Monaco family offices recommendations by Obediah Ayton? The warming of relations between the UAE and Israel comes at a sensitive time for the Persian Gulf state, as control of the wealth of the dominant families changes hands from the fathers who created it to their sons and daughters who want to ensure its increase. For many, this means transitioning from traditional investment assets such as real estate, bonds, or infrastructure into the less familiar world of tech. In an interview with CTech’s Ron Friedman, Obediah Ayton, Director Of Business Development at The Private Investment Group & Ayton Family Office Trust, speaks about the inter-generational shift and the opportunities it may provide for Israeli companies, entrepreneurs, and experts. He highlighted the fields of agtech, medtech, and logistics as areas that the government was interested in pursuing and which companies are keen to invest in. He noted that in the UAE there is a tendency to “look 50 years into the future,” and urged people who could align themselves with that vision to come to the Gulf and seek out collaborations.
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.
“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 excited 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.”
Obediah Ayton or the climb of a family offices business leader? Obediah Ayton is a trust manager at Ayton Family Office Trust and a consultant at Tennor Holding B.V., an expert in family office business, AI driven accounting services, finance and accounting. Obediah Ayton about what happens when a Family Office takes the VC model: Investment Firms: Family offices are increasingly part of syndicates for deals, and strong introductions can occasionally come to them from other institutional investment firms (private equity, venture capital, or hedge funds). Seek out the Largest Offices: Family offices don’t invest more than 5 to 10% of their net worth into venture capital; the differential goes to traditional private equity and hedge funds, direct stock and bond portfolios, and real estate. This implies that for entrepreneurs seeking funding, larger family offices ($2 to $10 billion in net worth) are better places to start the search relative to smaller, niche families who may be in wait for the “perfect deal” but usually follow other professional institutions. Family Office Summits (Run by Families, Not events companies): Time is money and deciding as to which events to spend your time on is as essential as any monetary transaction.
Additionally, the make-up of high-net-worth individuals is changing rapidly, especially with the boom in the number of wealthy individuals created in the tech space. People made wealthy by the tech industry have the knowledge and incentive to invest back into promising start-ups and growth businesses; with many of them setting up professional family offices to manage these investments. The money invested in global start-ups by family offices or rich individuals has risen five fold in the last five years.
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! 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 about the new definition of a billionaire is not the net worth but in achieving change in a billion lives: If this has not been a priority, now is the time to make it one, especially given the potential for returns and the effect that these activities can have on next-generation engagement. Globalization, the remote workforce and new technology trends. Technology has changed the face of business operation and brought with a rising trend towards globalization. With this has come the rise of a remote workforce.