David Holder: Edinburgh Worldwide (EWI) offers investors a differentiated approach to global small cap equity investment. The strategy has been managed by the Global Discovery team at Baillie Gifford since February 2014.
The team seek to identify immature, ambitious and entrepreneurial companies who are looking to scale-up their operations to a global level. These companies typically offer solutions that larger companies are failing to address, and if successful, can offer investors asymmetric returns as they take market share and disrupt incumbent operators.
The Global Discovery team actively leverages off the wider resources at Baillie Gifford which includes over 100 investors on 18 investment desks. This interaction serves to broaden industry trend awareness across this and other teams at Baillie Gifford.
Investment ideas are primarily unearthed through internal discussion, company meetings and trade shows. Investors should be aware that given the focus on disruption and innovation Technology and Biotech names form a substantial element of the portfolio.
In our view Baillie Gifford are uniquely qualified to pursue this type of investment given their benchmark agnostic approach, bottom up focus and patient approach to investment. Investors should be aware that with a focus on nascent companies in volatile sectors the strategy is likely to offer a very bumpy ride at times. However, in recognition of our increasing conviction across various facets of the strategy, we have awarded the fund a Morningstar Analyst award of Silver from Bronze.