The firm, which is headquartered in Switzerland, said boosting its venture capital platform in the US is a strategic priority.

LGT Capital Partners has added a team of Sapphire Partners, a US-based limited partner that invests in early-stage venture capital funds.

Beezer Clarkson co-leads the team that is moving to LGT Capital Partners.

Sapphire Partners, the fund investing arm of Sapphire Ventures, has invested as an LP for nearly 15 years, committing more than $1.2 billion across more than 200 funds. 

“Expanding our venture capital platform in the US is a strategic priority for LGT Capital Partners. The addition significantly strengthens our ability to identify and evaluate best-in-class venture managers for the benefit of both current and future clients,” Thomas Kristensen, partner at LGT Capital Partners, and responsible for the firm’s VC team, said.

Sapphire Ventures has more than $10 billion in assets under management. With support from the departing team members at LGT Capital Partners, Sapphire Ventures will continue to manage and deploy more than $2 billion in fund investments, aiming to back elite early-stage venture firms in the US, Europe and Israel.

LGT Capital Partners, headquartered in Pfaeffikon (SZ), Switzerland, has offices in San Francisco, New York, Dublin, London, Paris, The Hague, Luxembourg, Frankfurt am Main, Vaduz, Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and Sydney.