£25k
Service voucher, year one
20+
FOUNDING partners
5
PLACES AVAILABLE
£0
Programme fee, equity, or carry
NEWS
Latest articles, news and views.
A structured four-stage process. Rolling review means earlier applications receive more attention from the selection panel.
NEWS
Latest articles, news and views.
A structured four-stage process. Rolling review means earlier applications receive more attention from the selection panel.
WHY GUERNSEY
A jurisdiction built for fund managers
For emerging managers, Guernsey offers a compelling combination of institutional credibility, global market access and cost efficiency. Well regarded by institutional LPs and allocators, the island’s strength lies in alignment. The regulator, service providers and the wider funds ecosystem operate in step, creating a more direct path to market.
1500+
FUNDS MANAGED ON THE ISLAND
£300 Billion
MANAGED / ADMiNISTERED ASSETS
60+
FUNDS LAUNCHED IN 2025
1
DAY FUND REGISTRATION
Guernsey is home to more than 1,500 funds, with over £300 billion in net asset value. It is a compact, highly connected environment where investors, service providers and the regulator sit within close reach. That proximity changes how things move. Conversations are direct, decisions can be made efficiently, and fund structures can be developed with the right people around the table early. For first-time and emerging managers, this is a different starting point. You are not navigating from the outside. You are building within an established ecosystem, with access to experience, infrastructure and networks from day one.
Regulation that works at your pace
The GFSC offers fund routes built for speed. With the right structure and the right preparation, fund registration can take days. Programme partner firms work with you to choose the pathway that fits your fund, so the regulatory step is in place before serious LP conversations.
A jurisdiction your LPs already respect
With over 1,500 funds on island and over 60 funds launched in 2025, the institutional infrastructure is established. When you tell an LP your fund is domiciled in Guernsey, the credibility question is already answered.
Clean economics, straightforward to explain
Tax-neutral fund structures mean the returns you generate are not eroded before they reach your investors. That is a straightforward conversation at LP due diligence, and it matters.
A collaborative industry, not a bureaucracy
Lawyers, administrators, regulators, and government here share an interest in seeing funds launch successfully. The Fund Foundry connects you directly into that network from day one.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Why this programme exists
Most first-time and emerging fund managers are not stopped by a bad investment thesis. They are stopped by everything else. The cost of legal structuring and corporate set-up before a penny is raised. A regulator who does not take your call. LP introductions that never quite materialise. Service providers who quote fees calibrated for established funds, not emerging ones.
The Fund Foundry supports emerging and first-time fund managers to remove these obstacles. Not to make launching a fund easy (it is not easy) but to make sure the obstacles you face are the legitimate ones: building conviction with LPs, proving your investment thesis, assembling a team. Not paperwork, not access, not cost of entry.
The programme brings together Guernsey's funds industry, a consortium of specialist service providers, banking partners, and fund managers who have already done what you are trying to do, or who invest in funds like yours. It is built around five managers per cohort, to support genuine peer relationships, and a selection process rigorous enough to mean something.
The programme runs over twelve months. Every component is built to compress the path to first close. The actual timeline depends on your fund, your LPs, and the market.
20+
supporting partners
12
MONTHS PROGRAMME
5
MANAGERS PER COHORT
£0
PROGRAMME FEE, EQUITY TAKEN, OR CARRY
WHAT YOU GET
Built to get you to first close
Most emerging fund managers spend two to five years working through the same set of obstacles: structure, regulation, legal costs, LP access. The Fund Foundry removes those obstacles before you arrive. The pathway is already built.
£25,000 service voucher
Each selected manager receives a £25,000 voucher redeemable against on-island service costs in the first year, including legal fees, fund administration, and audit. These costs are significant and they arrive early. The voucher is part of how the programme keeps your runway intact.
A supported regulatory pathway
Your application is supported by Fund Foundry affiliate partners with established GFSC pathways, with the goal of having your structure in place before serious LP conversations begin. The credibility gap closes early in the process, not after it matters.
A dedicated mentor for the full programme
Each manager is matched with an experienced GP who has launched their own fund. Regular 1:1 sessions across the twelve months. The guidance is grounded in their experience and specific to your situation.
A cohort of peers at the same stage
Five managers, one programme, the same set of challenges. The relationships formed in a cohort like this tend to be durable: shared context, mutual interest, and the kind of candour that is hard to find elsewhere. Cohort 1 managers become the founding members of the Fund Foundry community, and we are committed to supporting them as they scale.
A pre-assembled professional consortium
Each consortium member has been selected for the programme and briefed in advance on the process, the timeline, and what first-time managers need. That removes the explain-yourself-five-times tax that emerging managers usually pay, and gives you direct access to Guernsey's leading fund administrators, lawyers, auditors, compliance specialists, and bankers.
Investor Ecosystem
The Programme will actively support GPs in building relationships with aligned LPs including funds of funds, multi-managers, family offices, and other private asset allocators. We create opportunities for interaction and facilitate introductions.
150+
APPLICations
20
invited to guernsey
5
selected
£100M
COHORT TARGET AUM
THREE ROUTES
Three routes in
Every manager in this programme is here to launch a fund. The starting point is different for each of them.
UK & INTERNATIONAL MANAGERS
You want to domicile your fund in Guernsey while staying based in the UK, EU, or further afield. We organise the jurisdictional set-up so you stay focused on building your fund and LP relationships.
YOU BRING
investment thesis, LP network, operating experience
PE, VC, private debt, real estate, digital assets
RELOCATING MANAGERS
You intend to both domicile your fund and base your operation in Guernsey. The programme supports the full transition, from fund structure and regulatory pathway through to first close.
YOU BRING
investment thesis, long-term commitment, international LP network
All asset classes, international LPs
GUERNSEY-BASED PROFESSIONALS
You are already working in Guernsey funds industry, as NED or in-house at a manager. The programme provides structure to step out and build your own fund without losing the network you have built.
YOU BRING
deep local knowledge, established relationships, sector or strategy expertise
Senior practitioners, all strategies
All three routes are supported by
A supported GFSC registration pathway
A £25,000 service voucher
Support with LP positioning and introductions
The service provider consortium
Banking and access-to-finance partner support
A dedicated mentor
Structured education programme
QUALIFICATION
Who this programme suits
Selective by design. Five places. Twelve months. Real work.
This is for you if
-
You have a clear investment thesis or emerging fund concept
-
You are an experienced operator, angel, or investor, already running a syndicate or investing via SPVs
-
You are committed to building and launching your fund within the next twelve months
-
You are serious about raising institutional or professional capital
-
You are ready to commit to a structured twelve-month process with the Fund Foundry
This is not for you if
-
You are exploring venture or private markets casually
-
You do not have relevant investment experience or deal flow
-
Your fund concept depends on a domicile other than Guernsey
-
You are looking for capital from the programme itself rather than the infrastructure to raise your own
-
You want a course or general introduction to fund management
HOW IT WORKS
From expression of interest to first close
A structured four-stage process. Rolling review means earlier applications receive more attention from the selection panel.
01
NOW OPEN
Expression of interest
Submit your EOI using the form below. Tell us about your strategy, your background, and your target timeline. No lengthy documents required at this stage. We review on a rolling basis throughout the open window.
02
ROLLING REVIEW
Application review
The programme team reviews all submissions against a consistent set of criteria: thesis quality, relevant experience, team composition, access to investors and readiness to launch. You will receive an honest response on where you stand. If we need more information, we will ask.
03
20 CANDIDATES · 2 DAYS · GUERNSEY
Welcome to Guernsey
Twenty shortlisted candidates spend two days on the island at the end of September (date to be confirmed). This is the centrepiece of the selection process and the most important two days of your application.
04
September/ October 2026
Five managers selected
Five fund managers are selected by the panel and confirmed for Cohort 1.
ON THE DAY
Welcome to Guernsey
MEET THE PANEL
Structured sessions with the selection panel, programme directors, and founding sponsors. They are assessing your thesis, your experience, and your readiness.
LP POSITIONING
Where there is genuine fit, we facilitate introductions to funds of funds, family offices, and private wealth partners. Outcomes depend on alignment, but the work to set up the right conversations is real.
FUND THESIS PRESENTATION
You present your fund thesis in person to the selection panel and invited industry participants. Structured feedback follows. This is where the strongest candidates separate themselves.
MEET THE SERVICE PROVIDERS
Time with lawyers, administrators, auditors, compliance specialists, and the GFSC. You leave knowing how your fund would be structured and how long it would take. Guernsey should feel like a decision by the time you leave the island.
REGISTER / EOI FORM
Ready to apply, or want to understand more
Register your interest and we will come back to you directly. If you are unsure whether you qualify, register regardless. We review on a rolling basis and will give you an honest assessment. Five places.
ecosystem partners
+ further partners confirming
SERVICE PROVIDER PARTNERS
AFFILIATE PARTNERS
FUND MANAGER PARTNERS
Fund foundry partners
The Guernsey Financial Services Commission welcomes the private sector Fund Foundry initiative.
GUERNSEY FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION (GFSC) — THE REGULATORY BODY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES IN THE BAILIWICK OF GUERNSEY
ecosystem enablers
+ further partners confirming
FUND MANAGERS
FUND MANAGERS
AFFLIATE PARTNERS
FUND MANAGER PARTNERS
PROGRAMME TEAM
The programme is run by a team that has structured investments for the UN, bilateral agencies, and private foundations; sat on the boards of regulated and unregulated Guernsey funds with direct GFSC pathways; and built one of the UK's largest founder support organisations, backing thousands of entrepreneurs and helping them raise capital. Team members chair Impact Guernsey, hold multiple fund NED roles, and contribute actively to the funds industry on island.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What you need to know
If your question is not here, register your interest and we will answer it directly.
ELIGIBILITY
No. The programme has three entry routes: UK or international managers who want to domicile their fund in Guernsey while staying based abroad; managers who want to relocate to Guernsey; and professionals already working in the Guernsey funds industry who are ready to launch their own fund. You choose the route that fits your situation.
All asset classes are eligible: private equity, venture capital, private debt, real assets, digital assets, infrastructure, and others. The programme is not restricted to impact strategies, though impact-aligned managers are welcome. What matters is that you have a credible, differentiated thesis and the experience to execute it.
We are looking for managers with relevant investment experience in their target strategy, whether from a prior fund role, a family office, corporate investment, or direct investing. You do not need to have managed a fund before, but you need to demonstrate the experience, thesis, and relationships that make a fund viable. The selection panel assesses this directly.
Yes. The programme is designed for managers who are ready to launch, including those who have already begun building LP relationships or have soft commitments in place. Being further along does not disadvantage your application. Register your interest and we will give you an honest view on fit.
THE PROGRAMME
The programme runs from launch at the Guernsey Funds Forum on 14 May 2026 through to spring 2027. The exact pace depends on your fund structure, your LP base, and how much groundwork you have already done. Once your service providers are in place, you work alongside them to launch.
Each selected manager receives a £25,000 voucher redeemable with the Fund Foundry consortium providers needed to set up your fund: administrator, law firm, and auditor. The voucher is applied against actual invoiced services in your first year of operation.
Each manager is matched with a mentor who has launched their own fund. You meet monthly for a 1:1 session across the twelve months. Matching is done on strategy, stage, and background rather than convenience. Mentors are available between sessions for specific questions. This is a working relationship, not a ceremonial one.
COSTS AND TERMS
There is no programme fee to apply, and no programme fee if you are selected.
No. No equity, no carry. The programme exists to help you launch a fund.
The £25,000 service voucher is redeemable with the Fund Foundry's consortium of service providers associated with the programme. You are free to engage providers outside the consortium for work the voucher does not cover.