billion. Both remain deeply involved: Pfennig serves as Co-Chairman, while Wietlisbach is a Co-Founder and active board member. Their network and underwriting discipline anchor the firm's investment process.

It is a pure institutional asset manager, not a family office. The firm raises third-party capital from pension funds, insurers, and development finance institutions. No single-family wealth anchor exists, though the founder capital that seeded the initial strategies came from the principals themselves.

The firm runs two primary strategies: a private equity arm making direct and co-investments in mid-market growth, buyout, and climate-focused companies, and a private credit arm providing direct loans to SMEs in emerging and frontier markets. Both strategies carry explicit impact mandates tied to financial inclusion, health, and climate mitigation.

The firm invests across Europe, North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Private equity positions tend to concentrate in developed markets with some emerging-market exposure, while the private credit strategy is heavily weighted toward East Africa, India, and other frontier economies where SME lending gaps are largest.

Blue Earth uses both approaches. In private equity, the firm makes direct co-investments alongside GPs as well as primary fund commitments to specialist impact managers. The private credit strategy originates loans directly but also allocates to specialized local credit funds in markets where on-the-ground origination is outsourced.

The firm integrates impact criteria into due diligence, portfolio construction, and ongoing monitoring, aligned with Operating Principles for Impact Management. Each investment must demonstrate intentionality, additionality, and measurable outcomes in one of their target impact themes: climate change mitigation, basic health and wellness, or inclusive growth and financial inclusion.

Blue Earth is operationally and legally independent from Partners Group. However, two of Partners Group's three co-founders, Urs Wietlisbach and Michael Pfennig, created Blue Earth as a separate platform. The firm benefits from the founders' deep GP relationships and co-investment networks built during their prior careers, but Partners Group has no ownership stake or formal affiliation.