Family office finance tips and tricks with Obediah Ayton
UAE family offices recommendations by Obediah Ayton? Our business model differs from the traditional investment bank and advisory model in thatwe don’t just focus on yields. Instead we look for people, products and solutions that can provide a true value to the GCC region. As it is not just about capital and Achieve returns. We work with companies and founders who want to and can add value to the country, to boost the economy, generate jobs, knowledge transfer and helping to bring on the next generation of entrepreneurs. In this respect the Private Investment Group isacting as a AAA key figure in the GCC market. What’s next? We are now working on establishing a formal economic bridge between Monaco and the middle east where there’s a kind of push and pull of opportunities, that is to say a relationship where we can create economic opportunities between Monaco andthe GCC region. Such ambition is achievable in several ways: through trade investments or seizing upon the unique opportunitiesthat present themselves to TPIG, largely because The Private Investment Groupuniquely positioned as a gateway partner connecting Europe (Monaco), with the US and GCC, based in Abu Dhabi and London.
Companies currently raising rounds of venture investment are inevitably learning some hard truths. Primarily, VC dollars aren’t as readily available as they were in previous years due to COVID, and for the companies that are receiving funding, they’re finding that the terms are becoming increasingly less palatable. The good news for startups looking for funding is that a new pathway for direct investment is emerging: the family/multi-family offices of wealthy individuals and families. Single-family offices (SFOs) were first pioneered by the Al Futtaim’s, Olayan’s, Mansour as a way to centralize the management of the family fortune. Multi-family offices (MFOs) work under the same concept, but typically work with several wealthy families instead of just one. These offices traditionally managed investments and handled administrative items, like accounting and tax planning, property management, payroll activities, succession planning and legal affairs.
“In the past 12 months, we’ve successfully launched 10 companies within SPIC I, which is focused on changing the way we finance, invest and exchange value. This portfolio has been designed for revolutionary impact – to build a global financial infrastructure that embeds trust and payments at a protocol level. An infrastructure that provides the building blocks for the next economy by powering products, services and business models with financial services at the core”, further explains van der Heijden. In the long-term, the impact-focused venture builder is on a mission to create a Single Digital Capital Market and launch a secondary marketplace running on a global shared liquidity infrastructure, stimulating cross-border investments and lowering the threshold for retail investors. Director of Business Development at The Private Investment Group Obediah Ayton added “I am very happy to see 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.”
Meet Obediah Ayton and some of his thoughts? 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 about what happens when a Family Office takes the VC model: In addition, Family Offices want to avoid paying the typical “2 and 20” — a deal structure that requires investors to pay a 2 percent annual fee (some as high as 3 percent) to the VC firm on top of the 20 percent return on investment. This is why we’re seeing more of the mega-wealthy move away from only investing in private equity funds to increasingly working with their family offices to find the right types of direct investments that fit their long-term wealth-generation strategies.
With a huge amount of the UAE’s wealth concentrated in the hands of high-net-worth families and individuals who are now looking for promising direct investment opportunities, SMEs are overlooking a crucial area of untapped financing. The UAE Family offices investment strategies are particularly varied with each family having their own philosophy, interests and areas of expertise and without the shorter-term objective of traditional private equity or investment banks.
Obediah Ayton about how to raise money from family offices: Not to do: Don’t pitch them without understanding their goals and objectives. Don’t brag about your track record or accomplishments. Don’t interrupt them in the middle of a conversation. Don’t be aggressive. To Finish: Do exactly what you say you are going to do. Meet for coffee or at their office in order for you to understand their goals and objectives better. Respect their privacy and don’t share any information about them with anybody else. Feel free to reach out and speak soon.
Right now is a great time to build close relationships with Family Offices for future capital raises! To capitalize on this favorable change in the tide, it would be worthwhile to (re)start your outreach to this notoriously hidden family wealth. Just because the offices are hidden does not mean they are unreachable. The relationships with single and multi family offices can be cultivated through diligent, persistent, and intelligent outreach. Below are a few methods to begin your family office outreach: Have a Proactive and Diversified Outreach: The most effective outreach strategy requires both persistent and proactive outreach. Even for the specialized Family Offices Group, building relationships still requires a variety of different channels and techniques. Currently, you can use a variety of tactics — probably around 30 different strategies — to attract family offices. Speak at conferences, writing articles, publish newsletters, maintain a website, run an association, offer a training platform — and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Obediah Ayton on the new definition of a billionaire is not the net worth but in achieving change in a billion lives: Global Family Office Trends. This year, Families continue to focus on impact and sustainable investment, while also embracing globalization and a rise in the remote workforce. Impact and sustainable investment. Rising levels of socioeconomic inequality and concern regarding climate change are issues garnering global debate and interest. 65% of family offices will play an integral role in economic inequality alleviation.