The Guardian Multi-Family Office has seeded a quantitative market-neutral Ucits fund with $15m which is open to external investment.

The Luxembourg-domiciled Guardian Sicav Market Neutral Fund trades a systematic value-traded factor model which invests in large-cap equities, hedged with equity futures.

The strategy largely has exposure to European and US names.

The daily liquidity Ucits fund, which started trading towards the end of last year, is using Selectra as its ManCo while the investment management company is FIA.

The Guardian MFO has an advisory relationship with London-based proprietary trading firm Coleman Group, whose portfolio managers Anthony Medina and Vincenzo di Gennaro are providing guidance on the strategy’s implementation.

The strategy has a return target of 10% to 12% and managed to remain in the black last year, according to a source familiar with the fund.

The Ucits fund will be attractive to family offices and other investors looking for asset protection as well as a return boost, the source told HFM InvestHedge, adding that several larger institutions were also monitoring it.

The Guardian MFO is also exploring seeding a fixed income fund in the latter half of the year, HFM InvestHedge understands.

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the Guardian MFO works with a number of family offices globally, providing financial and investment advice, wealth planning and structuring, risk management, financial monitoring and reporting, according to its website.

The Guardian Multi-Family Office and the Coleman Group declined to comment.

Guardian Multi-Family Office seeds quant Ucits with $15m on HFM InvestHedge.