Family office investment recommendations with Obediah Ayton? A select group of exceptional companies, people and great opportunities for the local economies partnered with UNITE Monaco sharing the same ethos of adding value to the regions, supporting trade, social and economic progress. OneAgrix the world’s largest agricultural and Halal ecosystem infrastructure project addressing the five great Food System challenges facing humanity: Food Quality, Food Safety, Food Authenticity, Food Trust and Food Security. FlavorGod is a leading worldwide brand that focuses on food seasonings that are both healthy & all-natural. Synctuition is a company with an ambitious mission to increase awareness and improve mental health globally. Their audio mindfulness app called “Synctuition” became within 2 years one of the Top 3 mindfulness apps in the world.
The Middle East Families investment process includes much more than writing a check. It’s about finding the right types of investments and management teams that are going to deliver long-term mission-driven value. Sure, everyone wants to find and fund the next unicorn, but because of the family commitments, offices of this nature are not going to do this through an indiscriminate “spray & pray” approach. Family offices are more focused on finding the right opportunity and do not have a clock ticking in terms of putting funds to work like a venture fund may have. These dynamics change the investor/startup relationship, because it’s not just about a quick exit. The family office isn’t running a fund with multiple investors to answer to, so they can afford to sit on the investment and help it grow. The same external pressures exerted by institutional investors to wind down investments or get out at inopportune times don’t exist.
Founded in 2018 in Amsterdam, VentureRock is now active in Dubai, parallel to two more hubs in Amsterdam and Singapore. With the VentureRock Dubai Hub, the firm is bringing not only capital but also technology, talent and knowledge around early-stage startup investing and venture building to the UAE region. The hub is also running its own venture building studio – comprised of the Founders Lab and Builders Lab, and will become the launching pad for Venturerock portfolio companies to expand operations to the Middle East. Director of Business Development at The Private Investment Group Obediah Ayton added “I am excited to watch Venturerock demonstrate 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 professional 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.”
Who is Obediah Ayton and some of his philosophy? 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.
Many of these Family offices may prove to have much higher and longer-term vested interest in the businesses they invest in compared to an institutional investor. In many cases, based on the experience of the principals behind the family office, they will seek to take a more hands-on involvement in the businesses they fund, acting as mentors and not merely benefactors.
Obediah Ayton about how to raise money from family offices: Raising money from Family Offices can be a long process. If not approached in a correct manner. Typically, it’s 100% based on relationships and trust. Family offices are desirable investors, through their evergreen capital structure, know-how and long-term investment focus it makes sense to win them as investors, partners and most of all “Friends”. Sounds GOOD, but there’s a catch: family offices are extremely discreet, emotional and selective. Time is a valuable asset, selecting The Right Single Family Offices For Your Project is key.
Right now is a great time to build close relationships with Family Offices for future capital raises! Moreover, diverse outreach also entails tailoring your conversations to the specifics of different family offices. Although there are general categories of offices — small single family offices, large single family offices, small multi family offices, and large multi family offices — Each firm is unique. “There is no singular template. Each family office has its own system — different sized teams, different missions, and different values.”Immediate results are not guaranteed, even with quality and diversified outreach. Quality conversations will take time to develop. Try to talk with family offices every day online and schedule face-to-face virtual meetings, and it still takes a long time to generate solid relationships, raise capital, or organize club deals.
Obediah Ayton about the new definition of a billionaire is not the net worth but in achieving change in a billion lives: At present, just over 50% of the relevant family offices allocate less than 10% of their portfolios to sustainable investment. However, a third of Families average portfolios will be comprised of sustainable investments and one-quarter impact investments within the next five years. Impact causes garnering the most considerable investments include those that address climate change, improve health and social care, as well as those that retain and develop employees, workplace safety and cybersecurity.