A fund dedicated to Swiss hospitality real estate
David Delarive joined MFM Mirante Fund Management, a Lausanne-based collective asset manager, in June 2026 as Senior Manager Direct Real Estate Funds. He manages the property portfolio of MFM Real Estate SICAV, and in particular its Swiss Hospitality Fund compartment, which MFM describes as its new direct investment fund.
The fund invests in three segments: hospitality, living and public hospitality infrastructure. According to David Delarive‘s profile, his remit covers hotels, aparthotels, senior residences and educational facilities.
MFM says the fund will support the development and modernisation of its properties. Its stated aim is to create long-term value for investors and for the Swiss economy. The Swiss Hospitality Fund is open only to qualified investors. David Delarive is supported by a dedicated team within MFM to develop it.
From audit to hospitality entrepreneurship
David Delarive began his career at PwC in Geneva, in the audit department serving family-owned and mid-sized businesses. He spent five years there, rising from Associate to Assistant Manager, while also completing the EXPERTsuisse certified accountant training. He also sat on the national board of YoungPwC.
In 2020, he joined Delarive Groupe as COO, then served as Group CEO from September 2023 to March 2026. The group creates businesses in real estate development, hospitality and other sectors. It first invests its own capital to test each concept before scaling it. He has also been a partner in Athena Développement SA, in Pully, since 2021.
Over the same period, he was co-CEO of Definitely Different Group, based in Les Giettes (Valais), which creates tourism destinations and experiences away from the established circuits, and then sat on its executive committee until the end of 2024. In 2024, he co-founded Momerable in Vevey. The company develops hospitality projects built around the end customer’s experience.
He also leads Led Lease Finance (LLF), in Nyon, as Managing Partner. The company finances energy-saving projects with no upfront investment, on a “Pay as you Save” basis.
A profile that is both financial and operational
While still a student, David Delarive co-founded iRewind, a souvenir video solution developed at the EPFL Innovation Park, where he served as chief financial officer and board member. The company won the Grand Prix at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2014 and was sold to yoveo AG in January 2017.
He studied at the University of St. Gallen and then at Webster University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and management. In 2026 he also completed USPI’s Immocapital programme, which covers collective real estate investment. He has also served as an officer in the Swiss Army, as a first lieutenant and deputy commander in Tank Battalion 17. This background has earned him the nickname “Swiss Army knife” at MFM.
A Swiss market drawing new capital
Analysis – The Swiss Hospitality Fund arrives in a Swiss hotel real estate market where investors are diversifying. France’s LFPI, for example, has just completed its first deal in the country with the acquisition of the Holiday Inn Zürich Messe. Other specialist property companies are strengthening their positions in Alpine destinations, such as Swiss Hotel Properties in Zermatt.
The fund stands out for a scope that is broader than traditional hotels. It also covers serviced residences, senior housing and educational facilities. This diversification brings hospitality closer to asset classes with more contractual income, an approach already taken by other institutional managers, such as M&G Real Estate with the Motel One in Brussels.
David Delarive’s profile combines the rigour of audit with hands-on experience in creating hotel and tourism concepts. It matches the fund’s stated mission, which is to modernise properties rather than simply hold them. Neither the fund’s target size nor its first acquisitions have been disclosed so far.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
David Delarive to lead MFM’s Swiss Hospitality Fund
Role: Senior Manager Direct Real Estate Funds at MFM Mirante Fund Management, Lausanne (since June 2026)
Fund: Swiss Hospitality Fund, a compartment of MFM Real Estate SICAV, open to qualified investors only
Scope: hospitality, living and public hospitality infrastructure in Switzerland, including hotels, serviced apartments, senior residences and educational facilities
Background: former PwC auditor, ex-Group CEO of Delarive Groupe, co-founder of Momerable and iRewind
Strategy: supporting the development and modernisation of properties to create long-term value
