Capital at risk

Investment strategy

Global Discovery

The strategy seeks ambitious, rare companies that could shape our future by solving today’s most important, complex problems. We aim to find them at an early stage and hold them for the long term as they scale.

Astronomical Observatory under the starlit sky filled with the milky way.

Unearthing transformational growth

Global Discovery seeks to invest in immature, disruptive companies experiencing exciting, formative growth phases. We then look to hold them for the long term as they scale.

While this approach can lead to individual stock and strategy volatility, we believe it also increases the chance of highly asymmetrical outcomes.

The strategy aims to outperform (net of fees) the S&P Global Small Cap Index, in sterling, by at least 2 per cent per annum over rolling five-year periods.

We consider opportunities below $10bn but believe immaturity, not size, is the best proxy for potential. We hold regardless of market cap if the company has desirable traits.

The performance target is aspirational and is not guaranteed. We don’t use it to compile the portfolio and returns will vary. A single performance target may not be appropriate across all vehicles and jurisdictions. We may not meet our investment objectives if, for example, our growth investment style is out of favour or we misjudge the long-term earnings growth of our holdings.

Discovery Q2 update

The Discovery Team reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.

A unique pursuit

The portfolio is built from the bottom up, disregarding the benchmark. Thus, it has a very high active share. This differentiates us from others. 

We exist in a huge investible universe, but most companies don’t meet our specifications. So we place ourselves on the frontier of technological progress.  

The resulting portfolio varies by industry and geography. What unites it is immaturity. We define this as:  

  • Scalability  
  • Quality and ambition of management  
  • Innovation to solve problems and reshape industry  
  • Emerging competitive edge
We established the Global Discovery Strategy to capture the opportunity in the enduring supercycle of innovation.
Douglas Brodie

Meet the managers

Documents

Philosophy and process

Explore our investment philosophy and the processes around how the team constructs the portfolio.

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Get in touch to learn about the other ways to invest, including:

  • Separate account

Strategy portfolio holdings

A list of the top 10 holdings that the representative portfolio invests in.

All figures up to: 31 August 2024

#Holding% of portfolio
1Alnylam Pharmaceuticals6.8%
2AeroVironment4.9%
3Oxford Nanopore Tech3.2%
4Zillow3.2%
5Exact Sciences3.2%
6Axon Enterprise3.0%
7Ocado2.9%
8Appian2.8%
9American Superconductor Corp2.5%
10LiveRamp2.4%

Strategy holdings by sector

As at: 31 August 2024

1Health Care45.00%
2Information Technology24.90%
3Industrials15.20%
4Financials3.70%
5Real Estate3.20%
6Consumer Discretionary3.00%
7Consumer Staples2.90%
8Materials0.90%
9Communication Services0.50%
10Cash0.60%
Total 100%

Strategy holdings by sector

All figures up to: 31 August 2024

Total: 100%

Please note

The information contained on this page is intended as a guide only and should not be relied upon when making investment decisions. All holdings information is unaudited. Source Baillie Gifford & Co. Please note that totals may not add due to rounding.

Invest through other vehicles

Get in touch to learn about the other ways to invest, including:

  • Separate account

Insights

Key articles, videos and podcasts relating to the strategy:

Discovery Q2 update

The Discovery Team reflects on recent performance, portfolio changes and market developments.

Invest through other vehicles

Get in touch to learn about the other ways to invest, including:

  • Separate account

Invest through other vehicles

Get in touch to learn about the other ways to invest, including:

  • Separate account