SLM Partners
SLM Partners is a London-based natural real assets manager founded in 2009 that invests in regenerative agriculture and forestry on behalf of institutional investors, managing $760 million across funds and separate accounts in the USA, Europe, and Australia via partnerships with local operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SLM Partners does
SLM Partners is a London-headquartered natural real assets manager founded in 2009 that invests in regenerative agriculture and forestry on behalf of institutional investors. The firm manages $755–760 million across commingled funds and separate managed accounts spanning the United States, Europe (UK, Ireland, Iberia), and Australia, serving pension funds and endowments (e.g., PKA, Spring Point Partners), development finance institutions (European Investment Bank), family offices, and foundations. Its four core strategies are the SLM Australia Livestock Fund (regenerative grazing on Queensland and New South Wales rangelands), the SLM Silva Fund (Irish forestry transitioning to Continuous Cover Forestry), the SLM Silva Europe Fund (regenerative permanent crops — almonds, pistachios, olives — in Portugal and Spain), and the US Organic Farmland strategies (organic row crops in the Midwest and organic permanent crops on the West Coast), with 89 farmland investments across 32,000 acres in the US alone.
The firm's core technology is regenerative land management, implemented through proprietary operational methodologies including Continuous Cover Forestry (selective harvesting and permanent forest cover replacing clear-felling), holistic planned grazing (rotational cattle management mimicking natural patterns), and a 10-year flexible organic-transition lease structure that shares transition-period financial risk with farmers and includes profit-sharing after organic certification. SLM has established carbon projects on more than 200,000 hectares in Australia generating over 1.8 million Australian Carbon Credit Units since 2016, develops Verra-methodology credits in Ireland, and integrates TCFD, TNFD, GIIN IRIS+, and UN SDG reporting. Operating execution is delivered through partnerships with 32+ skilled local farmers and foresters (e.g., Masia El Carmen / CrowdFarming founders, Alfonso Chico de Guzman, Impact Ag Partners, Purser Tarleton Russell) rather than direct farm management.
SLM earns revenue primarily through fund management fees on AUM, performance fees and carried interest tied to investment outperformance (the US Midwest pilot achieved a 10.1% gross IRR, beating NCREIF cropland benchmarks), and transaction revenue from carbon credit sales. Distribution is exclusively direct and relationship-based — no retail or third-party channels — with bespoke SMAs tailored to individual institutional investor mandates ($75m to $475m individual commitments). The firm reported 40% AUM growth in 2023 and has 15+ years of operating history across three continents, with co-founders Paul McMahon, Jack Gibbs, and Hylton Murray-Philipson still active in leadership.
SLM Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SLM Partners
- Legal name
- SLM Partners Ltd
- Website
- https://slmpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SLM Partners is a London-based natural real assets manager founded in 2009 that invests in regenerative agriculture and forestry on behalf of institutional investors, managing $760 million across funds and separate accounts in the USA, Europe, and Australia via partnerships with local operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SLM Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Natural Real Assets Management
- NAICS
- Farm Management Services (115116), Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (53)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Green, Social & Sustainability Bonds (GSS/SLB Fixed Income Strategies) (FSAAALAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN)
Keywords
Where SLM Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
SLM Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fund Management Fees (AUM-based): SLM Partners earns management fees on assets under management across its funds and separate managed accounts. Fees are charged to institutional investors, family offices, and foundations that commit capital to SLM's regenerative farmland and forestry strategies. The firm seeks to minimize fees and co-invests alongside investors to align incentives.
- Performance Fees / Carried Interest: SLM Partners earns carried interest tied to the investment performance of its funds and separate accounts, aligning the firm's financial incentives with those of its investors.
- Carbon Credit Sales (Australia): SLM Partners generates revenue from the sale of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) produced by its regenerative grazing and woodland restoration carbon projects. Since 2016, the firm has sold over 1.8 million ACCUs. Projects are forecasted to sequester more than 4.5 million tCO2-eq over 25 years.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Institutional Fund / Separate Managed Account |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
SLM Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SLM Partners is a real assets manager that acquires and manages rural farmland and forestry on behalf of institutional investors. The firm operates across three continents (USA, Europe, Australia) through dedicated funds and separate managed accounts, deploying capital into regenerative agriculture, holistic planned grazing, organic row and permanent crops, and Continuous Cover Forestry. It partners with skilled local operators to implement ecological land management systems and generates financial returns alongside measurable environmental impact.
Product overview
SLM Partners operates as a diversified natural real assets manager offering multiple investment products across three continents. The core offering consists of four main strategies: (1) SLM Australia Livestock Fund - regenerative grazing and carbon credits in Australia; (2) SLM Silva Fund - Irish forestry transitioning to Continuous Cover Forestry; (3) SLM Silva Europe Fund - regenerative permanent crops (nuts, olives) in Iberia; and (4) US Organic Farmland Strategy - organic row crops and permanent crops in the US Midwest and West Coast. The firm manages $760 million in assets across funds and separate accounts, providing institutional investors exposure to regenerative agriculture and forestry through direct land ownership and partnerships with skilled local operators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SLM Australia Livestock Fund Fund investing in rangeland properties in Queensland and New South Wales focused on grass-fed beef cattle production through holistic planned grazing. At its peak, the strategy had over 450,000 hectares of land under management and has generated over 1.8 million Australian Carbon Credit Units.
- SLM Silva Fund EUR 30 million sustainable Irish forestry fund that acquires existing semi-mature forest plantations and transitions them from clear-felling to Continuous Cover Forestry management. As of June 2023, the fund had acquired over 80 properties across Ireland with over 66% of forestland under Continuous Cover Forestry.
- SLM Silva Europe Fund European strategy investing in permanent crops across the Iberian peninsula (Portugal and Spain). The EUR 30 million fund targets tree nuts and olives, partnering with expert local operators implementing regenerative orchard management practices. The fund has now fully deployed across 5 properties totaling more than 920 hectares.
- US Organic Row Crops Strategy Strategy acquiring conventional cropland and partnering with local farmers to convert land to organic production in the US Midwest. The firm has grown this strategy from an initial $75 million SMA to $200 million, making 89 farmland investments across 32,000 acres and partnering with 35 local farmers.
- US Organic Permanent Crops Strategy $125 million separate account strategy investing in US organic permanent crops including tree nuts, citrus, olives, alfalfa, and specialty crops such as organic prunes and figs across California and West Coast.
- SLM Agri Carbon Strategy Joint venture strategy with Impact Ag Partners to develop regenerative agriculture and carbon projects on Australian mixed farming properties, generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) through native woodland regeneration via better grazing management. The strategy combines SLM Partners' investment capabilities with Impact Ag Partners' operational expertise.
Quantifiable outcome
- Gross IRR of 10.1% achieved on US Midwest organic farmland pilot (2019-2025), exceeding NCREIF Total Cropland Index and NCREIF Annual Cropland Index benchmarks
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use SLM Partners
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SLM Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
SLM Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Masia El Carmen (CrowdFarming)coreSLM Partners entered into a long-term partnership agreement with Masia El Carmen, a specialised agricultural operator headquartered in Valencia, Spain, managing 600+ hectares of organic orchards. The partnership involves acquiring 160 hectares in Caspe, Aragon for organic regenerative super high-density olive orchards. Masia El Carmen is the agricultural arm of CrowdFarming founders, co-founded by Gonzalo Úrculo. SLM Partners was described as 'one of the pioneering institutional investors in the region whose philosophy is genuinely aligned with our own.'
- Javier Abellan (Masia El Carmen)minorJavier Abellan, agronomic engineer at Masia El Carmen, is leading the regenerative olive orchard development project acquired by SLM Partners in Caspe, Aragon. Named Top 50 Farmer in 2026 by T50F (Top 50 Farmers), a pan-European accelerator recognising farmers leading the transition to regenerative agriculture.
- Impact Ag PartnerscoreSLM Partners joined forces with Impact Ag Partners in November 2023 through a joint venture to develop regenerative agriculture and carbon projects on a 3,650-hectare mixed farming property near Cootamundra in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The joint venture combines SLM Partners' investment capabilities with Impact Ag Partners' operational expertise in carbon project development.
- Portuguese Agri-Ecological SpecialistsminorSLM Partners is working with Portuguese agri-ecological specialists to support biodiversity management across both productive and non-productive areas of farms in Iberia.
- Alfonso Chico de Guzman (Finca el Roble operator)coreSLM Partners partnered with leading regenerative farmer Alfonso Chico de Guzman to manage the 300-hectare Finca el Roble property in Murcia, Spain (first property of the SLM Silva Europe Fund). Alfonso also manages his family farm totalling 1,800 hectares and was formerly Chairman of AlVelal, a large-scale landscape regeneration initiative in southern Spain funded by Commonland.
- Natural Capital Investment AllianceminorSLM Partners joined the Natural Capital Investment Alliance in 2021, a collaboration of natural capital investors working to increase the flow of private capital toward natural capital investments globally.
- Purser Tarleton Russell Limited (PTR)coreSLM Partners entered into a partnership with Irish forestry company Purser Tarleton Russell Limited (PTR) for day-to-day management of forests acquired by the SLM Silva Fund in Ireland. PTR is responsible for managing forests after acquisition.
- GIIN (Global Impact Investing Network)minorSLM Partners is a member of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the leading community of impact investors. The firm leverages GIIN IRIS+ metrics for impact measurement and reporting.
- Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)minorSLM Partners is a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), demonstrating commitment to incorporating ESG factors into investment decision-making.
- European Sustainable Agriculture Science, Technology and Environment Cluster (EULiFE)minorSLM Partners is listed as a partner/member of European Sustainable Agriculture Science, Technology and Environment Cluster (EULiFE).
- FAIRR (Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return)minorSLM Partners is listed as a partner of FAIRR, a collaborative investor network raising awareness of ESG risks and opportunities in the global livestock and aquaculture industry.
- Kronstein Alternative Investment AdvisorsminorSLM Partners worked with Kronstein Alternative Investment Advisors, an independent consulting firm focused exclusively on alternative asset classes, on the launch of the SLM Australia Livestock Fund.
- Dr. Judi Earl (Grassland Ecologist)minorSLM Partners works with Dr. Judi Earl, a grassland ecologist who has tracked the evolution of land health on SLM's Australian properties over the investment period. Her independent ecological monitoring validates the impact of holistic planned grazing.
Scale indicators22 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SLM Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hancock Natural Resource Group (Manulife): Manulife's Hancock Natural Resource Group manages one of the world's largest timberland and agricultural portfolios, with deep institutional relationships and global farmland investment capability. It is a comparable competitor for institutional natural capital mandates and a likely employer pool for SLM's talent. Julie Rafter, SLM's Finance Director USA, previously worked at Hancock, evidencing direct operational overlap.
- Nuveen (TIAA) Global Agriculture: Nuveen operates a major global agriculture and timberland platform with billions in AUM, offering institutional investors exposure to farmland and natural real assets. Like SLM, it pursues sustainable investing mandates, but at a far larger scale and with broader asset coverage, positioning it as a broad incumbent rather than a regenerative-only specialist.
- Brookfield Asset Management — Agriculture: Brookfield operates a global real assets platform with a growing agriculture and timberland franchise that competes for the same institutional capital. Its size and product breadth make it a broad incumbent competitor, though its regenerative focus is less specialized than SLM's.
- AXA Investment Managers — Natural Capital and Impact Investing: AXA IM is a large European asset manager that has launched natural capital and impact strategies targeting institutional investors, including sustainable land and forestry themes. It is a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping institutional distribution channels.
Direct peers
- New Forests: New Forests is an Asia-Pacific-focused sustainable forestry and land use investment manager. It is a direct peer in natural capital fund management, and Darius Sarshar (SLM Principal Europe) previously co-led its Asian business and raised a $170m Asian forestry fund there, evidencing direct functional and strategic overlap.
- Impact Ag Partners: Impact Ag Partners is an Australian regenerative agriculture and carbon project developer that has entered a joint venture with SLM Partners for the 3,650-hectare Cootamundra property and the SLM Agri Carbon strategy. It is a direct peer/partner in regenerative agriculture operations and carbon project development in Australia.
Regional players
- Climate Change Capital Limited (now Carbon Trust / part of Pollination): Climate Change Capital was a London-based climate-focused asset manager where Paul McMahon (SLM Managing Partner) led a global farmland fund strategy. Pollination, its successor, focuses on climate advisory and investment, sharing SLM's UK base and natural capital / climate mandate.
Emerging players
- Wollemi Capital: Wollemi Capital is an emerging natural capital investment manager that raises institutional capital for nature-based and regenerative land investments, directly competing with SLM Partners for impact-aligned institutional mandates. Its emergence signals growing competition in SLM's niche.
- CrowdFarming (Masia El Carmen parent): CrowdFarming is a leading European direct farmer-to-consumer marketplace founded by the team behind Masia El Carmen, SLM's Iberian operating partner for the new Caspe olive orchards. While not an asset manager, it is an emerging player in regenerative agriculture distribution that intersects with SLM's Iberian permanent crop strategy.
Others
- Restoration Forest Foundation / EIB-aligned sustainable forestry managers: SLM's €30m SLM Silva Fund is anchored by the European Investment Bank via its Natural Capital Financing Facility, alongside other EIB-backed forestry and natural capital fund managers across Europe. These counterparties are adjacent ecosystem participants shaping the same institutional capital pool and methodology standards.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SLM Partners social profiles
Digital presenceSLM Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SLM Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
SLM Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
SLM Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SLM Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SLM Partners
What does SLM Partners do?
SLM Partners is a real assets manager that acquires and manages rural farmland and forestry on behalf of institutional investors. The firm operates across three continents (USA, Europe, Australia) through dedicated funds and separate managed accounts, deploying capital into regenerative agriculture, holistic planned grazing, organic row and permanent crops, and Continuous Cover Forestry. It partners with skilled local operators to implement ecological land management systems and generates financial returns alongside measurable environmental impact.
Is SLM Partners a public or private company?
SLM Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SLM Partners founded?
SLM Partners was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SLM Partners based?
SLM Partners is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does SLM Partners make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Fund Management Fees (AUM-based) is the primary driver. The others are performance Fees / Carried Interest and carbon Credit Sales (Australia).
Who are SLM Partners's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hancock Natural Resource Group (Manulife), Nuveen (TIAA) Global Agriculture, Brookfield Asset Management — Agriculture and AXA Investment Managers — Natural Capital and Impact Investing. Direct peers are New Forests and Impact Ag Partners. Climate Change Capital Limited (now Carbon Trust / part of Pollination) is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Wollemi Capital and CrowdFarming (Masia El Carmen parent). Restoration Forest Foundation / EIB-aligned sustainable forestry managers is listed as an others.
Does SLM Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for SLM Partners.
What industry is SLM Partners in?
SLM Partners's product category is Natural Real Assets Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAF, Green, Social & Sustainability Bonds (GSS/SLB Fixed Income Strategies), with a secondary code of FSAEAJAN, Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration. Its NAICS code is 115116 and its SIC code is 6531.