We help project partners to
their impulse responsibly for
other people and our livelihoods.
and our livelihoods.

We help project partners to
their impulse responsibly for
other people and our livelihoods.
and our livelihoods.

Assets

In 1992, founder Dr. h. c. Peter Schnell provided SAGST with assets when he transferred his shares in the Software AG company to the foundation. With the proceeds of these assets, which today amount to around 1.3 billion euros, not only do we act as a healing force in the world, but we also participate responsibly with our capital investments.

According to CFO Markus Ziener, the primary goal of our asset management strategy is not to maximise profits but to generate reasonable returns and make meaningful investments. In light of this, we only make financial investments that generate worth in the truest sense of the word. Instead of focusing on speculation and derivatives, our foundation purchases shares or bonds directly or opts for direct participation in companies. As Ziener explains: “Just as we work very closely with people in our project work, we also want to do that with our investments.”

In its asset management, SAGST focuses on a well-proportioned ratio of its allocations in the three asset classes (equities, corporate investments and real estate), which it has been balancing increasingly healthily and making consistently sustainable since autumn 2021. To this end, we are considering not only returns, security and availability but also the social-ecological impact of our investments to an ever greater extent. These investments are made for the long term out of a sense of conviction and are actively initiated and managed by our “Assets and Finance” team. Ziener emphasises that “together with partners and service providers, we attend closely to each of our assets when it is acquired, while it is in our portfolio and in the event it is sold.” In conjunction with balanced and responsible capital investments, such a focus helps to limit cyclical fluctuations.

SHOWCASE

 

How can a foundation's assets be developed in such a way that they are sustainable in the long term - and at the same time provide social impetus? What role do entrepreneurial thinking, sustainability and a clear view to the future play? On the occasion of the current funding and financial report, Markus Ziener, CFO of the Software AG Foundation since 2014, takes stock: over ten years of transformation - from the former focus on the investment in Software AG to a broad-based, impact-oriented asset ...

 

In 1992, founder Dr. h. c. Peter Schnell provided SAGST with assets when he transferred his shares in the Software AG company to the foundation. With the proceeds of these assets, which today amount to around 1.3 billion euros, not only do we act as a healing force in the world, but we also participate responsibly with our capital investments.

According to CFO Markus Ziener, the primary goal of our asset management strategy is not to maximise profits but to generate reasonable returns and make meaningful investments. In light of this, we only make financial investments that generate worth in the truest sense of the word. Instead of focusing on speculation and derivatives, our foundation purchases shares or bonds directly or opts for direct participation in companies. As Ziener explains: “Just as we work very closely with people in our project work, we also want to do that with our investments.”

In its asset management, SAGST focuses on a well-proportioned ratio of its allocations in the three asset classes (equities, corporate investments and real estate), which it has been balancing increasingly healthily and making consistently sustainable since autumn 2021. To this end, we are considering not only returns, security and availability but also the social-ecological impact of our investments to an ever greater extent. These investments are made for the long term out of a sense of conviction and are actively initiated and managed by our “Assets and Finance” team. Ziener emphasises that “together with partners and service providers, we attend closely to each of our assets when it is acquired, while it is in our portfolio and in the event it is sold.” In conjunction with balanced and responsible capital investments, such a focus helps to limit cyclical fluctuations.

PROJECT GALLERY: MISSION INVESTMENTS

  • 23.07.2025

    Investment in renewable energies: KGAL acquires Spanish solar park on behalf of SAGST

    KGAL Investment Management has acquired a solar park in Andalusia in southern Spain on behalf of the Software AG Foundation (SAGST). The plant with an output of 60.5 megawatts peak (MWp) has been feeding electricity into the public grid since June 2025. The project was developed by long-standing KGAL partner BayWa r.e. The transaction marks another milestone in the expansion of the foundation's sustainable infrastructure portfolio.

  • 22.07.2025

    Responsible neighborhood development: Franklin Village in Mannheim

    Real estate investments offer more than just economic benefits - they can create spaces for social interaction and sustainable development. With this in mind, SAGST is involved in Franklin Village, a diverse residential quarter in Mannheim's new Franklin district, as part of its mission investment. A place has been created here that promotes social participation and enables innovative forms of living.

  • 22.07.2025

    Energy of the future: investment in green electricity producer Aventron AG

    Opening up opportunities with investments - this is the approach pursued by SAGST's Mission Investment in various asset classes. One example of an investment in the field of renewable energies is the investment in the established Swiss green energy producer Aventron AG.