In October 2005, Frans brought a cake to work on the first day he met his new colleague Lennart, who was doing an internship there, while working on his thesis. From a light conversation wielding forks and saucers, the discussions between Frans and Lennart soon turned to the fundamental value of companies and how to construct an investment portfolio. It was not long before Frans got Lennart involved in the fund he was managing, inviting him on company visits all across Europe – a tremendous learning experience.

When Frans left the company, Lennart started looking for new opportunities too. Perhaps he should start his own fund? Built on the principles he and Frans had discussed? He plucked up his courage and called Frans. And the rest is history.

There is a saying in chess: when you see a good move, look for a better one. We believe that the more attention you give to the businesses you invest in, the better your investment decisions are. No high-risk ventures with quick results or mindlessly surfing the stock market average. That's not us. Instead we work to get to the bottom of every bottom line, researching annual reports and business models, analysing industry developments, visiting businesses to kick the tyres and get to know the people who run them personally. We are curious, we ask questions, we pay attention. The better we are at recognising every relevant factor, the better our judgement becomes – and the more successful our investments are. We pay the same attention to our portfolio: a carefully curated selection of ten to fifteen businesses, with shares that we intend to hold on to for the long term. Over time, the companies we invest in demonstrate stable earnings growth. Earnings growth that over time translates into higher share prices. This is the foundation of our success. 

We pay as much attention to our clients as we do to the technical side of our profession. We believe it goes without saying, especially when you think about the trust they place in us. That is why we welcome participants to drop in to our office in The Hague. There is no need to make an appointment. And our annual participants' meeting? Without giving too much away, we can tell you that many of our investors save the date a year in advance. From the businesses you invest in, to the people you represent: everything just goes better when you know and trust each other. 

Frans and Lennart founded Juno Investment Partners with certain ideas about investing and the way clients should be treated. These ideas serve as the unshakeable foundations of the organisation. And these same ideas meant that, for example, the Juno Selection Fund closed to further investment by clients on 1 October 2018, having reached its maximum size. The fund had already closed to new investors. From the perspective of the portfolio manager, closing a fund is never an appealing option. But for the participants it is a reason to rest assured: it solidifies the investment style, securing the fund's liquidity. That, in a nutshell, is Juno's philosophy.