Arden Asset Management

What Arden Asset Management does

Arden Asset Management LLC is a hedge fund specialist founded in 1993 by Averell H. Mortimer, headquartered in New York with a London office. The firm constructs and manages hedge fund portfolios across the liquidity spectrum using a proprietary multi-manager investment platform anchored by a database of more than 50,000 research reports on hedge fund managers and a multi-step due diligence process overseen by a 4-person Investment Committee. Arden serves institutional clients globally — public and corporate pensions, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, and insurance companies — through 18 customized portfolios totaling approximately $10.4 billion in AUM as of January 2015, with total AUM and advisory of approximately $11.6 billion including the $5.6 billion MassPRIM advisory mandate.

The product suite spans private multi-strategy commingled funds, customized institutional portfolios, a turnkey managed account platform with position-level transparency, advisory services for direct hedge fund investors, and registered vehicles including mutual funds (Arden Funds) and UCITS funds (Arden Global Alternative Strategies) offering daily liquidity. Risk management is supported by an in-house quantitative analytics system integrated with HedgeMark Risk Analytics (a BNY Mellon affiliate). Distribution is exclusively institutional through direct field sales; marketing channels include the SALT Conference, Carter Burden Investment Conference, Hedge Fund Intelligence European Summit, monthly research publications, and a LinkedIn corporate presence.

Arden was 100% employee-owned through 2014. In August 2015, Aberdeen Asset Management announced an agreement to acquire the firm, subject to UK FCA and Irish Central Bank approvals, targeting Q4 2015 close — a transaction that would fold Arden into a global asset manager's alternatives platform and end Arden's independent operating trajectory. Revenue is generated through management fees on approximately $10–11.8 billion in assets, advisory fees (notably the MassPRIM mandate), and management fees on the registered mutual fund and UCITS product families.

Name

Arden Asset Management

Legal name

Arden Asset Management LLC

Website

https://ardenasset.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arden Asset Management is a New York-based hedge fund specialist founded in 1993 that constructs and manages multi-manager hedge fund portfolios across private funds, customized institutional mandates, managed accounts, advisory, mutual funds and UCITS vehicles, serving pensions, sovereign wealth funds and endowments globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hedge Fund Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

UCITS / Liquid Alternatives Fund of Funds (FSAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Hedge fund management
• Alternative asset management
• Institutional investment management
• Manager due diligence
• Multi-strategy portfolios

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Fees - Private Funds: Fees earned from managing diversified multi-strategy hedge fund programs that allocate to hedge fund managers based on tactical macroeconomic views. The funds have different characteristics from higher alpha potential equity event-driven portfolios to more defensive global macro-focused funds.
2. Management Fees - Customized Portfolios: Fees from managing customized portfolios for large institutional investors totaling approximately $10.4 billion of assets under management and advisement as of January 2015, with 18 major institutional investors.
3. Advisory Fees: Fees from advisory services to large institutions who invest in hedge funds directly, providing specialized knowledge about managers, manager sourcing, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring. Clients include Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management (PRIM) with a $5.6 billion advisory mandate.
4. Managed Account Platform Fees: Fees from providing turnkey managed account platform with customizable open architecture. Services include prime broker and ISDA relationships, integrated administration and middle office services.
5. Mutual Fund Distribution: Fees from registered mutual funds including a closed-end fund, two open-end mutual funds, and a UCITS fund for non-US investors, all offering access to hedge fund strategies with daily liquidity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arden Asset Management is an institutional hedge fund specialist that creates and manages customized hedge fund portfolios across the liquidity spectrum using a proprietary manager selection and portfolio construction process. The firm serves large institutional investors through private funds, customized portfolios, a managed account platform, advisory services, and registered mutual fund/UCITS vehicles, allocating capital to underlying hedge fund managers across multiple strategies.

Product overview

Arden Asset Management LLC is a hedge fund specialist that creates and manages hedge fund portfolios across the liquidity spectrum using proprietary manager selection and portfolio construction processes. The company operates as a platform-plus-services model, offering Private Funds (commingled multi-strategy programs), Customized Portfolios (tailored mandates for institutional clients), a Managed Account Platform (for direct asset ownership and transparency), and Advisory Services (consulting for institutions). The product suite also includes registered vehicles: Arden Mutual Funds (open-end funds with daily liquidity), Arden UCITS Funds (for non-U.S. investors), and the acquired Robeco-Sage Funds brand. Arden serves institutional clients globally with offices in New York and London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Funds Diversified multi-strategy commingled programs that allocate capital to underlying hedge fund managers based on Arden's tactical macroeconomic views and investment strategy outlooks, targeting capital appreciation with low correlation to major equity and fixed income markets. For institutional investors seeking multi-manager hedge fund exposure.
• Customized Portfolios Tailored hedge fund portfolio solutions for major institutional investors, including public pensions, corporate pensions, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments. Arden constructed and managed 18 customized portfolios representing approximately $10.4 billion in AUM as of January 2015.
• Managed Account Platform Turnkey managed account platform offering full position-level transparency and direct investor asset ownership, with prime broker and ISDA relationships, integrated administration, and middle-office services delivered through customizable open architecture. For institutions transitioning to direct hedge fund investing.
• Advisory Services Consulting services for large institutions investing directly in hedge funds, including manager sourcing, due diligence, portfolio analysis, risk reporting, and liquidity management advice. Supports institutions managing their own hedge fund programs, such as MassPRIM's $5.6 billion mandate.
• Arden Mutual Funds Family of registered mutual funds including a closed-end fund and open-end mutual funds offering daily liquidity and access to alternative strategies executed by hedge fund managers. Distributed through Arden Securities LLC.
• Arden UCITS Funds UCITS regulated fund for non-U.S. investors offering daily liquidity and access to hedge fund strategies under the European regulatory framework. Distributed via Arden Asset Management (UK) Limited.

Quantifiable outcome

• Total AUM/AUA of $11.6 billion including $5.6 billion advisory mandate for MassPRIM
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and important.

• Aberdeen Asset ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2015Aberdeen Asset Management Inc announced agreement to acquire Arden Asset Management LLC on August 4, 2015. The transaction was subject to regulatory approval from UK FCA and notification to Irish Central Bank, with aim to complete in Q4 2015. This acquisition was intended to enhance Aberdeen's global hedge fund solutions and strengthen alternatives footprint.
• FidelityimportantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2012Fidelity provided backing for Arden's first registered, open-end mutual fund launched in November 2012 with innovative structure providing daily liquidity while employing alternative strategies executed by experienced hedge fund managers. The fund quickly attracted over $1 billion in assets.
• HedgeMark Risk AnalyticsimportantTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2012Arden selected HedgeMark Risk Analytics LLC to provide position level risk reporting and data aggregation following an extensive review of industry risk specialists. Arden also entered into Letter of Intent to utilize HedgeMark Managed Funds and Managed Account platforms for customized client solutions. HedgeMark is an affiliate of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY Mellon).
• Robeco GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2011Arden acquired Robeco-Sage's $1.3 billion fund of hedge funds business effective October 1, 2011. The complementary nature of Robeco-Sage's business with large overlap in underlying managers provided Arden with increased scale and strong foundation for growth. Key investment, client service and operations professionals joined Arden including Paul Platkin (CIO) and Darren Wolf (Head of Research).

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Grosvenor Capital Management: Grosvenor is one of the largest and most established fund-of-hedge-funds managers globally, offering multi-manager customized portfolios, advisory services, and managed account platforms to institutional clients — directly comparable to Arden's core platform-plus-services model.
• Franklin Templeton - K2 Advisors: K2 Advisors is Franklin Templeton's hedge fund solutions unit offering fund-of-funds and customized multi-manager portfolios to institutional clients — a direct comparable to Arden's customized portfolio and advisory services business.
• Portfolio Advisors (MetLife): Portfolio Advisors is a fund-of-hedge-funds manager owned by MetLife offering multi-manager portfolios and advisory services to institutional clients, comparable in scale and service offering to Arden.
• Mesirow Financial - Hedge Fund Solutions: Mesirow Financial's hedge fund solutions group provides fund-of-funds, customized portfolios, and advisory services to institutional investors — a direct mid-sized competitor to Arden's multi-manager platform.

Broad incumbents

• BlackRock Alternative Advisors: BlackRock's hedge fund solutions group offers fund-of-funds, customized portfolios, and advisory services as part of a much broader alternatives platform, competing with Arden for institutional mandates at significantly larger scale.
• Goldman Sachs Asset Management - Hedge Fund Strategies: Goldman Sachs offers institutional investors multi-manager hedge fund solutions, customized portfolios, and managed account platforms as part of its broader alternatives platform — competing head-to-head with Arden for large pension and endowment mandates.
• JPMorgan Asset Management - Hedge Fund Solutions: JPMorgan's Hedge Fund Solutions group provides multi-manager hedge fund portfolios, customized mandates, and advisory services to institutional clients globally, directly overlapping with Arden's service offering.
• UBS Hedge Fund Solutions: UBS offers institutional investors fund-of-hedge-funds, customized portfolios, and advisory services through its hedge fund solutions group, comparable to Arden's institutional multi-manager offerings.
• Man Group: Man Group operates a global alternatives platform offering multi-strategy hedge fund portfolios and liquid alternatives funds to institutional and retail clients, overlapping with Arden's liquid alts mutual fund and multi-manager offerings.

Emerging players

• Albourne Partners: Albourne Partners is a hedge fund advisory and research firm serving institutional clients with manager research, due diligence, and consulting services — directly comparable to Arden's advisory services business line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arden-asset-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arden Asset Management