Monaco family offices advices with Obediah Ayton
Family office vs. venture capital fund benefits 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 role of family offices has changed in the last 20 years, driven by the proliferation of wealth and dramatic increase in the number of millionaires, centimillionaires and billionaires around the world. There also has been a surge in the number of family offices and more sophisticated investors. This new breed of ultra-high-net-worth families in the GCC differs from the “old money” of the past. Their accumulation of wealth is typically more rapid and driven by savvy investment management or entrepreneurism. Many of those joining the ranks of the ultra-high-net-worth include money managers, former hedge fund managers and folks who generated their wealth in private equity. This represents a large population of sophisticated investors with deep networks in the startup and entrepreneurial community who are sitting on tremendous wealth (some estimates put family office total asset value around $6 trillion globally).
Supporting VentureRock with their capital raise and strategic partnerships with both the public and private sectors has been The Private Investment Group, a Dubai-based company that works with funds and families in the GCC but also throughout Europe, the US, and Asia. Founder and CEO of The Private Investment Group Alastair Lidel said “What VentureRock has built is the next generation of ecosystems. A system that allows the incredible depth of knowledge they have to be coupled with some of the most innovative minds in the world. Working in partnership with Xander and the VentureRock team has always been exciting and a privilege and we are delighted to have supported them in this venture and look forward to continuing this impressive journey. Director of Business Development at The Private Investment Group Obediah Ayton added “I am excited 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.”
Obediah Ayton or the climb of a finance entrepreneur? 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: Why Raise Money from Family Offices: The long-term nature of their capital. Family offices have private capital to be preserved across generations, unlike venture capital firms which have contractually short term horizons. Strong alignment of the founder with the entrepreneur. Owing to the entrepreneurial DNA of the founders of most family offices, younger, more inexperienced entrepreneurs stand to benefit tremendously from the insights and connections of the family. This functions much like a successful venture capital fund but without the ego and aggressive nature to perform substantial returns.
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 on 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 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.
