Updated:
Rising Star AG
Rising Star AG was established in 2001 by Frank A. Erhard. It began as the steward for the Keller family, a southern German industrial dynasty, and later...
Rising Star AG
Rising Star AG was established in 2001 by Frank A. Erhard. It began as the steward for the Keller family, a southern German industrial dynasty, and later opened its platform to additional European families, entrepreneurs and trusts. The firm commits capital through fund-of-funds vehicles, direct co-investments and SPVs. Its STAR Private Equity series targets North America, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The STAR Value series holds global real-estate assets. Confirmed co-investors include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and members of the Keller family. The firm also allocates to hedge funds and secondaries. More than $1 billion has been deployed since inception. The firm maintains its headquarters in Schindellegi, Switzerland, and works with distribution partners across German-speaking markets. Virginia Keller-Volpez serves as Managing Director and Board Member, representing the founding family. No additional offices or headcount figures are disclosed. Rising Star structures its programs so that participating families invest alongside the same external managers chosen for the Keller family and the EBRD. This shared-vehicle approach creates a single governance layer across multiple family mandates without creating a public fund platform.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2001
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Schindellegi
Corporate office
Schindellegi, Switzerland
Principals
Frank A. Erhard
Founder
Virginia Keller-Volpez
Managing Director and Board Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Rising Star AG?
Frank A. Erhard founded the firm and sets overall direction. Virginia Keller-Volpez serves as Managing Director and Board Member and represents the founding family on investment matters.
How does Rising Star AG source proprietary deal flow?
The firm selects external private-equity and real-estate managers on a mandate-by-mandate basis. It structures co-investments that allow its client families to participate alongside the EBRD and other institutions in the same vehicles.
Is Rising Star AG structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
It functions as a multi-family office. It manages capital for the Keller family and additional European families through closed-end participation programs rather than direct venture-stage investments.
Does Rising Star AG participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
It runs both. The STAR Private Equity series makes primary fund commitments while also offering co-investment SPVs alongside selected managers.
What investment stages does Rising Star AG typically target?
The firm targets special situations and venture capital through its private-equity programs and holds developed and income-producing real estate through its STAR Value series.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The firm was founded to manage assets of the Keller family, owners of industrial businesses in southern Germany. It later accepted capital from other European families and trusts.
What is Rising Star AG's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
It structures participation programs that allow its families to invest side-by-side with the EBRD and other institutions in the same underlying private-equity and real-estate deals.
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.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: