Fund-of-Funds and family offices tricks with Obediah Ayton? The first thing to understand is that it’s not a growth equity fund — the primary goal of a family office is to invest wealth prudently and extend it beyond generations. Families in the GCC have a multi-disciplinary approach that ensures their wealth transfers across multiple generations in the most tax efficient manner possible, that their children and future generations have prudent investment programs implemented and that they have the appropriate infrastructure and fiduciaries installed to responsibly manage and maintain wealth. This gives local family offices tremendous flexibility in the types of companies and industries that they choose for investment. These offices are typically not beholden to a set of mandates forcing investment into a predetermined space and criteria.
VentureRock – Impact Venture Builder and ecosystem of entrepreneurs, investors and startup experts, is launching a $300M Fund-of-Funds in Abu Dhabi to support and grow the market-leaders that will shape the world of tomorrow. Dubai, United Arab Emirates Apr 22, 2021 (Issuewire.com) – From this new Fund-of-Funds, VentureRock will invest in early-stage startups that leverage technology, science, and innovation to build sustainable, impact-driven solutions and unlock new-age business models for Retail, Real-Estate, Logistics, FinTech, and Agriculture. This will be done through Venturerock’s Special Purpose Investment Company (SPIC) structure, which implements the legal and operational processes needed to safeguard the ventures’ success. Director of Business Development at The Private Investment Group Obediah Ayton added “I am very happy to see Venturerock showing the way venture capital funds are now being deployed post covid here in the UAE. The portfolio companies within Venturerock are some of the most exciting and innovative we have seen and I have no doubt they will be a welcome asset to both the public and private sector in the Middle East.”
The ascent of a financial entrepreneur : Obediah Ayton? Obediah Ayton is a trust manager at Ayton Family Office Trust and a consultant at Tennor Holding B.V., a specialist in family office business, AI driven accounting services, finance and accounting. Obediah Ayton on what happens when a Family Office takes the VC model: Strategies for the Search: Friends and Fellow Founders: Friends or founders in similar sectors who have previously raised from family offices are a great starter resource. This route also passes a few qualification checks around interest, size of deal, and sector preferences. Remember, there is no investment barrier or fund allocation requirement for family offices. Professional Intermediaries: Investment bankers and wealth managers who service family offices are oftentimes happy to make introductions in order to add value to their clients. Since these clients are the intermediaries crown jewels, their recommendations will first require diligence.
Moreover, the principals behind the family offices have extraordinary networks of connections, which can prove invaluable for start-ups seeking customer exposure, business know-how or even further investment. Since family offices in the Middle East are independent entities and are regulated less strictly than banks, they can be much more flexible in their consideration of investments across enterprise size, geographies and asset classes. The appeal of direct investment to family offices comes from more than just the alignment of capital. Direct investments allow them to take a more hands-on approach to selecting and managing their portfolios. Investments in the sustainability space and impact investing are particularly attractive.
Obediah Ayton about how to raise money from family offices: Investment proposal: – When you have a specific project or investment opportunity, it is essential to prepare a list of suitable family offices before you contact them. Study the emotional interest within the Families history with specific areas or businesses. When creating the list, quality always beats quantity. Quality means: you should look for family investment offices which have previously invested in similar projects or are generally known for their open-minded investment style. Simply sending a generic mass mail to hundreds of family offices is rarely successful. While compiling the list already make notes about the SFOs and their investments – this will help you out later.
Right now is a great time to build close relationships with Family Offices for future capital raises! A wave of capital raisings are coming but the pandemic-created crisis means a whole new set of rules for companies wanting to tap investors for cash. It is now critical to get in ahead of the wave a build relationships with private wealth. Family offices are notoriously discrete. So much so that one of the most common adages to describe the industry is “a submerged whale does not get harpooned.” With a tremendous amount of investable capital, these family offices are often looking for ways to diversify their investments.
Obediah Ayton on the new definition of a billionaire is not the net worth but in achieving change in a billion lives: Everything can be done remotely today. We only go to the office one or two days a week. The world is becoming more virtual and I think that is a trend that a lot of people still do not understand. ‘Founding partner at a single family office’ Tech-savvy family offices who embrace these trends can harness technologies to not only expand their businesses across the globe but also to leverage global talent pools in various areas of operation where local expertise is lacking. This requires a degree of agility which needs to be prioritized within family offices seeking to advance their reach and grow their wealth.