Aurelius is a global alternative investor with offices in Amsterdam, Chicago, London, Luxembourg, Malta, Milan, Munich, New York, and Stockholm. The company focuses on private equity, private debt and real estate investments.
In 2005, Dirk Markus and Gert Purkert, both former McKinsey consultants, founded Aurelius as a privately held investment vehicle with a start-up capital of â¬500,000, investing in small- and medium-sized companies.
In 2006, Aurelius AG was listed in the Open Market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company was converted into an SE & Co. KGaA in 2015, and withdrew from the stock exchange at the end of 2023. It was renamed AUR Portfolio III SE & Co- KGaA at the end of 2024.
In April 2021, Aurelius launched AURELIUS Opportunities Fund IV, a more than â¬500 million investment fund specializing in complex corporate carve-outs and operational transformation. Its investors include US and European university endowments, pension funds, insurance companies and family offices.
AURELIUS Opportunities Fund V followed in June 2025 with â¬830m in committed capital. It pursues the same investment strategy as Fund IV and has largely the same investors.