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Paine Schwartz Partners Selects SESAMm to Strengthen ESG Screening and Controversy Monitoring

May 5, 2026
5 mins read
Paine Schwartz Partners partners with SESAMm to enhance ESG due diligence and monitoring.

SESAMm, a leading provider of AI-powered ESG and reputational risk insights, is pleased to announce that Paine Schwartz Partners, the largest private equity firm dedicated to sustainable food chain investing, has selected SESAMm’s platform to enhance its ESG due diligence and portfolio monitoring processes.

Paine Schwartz Partners manages over $6 billion in assets and invests globally across the food and agribusiness value chain, pursuing predominantly buyout investments, with a smaller allocation to growth companies. With a strong, long-standing commitment to sustainable investing in the food chain, Paine Schwartz integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations at every stage of its investment process, from initial screening to active portfolio management.

As part of its investment process, Paine Schwartz Partners will leverage SESAMm’s platform to enhance its ESG risk screening, due diligence, and supplier and portfolio monitoring.

SESAMm’s platform provides real-time visibility into ESG and reputational risks across millions of public and private companies worldwide. The platform leverages multilingual large language models to analyze content from over 4 million sources in 100+ languages, enabling rapid first-gate screening, continuous monitoring of portfolio companies and their supply chains, and early detection of potential red flags, all while providing fully auditable data.

Among the platform’s capabilities, Paine Schwartz Partners will make use of SESAMm’s AI Reports, a suite of AI-generated reports covering ESG Assessment, Legal, and Governance Screening, available directly within the platform. These reports make it possible to rapidly screen companies for ESG and reputational risks even where direct access to company data is limited, for example, when evaluating whether to pursue a smaller or minority investment, or before launching a full due diligence process. The reports will also help the firm efficiently screen key suppliers across its portfolio, a particularly valuable capability given the firm’s focus on the food and agribusiness value chain.

About Paine Schwartz Partners

Paine Schwartz Partners is the largest private equity firm dedicated to sustainable food chain investing, with ~$6.5 billion of AUM and over 20 years of experience. The firm invests across specific segments of the food and agribusiness value chain, with a focus on two core investment themes: productivity and sustainability and health and wellness. Through its proactive, thesis-driven approach, the firm targets value-added and differentiated companies and makes primarily control buyout investments, with a smaller allocation to growth companies. Learn more at www.paineschwartz.com.

About SESAMm

SESAMm is a global leader in controversy data, leveraging advanced large language models and generative AI to uncover ESG, reputational, and supplier risks in seconds. Our AI-powered platform surfaces real-time insights, even in low-disclosure markets, on millions of companies and infrastructure projects, supporting more informed decisions, enhanced due diligence, and regulatory alignment at scale. We work with leading firms, including Carlyle, Warburg, Natixis, RBI, Sustainable Fitch, Oddo, and others. SESAMm has raised $50M from renowned investors and operates across four continents. Learn more at sesamm.com

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We are excited to announce the launch of SESAMm’s proprietary Controversy Exposure Score (CES), a new score designed to transform how ESG and finance professionals assess risks. The CES offers a dynamic, real-time view of a company's exposure to ESG controversies, enabling fast, informed decision-making.

What is the Controversy Exposure Score (CES)?

The CES is a continuously updated score ranging from 1 to 100, reflecting a company or project's evolving exposure to ESG controversies. Leveraging SESAMm’s proprietary Intensity and Volume Scores, the CES captures both the severity and frequency of ESG incidents, allowing stakeholders to monitor and understand risks as they develop.
Below, we’ve put together an example demonstrating how the CES for Renault compares to Stellantis based on their respective ESG controversies. As we see in the chart below, Renault has had fewer high–intensity events, which results in a lower, more stable CES compared to Stellantis.

Renault CES

Stellantis CES

How Does It Work?

The CES is powered by state-of-the-art Large Language Models (LLMs) that filter and analyze content from our data lake containing over 25 billion articles.
Two main components impact the score’s value:

  • Intensity Score: Measures the severity of each ESG incident, considering its impact on a company’s reputational, stakeholder, financial, and legal standing. This score is derived from a Large Language Model (LLM) fine-tuned by SESAMm’s experts and trained on thousands of humanly annotated events.
  • Volume Score: Assesses the number of articles associated with an event, calculated using a short-term rolling window. To ensure accuracy, the Volume Score is normalized against the average article volume concerning the company and relevant ESG topics over the past year, reducing potential bias.

Key Benefits of the Controversy Exposure Score

  • Conduct initial risk assessments: Instantly evaluate a company’s risk exposure, enabling quick decision-making.
  • Track ESG controversy trends: Evaluate how a company’s risk exposure has evolved. The CES is updated daily, ensuring that users have the most current data at their fingertips.
  • Benchmark companies against their peers: Compare a company’s risk exposure to its peers, providing a comprehensive view of its relative risk.

Ready to Transform Your ESG Analysis?

For more information on how the Controversy Exposure Score can help you make smarter, data-driven decisions and to see it in action, request a demo.

Reach out to SESAMm

TextReveal’s web data analysis of over five million public and private companies is essential for keeping tabs on ESG investment risks. To learn more about how you can analyze web data or to request a demo, reach out to one of our representatives.

SESAMm has been prominently featured in the Datos Insights Commercial Banking & Payments Fintech Spotlight Report for Q2 of 2024. This recognition highlights SESAMm’s innovative capabilities and its significant impact on the financial industry, particularly within private equity and asset management.

SESAMm's Capabilities and Impact

SESAMm's AI-driven platform excels in processing vast amounts of data, offering deep insights, and enhancing decision-making for financial institutions and corporations. With a proprietary data lake comprising over 25 billion articles in more than 100 languages, SESAMm provides comprehensive ESG data that supports detailed risk assessments, controversy monitoring, and positive impact identification. This extensive database is continuously updated, adding approximately 10 million new articles daily, ensuring users have access to the most current information.

Our services are available as a SaaS or API plug-in, allowing banks and other financial institutions to leverage hyper-local data. This feature enables clients to understand the nuances of ESG criteria impacts, both positive and negative, on public and private companies. The platform’s customizable filters and alert systems, based on 90 ESG risk categories and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), offer an unparalleled level of detail and usability.

SESAMm’s primary clientele includes private equity firms, asset managers, corporates, and financial institutions, including some of the largest European banks. By partnering with these entities, SESAMm helps expedite due diligence processes, investment monitoring, and ESG risk assessments, addressing a critical need for timely and accurate data in these sectors.

About the Datos Insights Fintech Spotlight

The Datos Insights Fintech Spotlight is a quarterly report that highlights leading fintech companies making significant changes in the industry. The report focuses on innovations and solutions that address current market challenges, providing financial institutions with valuable insights into emerging technologies and best practices.

Why SESAMm Stood Out

SESAMm’s selection for this spotlight recognizes our robust data processing capabilities, comprehensive ESG insights, and tangible value to its clients. Our ability to streamline complex research processes, support thorough due diligence, and offer real-time monitoring makes it a valuable tool for financial professionals. SESAMm continues to lead the way in leveraging AI to navigate the evolving landscape of ESG and sustainability, solidifying its position as a key player in the fintech space.

Access the report here.

SESAMm’s AI Technology Reveals ESG Insights

Discover unparalleled insights into ESG controversies, risks, and opportunities across industries. Learn more about how SESAMm can help you analyze millions of private and public companies using AI-powered text analysis tools.

Paris, France and London, UK – July 11, 2024 – SESAMm, a leader in AI-powered text analysis for ESG insights, is pleased to announce that Sustainable Fitch, a leading provider of ESG data, analysis, and research for the sustainability and fixed-income market, will be integrating SESAMm’s data into its ESG Scores and Ratings.

Sustainable Fitch provides ESG data and analytics to both the public and private markets, including asset owners and asset managers. Sustainable Fitch will use SESAMm analytics to monitor companies and industries at a granular level, allowing them to provide further insights to clients to aid their investment and due diligence decision-making.

Sylvain Forté, CEO of SESAMm, commented, “We are excited that a recognized leader in ESG analysis is using our insights for their ESG analysis. Our AI-powered text analysis will provide deeper insights and broader coverage, helping Sustainable Fitch to deliver high-quality ESG data and ratings.”

Gianluca Spinetti, Global Head of ESG Analytics at Sustainable Fitch, added, “Working with SESAMm technology allows us to leverage their advanced solutions to enhance our ESG Scores and Ratings offering. By integrating SESAMm’s extensive data coverage, we can offer our clients more comprehensive ESG insights.”

About SESAMm

SESAMm is a global leader in AI-powered text analytics, specializing in providing insights on ESG controversies and positive-impact events. With its cutting-edge technology, SESAMm helps private equity firms, asset managers, and other financial institutions, as well as ESG consulting firms and rating agencies, monitor and analyze vast amounts of textual data to identify potential risks and opportunities in their investments.
For more information, visit SESAMm.

About Sustainable Fitch

Sustainable Fitch provides rigorous, human-powered sustainability research, analysis, and data for the fixed-income market, including ESG Ratings, Second Party Opinions, thought leadership, and more, with a focus on ESG impact. Our objective and substantive suite of products provides transparency, consistency, and granularity that enables confidence in decision-making. Powered by the human insight that has differentiated Fitch for over 100 years, Sustainable Fitch brings experience and heritage to help the financial community make smarter decisions using the best ESG information available.

For more information, visit Sustainable Fitch.

SESAMm’s AI Technology Reveals ESG Insights

Discover unparalleled insights into ESG controversies, risks, and opportunities across industries. Learn more about how SESAMm can help you analyze millions of private and public companies using AI-powered text analysis tools.

SESAMm has been spotlighted in Elaia's 2023 Sustainability Report as a key innovator driving positive change through AI technologies. This inclusion underscores SESAMm's role in advancing ESG principles within its operations and the financial industry.

Elaia, a prominent venture capital firm, has recognized SESAMm for its advanced AI-driven solutions which significantly enhance ESG data analysis, providing useful insights that empower investors to make more informed, responsible decisions. The report highlights how SESAMm’s cutting-edge technologies help firms navigate the complex landscape of ESG investing, turning over 25 billion articles and social forums in more than 100 languages into actionable intelligence using AI.

SESAMm's commitment goes beyond mere compliance; it is about leadership and responsibility in shaping the future of sustainable investing. By leveraging natural language processing and machine learning, SESAMm enables its clients to swiftly identify and act on ESG risks and opportunities, thereby contributing to more sustainable global markets.

This accolade from Elaia celebrates SESAMm’s achievements and sets a benchmark for sustainability in tech. It encourages continuous innovation and ethical practices that lead to a better, more sustainable future.

To learn more about SESAMm’s role in advancing sustainable finance, we invite you to download the full report.

Reach out to SESAMm

TextReveal’s web data analysis of over five million public and private companies is essential for keeping tabs on ESG investment risks. To learn more about how you can analyze web data or to request a demo, reach out to one of our representatives.

Paris, France – June 25, 2024 – SESAMm, a leader in AI-powered text analysis for financial services, proudly announces its inclusion in the AIFinTech100 list by FinTech Global for the second consecutive year. This recognition highlights SESAMm's commitment to sustainability and ESG through the application of advanced AI technologies.

FinTech Global's annual AIFinTech100 list, now in its fourth year, showcases the top 100 AI companies that are revolutionizing the financial services industry. The list is carefully curated by a panel of industry experts who evaluate over 2,000 fintech companies worldwide. This year’s criteria focused on the transformative impact and the innovative use of generative AI in financial services, from banking and insurance to investment and customer experience.

"We are honored to be listed again on the AIFinTech100. This recognition highlights our leadership in employing AI to detect ESG controversies, helping our clients proactively manage risks and uphold sustainability commitments,” said Sylvain Forté, SESAMm’s CEO. “At SESAMm, we aim to transform financial analysis by ensuring it is as responsible as innovative."

FinTech Global director Richard Sachar said "SESAMm has been selected for the AIFinTech100 list due to their exceptional capabilities in ESG controversy detection using AI. Their technology plays a pivotal role in enabling the financial industry to address and navigate ESG risks effectively, marking a significant advancement in sustainable finance."

The inclusion of SESAMm in this year's AIFinTech100 comes at a time when the financial sector is increasingly relying on AI to enhance operational efficiencies and customer interactions. With AI investments in FinTech expected to reach $44.08 billion by 2024, SESAMm continues to lead the charge by providing cutting-edge solutions that address the complex needs of today’s financial institutions.

About SESAMm

SESAMm is an innovative fintech firm specializing in AI-powered text analysis for asset managers, private equity firms, and financial institutions. Its flagship product, TextReveal, offers actionable insights into ESG risks and investment opportunities, cementing SESAMm’s role as a leading provider of financial intelligence and predictive analytics.

For more information about SESAMm and its innovative solutions, please visit www.sesamm.com.

SESAMm’s AI Technology Reveals ESG Insights

Discover unparalleled insights into ESG controversies, risks, and opportunities across industries. Learn more about how SESAMm can help you analyze millions of private and public companies using AI-powered text analysis tools.

SESAMm is delighted to announce the addition of Emmanuel de La Ville, a renowned ESG expert, to our advisory board. Emmanuel’s extensive experience in ESG research and sustainable finance will undoubtedly bring invaluable insights and strategic direction to SESAMm as we continue to innovate and expand our AI-powered text analysis tools.

Background

Emmanuel de La Ville has dedicated the past two decades to advancing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards in the finance industry. As the founder, ex-CEO, and senior advisor of EthiFinance, Emmanuel spearheaded the creation and development of an independent ESG rating agency in Paris, known for its specialization in the small and midcap segment. Under his leadership, EthiFinance became a well-respected European organization, conducting over 2,000 assessments annually.

Founding EthiFinance

In 2004, driven by a vision to transform the finance industry, Emmanuel founded EthiFinance. The agency focuses on evaluating companies based on their Corporate Sustainability performance. Beyond his track record in promoting ESG accountability towards listed companies Emmanuel’s innovative approach included developing a robust ESG research methodology and conducting due diligence for companies owned by private equity firms.

Views on SESAMm and the Applications of AI to ESG

In a recent interview, Emmanuel expressed his enthusiasm for joining SESAMm and highlighted the company’s commitment to leveraging AI technology to enhance ESG insights and drive responsible investment. Emmanuel believes that SESAMm’s innovative text analysis tools can play a crucial role in identifying and mitigating ESG risks, thereby promoting more sustainable business practices.

"SESAMm’s AI-powered tools are essential for analyzing vast amounts of data and uncovering hidden ESG risks and opportunities," Emmanuel stated. "This technology allows a more comprehensive understanding of a company’s performance beyond traditional financial metrics. It’s about creating value not just for shareholders but for all stakeholders."

Purpose-Driven Career in ESG and Ethical Practices

A deep sense of purpose has driven Emmanuel’s dedication to ethical practices and sustainability throughout his career. His journey from traditional finance to founding EthiFinance was motivated by a desire to align business practices with ethical values. Emmanuel’s belief in transparency, fairness, and the long-term well-being of all stakeholders has been a guiding principle in his work.

"Ethical behavior and sustainable practices have always been at the heart of my career," Emmanuel remarked. "I left the corporate world because I couldn’t see the sense in contributing to short-term profit maximization at the expense of broader societal and environmental well-being. Founding EthiFinance was about creating an approach to measure and promote responsible business practices."

The Future of ESG

Looking ahead, Emmanuel is optimistic about the future of ESG and the role of AI in shaping it. He foresees a growing demand for transparency and accountability in corporate behavior, driven by regulatory pressures and investor expectations. Emmanuel is particularly excited about the potential of AI to enhance ESG data quality and accessibility, enabling more informed decision-making.

Emmanuel de La Ville’s addition to SESAMm’s advisory board marks a significant milestone in our journey towards integrating AI with ESG analysis. His expertise and passion for ethical business practices will undoubtedly strengthen our mission to provide cutting-edge solutions for responsible investing. We are thrilled to welcome Emmanuel and look forward to the invaluable contributions he will bring to SESAMm.

"We are thrilled to welcome Emmanuel de La Ville to our advisory board. His profound expertise in ESG and unwavering commitment to ethical practices align perfectly with SESAMm's mission to provide advanced, responsible AI-driven solutions. Emmanuel's insights will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to enhance ESG analysis and promote sustainable investment practices." said Sylvain Forté, SESAMm's CEO & Co-founder

For more information about SESAMm’s AI-powered ESG insights and our latest developments, please visit our website.

Reach out to SESAMm

TextReveal’s web data analysis of over five million public and private companies is essential for keeping tabs on ESG investment risks. To learn more about how you can analyze web data or to request a demo, reach out to one of our representatives.

Joint customers can streamline their ESG risk decision-making process with SESAMm’s extensive coverage of private and public companies.

Paris, France, May 2 — SESAMm, a global leader in AI-powered ESG insights, today announced that it has launched its ESG Controversy Alerts Data on Snowflake Marketplace. SESAMm’s data availability on Snowflake Marketplace will enable joint customers to access SESAMm’s data lake with 25 billion documents, consisting of five million public and private companies, and across multiple languages.

"With SESAMm's ESG Controversy Alerts Data now available on Snowflake Marketplace, we're giving our mutual customers the tools they need to swiftly and accurately assess ESG risks. This move marks a significant step in our collaboration with Snowflake, aiming to simplify how companies access and use ESG data for better decision-making." Said Sylvain Forté, CEO & Co-founder, SESAMm.

SESAMm is using Snowflake to help joint customers inform business decisions and drive innovations by:

  • Evaluating target companies' viability and sustainable behavior
  • Monitoring portfolio companies for ESG controversies
  • Conducting ESG risk assessments of partners, suppliers, or companies of interest

In addition to enhancing risk-based decision-making, joint customers will be able to access one of the most granular insights in the industry. This includes companies of interest in over 100 languages, automatically analyzed and translated by SESAMm’s AI advanced algorithms, which are delivered via data feed or dashboards.

“We are thrilled to welcome SESAMm’s cutting-edge ESG Controversy Alerts data into the Snowflake Marketplace. This integration not only enriches our ecosystem but also empowers our customers with seamless access to insights important for making better-informed, sustainable decisions. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership unlocks for joint customers’  understanding, and addressing ESG risks.” said Kieran Kennedy, Head of Marketplace, Snowflake.

Joint customers can now leverage SESAMm on Snowflake Marketplace, allowing them to evaluate and monitor ESG risks in any private or public company by obtaining access to third-party data, eliminating data silos in their organization, and all through Snowflake Secure Data Sharing.

About SESAMm

SESAMm is a global leader in ESG controversy data, using advanced Generative AI. It automates monitoring and due diligence on public and private assets. SESAMm provides coverage for more than 5 million companies in multiple languages. SESAMm works with top international firms such as Carlyle, Warburg, Natixis, RBI, Fitch and Oddo.

SESAMm’s AI Technology Reveals ESG Insights

Discover unparalleled insights into ESG controversies, risks, and opportunities across industries. Learn more about how SESAMm can help you analyze millions of private and public companies using AI-powered text analysis tools.

Paris, France, April 11, 2024 - Expanding its ESG controversy coverage and off-the-shelf solutions, Manaos, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas and a modular investment service platform, has entered into a strategic partnership with SESAMm, a leading authority in ESG controversy data powered by advanced Generative AI. This collaboration marks a milestone in providing comprehensive, AI-powered ESG controversies insights directly to financial institutions and corporate clients.

Through this partnership, Manaos will integrate SESAMm's cutting-edge ESG controversies data into its platform, offering a dedicated dashboard and controversies reports for institutional investors and asset management companies and adding private equity firms to its offering. This integration expands Manaos' coverage of controversies, not just for listed assets but also for private assets, tapping into the world’s largest set of events captured on controversies in over 5 million private and public companies, in addition to providing access to the most granular ESG controversy dataset in the world.

Sylvain Forté, CEO & Co-founder of SESAMm, highlighted the importance of the partnership, stating, "At SESAMm, we're committed to delivering transparent and comprehensive ESG controversy data, providing essential insights for our financial and corporate clients. By partnering with Manaos, we are not only expanding our reach but also empowering financial institutions to seamlessly integrate ESG considerations into their investment strategies."

This strategic partnership between Manaos and SESAMm signifies a forward leap in integrating ESG considerations into investment strategies, offering unprecedented access to sophisticated ESG controversy insights for the financial industry.

Benoit Guibourg, Head of Product of Manaos, added: "We're thrilled to partner with SESAMm, a renowned expert in ESG controversy analysis leveraging the power of AI. Thanks to this collaboration, Manaos aims to provide an extensive offer on ESG controversies and leverage the platform to incorporate comprehensive ESG reputational insights in custom or ready-to-use dashboards and reports. SESAMm's expertise extends our ability to guide clients through the complexities of ESG considerations, marking a significant milestone in our mission towards sustainable investing. Furthermore, we are eager to work with SESAMm to unlock the power of their extensive coverage of the private world and provide ready-to-use solutions for our clients."

For further information on Manaos and SESAMm, please visit their websites at www.manaos.com and www.sesamm.com.

About SESAMm:

SESAMm is a global leader in ESG controversy data, using advanced Generative AI. It automates monitoring and due diligence on public and private assets. SESAMm provides coverage for more than 5 million companies in multiple languages. SESAMm works with top international firms such as Carlyle, Warburg, Natixis, RBI, Fitch, and Oddo.

About Manaos:

Manaos, a technology subsidiary of BNP Paribas, powers an all-in-one platform that connects the traditional information systems of institutional investors and asset management companies with carefully selected rating agencies and fintechs to manage all their investment services seamlessly. In practice, the Manaos platform enables investors to collect their fund compositions from their asset managers, while standardising portfolio data and allowing for asset-level portfolio look-through. From there, Manaos empowers asset managers and asset owners to test and measure their ESG investments performance by connecting their portfolio data to a range of over 20 best-of-breed ESG data providers (including MSCI, S&P Sustainable 1, Morningstar Sustainalytics, Moody’s and ISS ESG). Once enriched with third-party data, Manaos offers flexible, multimodal portfolio data extraction along with seamless data visualisation and dashboards features. Finally, Manaos reporting solutions help investors with the production of EETs (European ESG Template), SFDR PAI Statements, TCFD, LEC Art.29, Taxonomy and SDR regulatory reports, client ESG reports and more. For more information, visit www.manaos.com

Paris, January 18, 2024 – SESAMm, a leader in AI-powered text analysis, is proud to announce its recognition in the Forrester report "ESG Data And Analytics Providers Landscape, Q1 2024."

Sylvain Forte, CEO of SESAMm, commented, “We are thrilled to be recognized by Forrester. Our AI-driven approach, particularly our flagship product, TextReveal®, positions us uniquely in the market. TextReveal® leverages a vast data lake and advanced natural language processing to provide comprehensive insights on public and private companies, a capability not commonly found in traditional ESG analytics.”

Alexandre Tiesset, Head of ESG at SESAMm, added, “Our technology's ability to process massive volumes of data, provide nuanced ESG insights and stakeholder feedback is a game changer. It significantly enhances our clients' ability to assess non-financial risks and monitor ESG-related events, offering them a more accurate and effective solution for their needs.”

SESAMm's AI technology sets it apart as a leader in ESG analytics, enabling more precise and timely insights into ESG controversies and positive events. This technology empowers private equity firms, asset managers, corporations, and financial institutions to monitor and identify company events and controversies, providing an edge in the rapidly evolving landscape of sustainable investment.

For more information about SESAMm and its innovative solutions, please visit www.sesamm.com.

Download the full Forrester report, The ESG Data And Analytics Providers Landscape Report for Q1 2024 (available to Forrester subscribers and for purchase).

About SESAMm

SESAMm is an innovative leader in AI and big data analytics for investment. The company specializes in using advanced natural language processing and machine learning techniques to provide comprehensive ESG and thematic insights, aiding clients in identifying potential risks and opportunities in their investment portfolios.

SESAMm’s AI Technology Reveals ESG Insights

Discover unparalleled insights into ESG controversies, risks, and opportunities across industries. Learn more about how SESAMm can help you analyze millions of private and public companies using AI-powered text analysis tools.

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