Michael Stutz

With funds from early on.

My career has revolved around investment funds from the very start. In 2001, my matriculation thesis was titled «Investment funds – who is behind them». Alongside the Kantonsschule Schaffhausen and later my studies at the University of St. Gallen, I joined Schlagenhauf & Partner Portfolio Management (SPPM) in Zurich – first as assistant to management, and from 2002 as an analyst responsible for the fund savings plan clients.

Launching the first fund.

After internships in London (GAM, Lehman Brothers), I returned to SPPM in 2005 as a portfolio manager and launched an asset allocation fund focused on hedge fund investments. I led the drafting of the legal documents, selected the counterparties, defined the investment strategy, chose an advisor, and managed the fund day-to-day. I then continued the fund at Independent Capital Management (ICM), bringing its strategy and marketing to market readiness.

Multi-asset, fund structures, and private equity.

At HNW Family Office AG in Erlenbach, I was a portfolio manager from 2008 and Head of Portfolio Management from 2012, responsible for discretionary multi-asset management for wealthy private clients. I selected and supervised the external managers of the Performa Fund SICAV in Luxembourg, set up a Liechtenstein fund structure for private equity investments, and saw a US private equity investment through to a partial exit – ultimately as a board member of the portfolio company.

The entire value chain – through to systematic investing.

At 2Xideas AG in Küsnacht, I helped build the investment business from the ground up. I joined in 2014 as a partner, became Chief Investment Officer, and additionally Chief Executive Officer in 2024. I internally led the FINMA licensing process as a manager of collective assets, built the entire infrastructure for managed accounts and funds, and set up two umbrella fund structures in Luxembourg (UCITS and SICAV-SIF), serving as their board chairman from 2017 to 2022. At its peak, 2Xideas managed around USD 2.3bn.

A constant thread was the use of systematics and technology in the investment process. I launched the 2Xideas Library Index together with Solactive AG; the Library Fund built on it grew to around USD 1.3bn. As CEO, together with the CTO, I converted a 130/30 mid-cap strategy in 2025 to a fully systematic, factor-based process – with quality-growth and momentum factors, a proprietary risk model, and quantitative portfolio optimization.

Independent with S³ Stutz Systematic Solutions.

With S³, I bring together this experience in an independent approach – with the goal of bringing more good systematic solutions to Swiss investors.

CFA, CAIA, and University of St. Gallen.

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), and a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).