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How one future-focused team gets sustainable investment right

For the London-based investment manager behind pioneering European solar funds and one of the UK’s biggest EV charging networks, trusted guidance is key to succeeding at scale

“In everything I do, I ask, is it good for me, my family, my community, my country and the world? If the answer is no to any of those, it isn’t sustainable,” says Samer Salty. It’s a philosophy he believes will define the future: a future in which sustainability is embedded in every decision and every investment.

The American business leader founded his private equity fund, Zouk Capital, in London in 1999. By 2025, the sustainable investment fund had grown to manage a number of technology and infrastructure funds, including stewardship of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, awarded by the UK Government, to accelerate the expansion of the national network of electric vehicle charging points.

Born in Lebanon, Salty left as a teenager to study in the US, and is an engineer by training. He went on to design and manage major air traffic control systems, followed by senior banking leadership at JP Morgan. “My soul wasn’t satisfied by the focus on money alone,” he says. “So I decided to set up to invest in businesses and technologies that add value to society.”

My soul wasn’t satisfied by money alone. I wanted to invest in businesses that add value to society

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Samer Salty, Founder and Managing Partner Zouk Capital

Through Zouk, Salty has introduced investors to sustainability innovations in digital and physical infrastructure, including in renewable energy, by creating wider access to solar, climate-tech and EV charging.

In 2014, the fund also invested in the Swedish paperless payment system business, iZettle, which was sold to PayPal in 2018 for $2.2bn.

Ultimately, Salty says: “We generate returns for investors focused purely on performance, and for those who also value sustainability. We predicted that solar was going to be massive, and launched one of the first dedicated solar funds in Europe. We were also one of the first investors in EV charging infrastructure in Europe.”

His focus on making EV charging tech profitable for investors led to a proliferation of charging stations, making a wider impact on motoring culture. “When the UK government started putting in the structure to promote the EV market, we had seen it coming,” says Salty. “We set up the EV charging company Instavolt from scratch and, within five years, it became the largest rapid charging network in the UK.” In 2022, Zouk sold Instavolt to global investment group EQT Infrastructure.

For the sales of both iZettle and Instavolt, Salty relied on his close professional relationship with London-based law firm Fladgate, where Partner Graham Spitz has represented Zouk as investment legal advisor since 2012. “Life is too short to work with people that you don’t think are doing the right thing,” says Spitz, who was an early adopter of the electric car himself, back in 2002. “I have a real sense of the culture at Zouk, and I embed myself in the way they work. From a couple of initial investments, I started doing all of their English legal deal work, which has been very exciting.”

Life is too short to work with people that you don't think are doing the right thing

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Graham Spitz, Partner Fladgate

The deals to sell iZettle and Instavolt are among the pair’s highest-profile transactions. “In 2016, electric car ownership was still relatively niche,” says Spitz.

“So to see Instavolt transform into a business of such significant value just a few years later was amazing. Supporting Zouk from those early company-building days through to Instavolt’s successful sale and next stage of growth has been a privilege.”

For the sale of iZettle to PayPal, Spitz led a cross-border legal team, completing the deal in 10 days. “It was one of Fladgate’s biggest transactions, with some sleepless nights, and we were delighted to be associated with it,” he says.

Salty says Spitz is his first point of call for many legal issues, and has brought other investors in to be represented by Fladgate, as well. Spitz values the open channel of communication he has with Salty. “I’m not afraid to say what I think, and that’s not something you can do unless you have a very established working relationship,” says Spitz.

I have a real sense of the culture at Zouk and embed myself in how they work

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Graham Spitz, Partner Fladgate

Speaking up is to the benefit of his client. “If Graham takes a view, it’s not something we take lightly,” says Salty. “Trusting the judgment of the Fladgate team is so important in the process of investing, because I am focused on the transaction.”

In both his work and his personal life, Salty is still adjusting to the impact of Parkinson’s disease, diagnosed a few years ago. “The first year was tough, but I climbed Kilimanjaro two years ago, and I wake up at 4.50am for the gym.

If there is a silver lining to Parkinson’s, it has forced me to understand what’s valuable for me – and what’s not.” This indefatigable attitude is typical of Salty, says Spitz. “Whenever I have an interaction with him, I come away feeling inspired that you can get things done and be a better person.”

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