Private Equity Blogger.com by Theo O'Brien

Private Equity Banks Investors

2012-05-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Private Equity Banks Investors

Banks' Involvement in Private Equity Falling

There have been several trends that have contributed to the decline in capital raised by private equity firms from banks. Perhaps most important among those trends is the regulation like Basel III and the Volcker Rule, but also liquidity concerns and a drop in client appetite have also led to a drop in banks' involvement in private equity.

Legislation, such as Basel III and the Volcker Rule – part of the Dodd-Frank Act in the US, coupled with liquidity concerns and a fall in client appetite, has resulted in a decline in banks’ involvement in the private equity asset class, a Preqin study reveals. Banks accounted for 11% of all private equity capital in 2008 but this figure fell to 8% in 2011. Despite this, 74% of banks interviewed by Preqin stated that their private equity investment programs had not been affected by regulatory changes, and 55% felt it unlikely that such changes would impact their level of private equity investment in the future.

Of the 26% of banks that have ceased or reduced investment activities in the asset class, 90% are based in either North America or Europe, the regions in which investors are directly impacted by regulatory changes. Some of these institutions have already sold fund interests and 40% would consider selling. However, over the longer term, 75% of banks stated that they will seek to either maintain or increase their private equity allocations.
Other findings:

Of the banks investing in private equity, 45% are based in Europe, 13% in North America and 42% in Asia and Rest of World.

Europe is the most popular region for investment amongst banks despite the recent problems in the eurozone; 37% stated that they are keen to pursue opportunities in the region in the next 12 months.

67% of banks will consider committing to emerging markets-focused private equity funds.

Small to mid-market buyout is the most popular fund type among banks looking for new private equity fund investments.

19% of banks are currently below their target private equity allocations.

87% of banks looking to make new fund commitments are open to forming new GP relationships.

16% of banks expect to increase their allocations to the asset class over the longer term, while 25% expect them to fall.

21% believe liquidity is a serious issue in the current market, and 18% stated that client appetite* for private equity is a concern.

10% of banks have ceased investment in private equity as a result of the Volcker Rule and Basel III.

Please see the full report for more information and detailed analysis.

Tags: private equity investments, private equity investors, private equity banks investors, management, contact, website, LP, group, news, private equity bank capital

President Obama Bain Capital Mitt Romney

2012-05-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

President Obama Bain Capital

Private Equity Enters the Presidential Election Again

In previous years, private equity was most likely to be brought up with the presidential election when talking about donors to various campaigns. This year, however, we all knew that private equity would be front and center as the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, hails from private equity as one of the founders of a giant in the industry, Bain Capital. President Obama has been quick to attack Mr. Romney's work at Bain Capital with a recent ad highlighting a steel mill that went bankrupt under Bain's management.

There has been somewhat of a backlash however as a couple of the Obama campaign surrogates and allies have voiced criticisms of the advertisement and what it says about private equity. Bain Capital, for its part, has issued a rebuttal to at least one of the ads.

The Obama campaign says the Bain focus isn’t an indictment of the sector. Instead, it is specifically highlighting Romney’s economic philosophy and Bain’s track record. “We’re not questioning the purpose of the private equity business as a whole,” Ben LaBolt, a campaign spokesman, told reporters on a conference call today.

“One of the key questions, I think, the American people have is why do Romney and his partners succeed even if the company failed.” The Bain argument is part of a $25 million ad-blitz this month financed by the Obama campaign which paints Romney as a corporate raider, focused on wealth creation, not job creation.

Obama for America began a new round of attacks today with a web video about another company acquired by Bain -- American Pad & paper, or Ampad, an office-supplies plant in Marion, Indiana -- that closed in 1995. Source

Tags: Mitt Romney, Bain Capital, Bain Capital 2012, Bain Capital Firm, Bain Capital Mitt Romney, What is Bain Capital, What is Private Equity, Mitt Romney Bain Capital Work, Barack Obama Bain Capital, President Obama Bain Capital, Obama Mitt Romney Bain, Private equity

Private Equity JOBS Act

2012-04-17T10:27:00.002-07:00

Private Equity JOBS Act

JOBS Act Clears the Way for Private Equity Marketing

Private equity firms may have an easier time marketing their services now that the JOBS Act has been signed into law. The recently signed JOBS Act will revise rules on hedge fund and private equity marketing allowing them to market to the general public. Still, the rules on who is allowed to invest in a private fund vehicle will remain--only accredited investors that fit certain requirements.

Thanks to a little-noticed provision tucked into the just-signed jobs bill, hedge funds may soon be making a bold move into marketing—and the mainstream.

The JOBS Act, signed by President Obama on April 5, lifted a decades-old restriction on how hedge funds can go after new investors, clearing the way for managers to speak more publicly about their strategies and performance and even to advertise.

As private investment vehicles, hedge funds aren't required to meet the same disclosure requirements and risk restrictions as ordinary mutual funds. In return, they may deal only with experienced, high-net-worth investors, and have long been banned from marketing themselves to the general public.

Lifting those marketing restrictions is potentially a major move, but not everyone thinks it is a great development for average investors. Source

Tags: private equity firms, private equity jobs act, private equity jobs, private equity marketing, private equity marketing to normal investors, private equity marketing rules, private equity marketing requirements

Private Equity Family Office Capital Raising

2012-04-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

30 Minute Presentation

How Private Equity Firms Can Raise Capital from Family Offices

Richard Wilson, CEO of Richard Wilson Capital Partners, recently delivered a speech in Singapore outlining 5 ways that private equity firms can raise capital from family offices. In the following video, Richard gives you a detailed look at how private equity firms can effectively market to this investor group and he warns of some mistakes that many private equity firms make when approaching family offices. If you are reading this via RSS or e-mail, click here to watch the video.

Tags: Private Equity Family Office Capital Raising investments, private equity firm, private equity, family offices, raising capital from family offices, family office capital raising, family office marketing, marketing to family offices, family office private equity marketing

GAIM International 2012

2012-03-23T11:02:00.002-07:00

GAIM International 2012

Join 800 Attendees in Monaco 18-20 June | 15% Discount

The GAIM International Monaco Conference is the largest and longest running hedge fund event in Europe and I have secured an exclusive discount to attend this event. Richard Wilson was able to attend last year's GAIM International conference and he tells me it was a great opportunity to meet with investors and top hedge fund managers from around the world.

Join 800 global attendees in Monaco 18-20 June – get a 15% discount by quoting VIP: FKN2333HFB

Here are some of the many benefits for attending GAIM International this year:

Meet 250 investors active in alternatives & 400 international hedge fund managers

Hear from 150 speakers including powerful end investors such as Colorado Fire & Police Pension, CERN Pension Fund, Barclays Pension Fund, Howard Hughes Medical Centre Investment Office, MN Services, University of Richmond, Grosvenor Estate, Julius Baer Pension Fund, Teachers’ Retirement System of Texas…

Discover the best performing strategies of 2012 and how to make money in volatile times: Discussions on Global Macro, CTA, Credit, Distressed Debt, Emerging Markets, Commodities, Niche Strategies, Tail Risk & Forex and more

Participate in structured networking to meet the right investor for your fund - see details of which strategies each investor is interested in, join small investor roundtables and strategy clinics

Make brief introductions and exchange 25 business cards in 25 minutes during Investor/Manager Speed Networking

Promote your fund in the delegate Quickfire Showcase – impress investors and entertain fellow attendees – your 90 seconds on the podium

Hear debate on limits of macroeconomic policy with Niall Ferguson, Harvard University and Jamil Baz, GLG Partners

Get inspired by Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal and first investor in Facebook

Connect with attendees and schedule meetings 2 weeks before the event using the GAIM app

Register online here: http://www.informaglobalevents.com/fkr2323hfb

Email: info@icbi.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)20 7017 7200

Tags: GAIM International 2012, GAIM International 2012 conference, GAIM International 2012 Monaco, GAIM International 2012 Event, GAIM International 2012 in Monaco, GAIM International 2012 Hedge Fund Conference, GAIM International 2012 Hedge Funds, GAIM International 2012 Event, GAIM International 2012 Discount

2012-03-20T12:19:00.002-07:00

Japan Hedge Fund Event

Capturing Market Opportunities While Suppressing Portfolio Volatility

If you are looking to attend a hedge fund conference in Japan, the 6th-annual Hedge Fund Investments Japan Congress is a chance to hear from top fund managers and institutional investors. I had the opportunity to speak at this event last year and it was a great experience and a well-organized forum. At the Hedge Fund Investments Japan Congress, you will learn about the hedge fund market in Japan, strategies for attracting capital and achieving strong returns for your investors and much more.

JAPAN’S PREMIER HEDGE FUND FORUM

Packed with Brand New Content, New Exciting Features and More Distinguished Speakers.

New “Rain-Makers” Sessions!	New Emerging Managers Pitch	Legendary Japan Strategist Insight
Japanese Pension Investors Panel. Find out what they expect. Top Managers Panel. Uncover the best sources of return by top fund managers regionally and worldwide.	Emerging Manager Panel. Can they deliver the alpha?	What is the top Japan strategist seeing that you haven’t?
An Exciting New Programme	Register Now!	Who Will I Meet?
2 Days of Unparalleled Hedge Fund Content!Unveiling the most promising hedge fund strategies, best investment opportunities and investors’ allocation rationale	Why Leave It Till Later?Ensure you save a spot in your calendar for Japan’s most important hedge fund event. Register now.	Top-Level Decision-Makers and Key Influencers. Over 60 have registered!

The 6th Annual Hedge Fund Investments Japan Congress is a must-attend event for the hedge funds community. With a six year track record of bringing together leading personalities – key institutional investors, top fund managers and rising stars, it is the key deal-making marketplace for Japan.

Over 60 institutional investors and fund managers have confirmed their attendance!

Find Out Who

2012 will deliver brand new content, focusing on the most pressing issues on the minds of fund managers, and Japanese and global investors.

Find out:

How do fund managers attract capital and deliver returns in markets that appear irrational?
How can investors better suppress portfolio volatility?
Where are the best investment opportunities?

Apart these issues, Hedge Fund Investments Japan Congress 2012 attendees can look forward to an enriching programme providing you with a comprehensive overview of the hedge fund market in Japan and beyond. A range of key stakeholders will share their insights to help you navigate the current environment. These include:

Leading fund managers: Perspectives on successful investment strategies that suppress volatility
Investors: Outlook on investing in the current climate and what they are looking for in the new investment era
Key experts and thought leaders: Updates on Japan’s best investment opportunities and the macroeconomic outlook
Emerging managers: Discussion on how they are generating alpha with innovative strategies and how they are raising capital
Regulators: View on investing in the new regulatory and economic paradigm

Check out the content-rich programme here!

Hedge Fund Investments Japan Congress brings together the "who's who" of hedge fund investment in Japan and beyond. With key decision-makers and top influencers all gathered at one place, it is an unparalleled platform for business introductions and top-quality discussions.

Takeshi Ito, Senior Portfolio Manager, for the AISIN Employees' Pension Fund, explains that extremely low interest rates, volatile equity markets, and financial crises that have occurred every few years, making the investing environment stressfully difficult.

“Pension funds are striving to make a profit on their investments under these stringent circumstances. Our objectives toward hedge fund investments has become increasingly multi-faceted: securing absolute yearly returns, as alternatives to equity and bond investments (based on pursuit of the same returns with lower risk than equity markets, or similar risk-return but from products uncorrelated to equities), and as tail hedges are some examples of hedge fund objectives. The variety of hedge fund strategies may meet specific cross-sections of investors’ needs, but may simultaneously be obscuring what we pension funds desire from hedge fund investments,” he said.

Read Takeshi Ito’s interview here

David Bridge, an Associate at Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, believe that from a relative value perspective Japan does present opportunities for alpha generation.

“We feel that Japan does present opportunities for alpha generation, particularly from a relative value perspective given the liquidity, shorting availability and the presence of stock and sector level dispersion in the Japanese market. The market structure, including economic differences in export-oriented versus domestic sectors, cross-company differences in the level of foreign versus domestic investor participation, and limited sell side coverage of the mid-cap space, also presents opportunities for Japan-focused managers to exploit market inefficiencies. In our opinion, higher quality Japanese funds tend to reflect this opportunity set, with a somewhat greater focus on relative value trading than often seen elsewhere, and a focus on the unique structural characteristics of the Japanese market,” he said.

Download the complete interview here with David Bridge

Be first to hear the latest news

Sign up for the latest updates on who will be at the 6th Annual Hedge Fund Investments Japan Congress and to connect with hedge fund industry leaders.

Or REGISTER NOW!

VIP Institutional Investor Passes

Institutional investors qualified by our team are eligible for complimentary VIP attendee passes.

Contact us today at enquiry@iqpc.com.sg if you think you qualify to meet Japan and Asia’s best performing hedge fund managers!

Tags: Japan Hedge Fund Event, Japanese hedge funds, hedge fund event in Japan, hedge fund 2012 event in Japan, Japan hedge fund conference, hedge fund conference in Japan, hedge fund investments japan congress, hedge funds japan forum

Raising Capital From Family Office Investors

2012-03-20T01:33:00.002-07:00

Richard Wilson Capital Partners now Offers a Dedicated Family Office Capital Raising Team to Institutional-Quality Fund Managers

Portland, OR March 19th, 2012 -- Third party marketing firm, Richard Wilson Capital Partners, now provides institutional-quality investment funds with capital raising services exclusively targeting family office investors. Richard Wilson, founder and chief executive officer, has nearly ten years of experience capital raising and working in the hedge fund industry having raised more than $250
million for his past clients. The Richard Wilson Capital team leverages their knowledge and experience in alternative investments and the family office industry to connect best-of-breed fund managers with family office investors.

CEO Richard Wilson sees family offices as the most undervalued source of capital for alternative investment funds. "Family offices have unique needs and a consistent interest in alternative investment fund managers," Richard explains, "but even large multi-billion dollar fund managers often do not have a dedicated marketing team focused on family office investors." This is especially surprising, Richard notes, given the size of the industry and the level of assets these investors control. Recent estimates suggest the number of family offices could be as high as 10,000 globally, with each family office typically controlling over $500m each in client assets.

In light of the recent surge in family offices in the U.S. and around the world in countries like Singapore and Brazil, Richard Wilson Capital is laser-focused on connecting institutional-quality fund managers with family office investors. After spending years working with family offices and training top-tier hedge funds on fund marketing, Richard sees it as a natural fit. "I have raised capital from family offices before, and I founded and currently run the largest association of family office professionals, the Family Offices Group, which as of today has 39,874 total members. Connecting hedge funds and family offices is a natural extension of my past capital raising experience and current involvement with family offices on a day-to-day basis."

Richard Wilson Capital Partners is actively seeking institutional quality fund managers to retain as long-term clients. Richard may be reached at Richard@RichardWilsonCapital.com.

About Richard Wilson, founder and CEO of Richard Wilson Capital Partners

Richard is a capital raising expert, and well-known figure in the family office industry, he has spoken at over 50 alternative investment and family office conferences in locations such as Monaco, New York, Liechtenstein, Moscow, Tokyo, Boston, Brussels, Cayman Islands and Singapore. He is also a best-selling author, having written several books including a best-selling book on hedge funds, The Hedge Fund Book, The Family Office Book: Investing Capital for the Ultra-Affluent, both published by Wiley Finance. To work with Richard please email him at Richard@RichardWilsonCapital.com.

About the Family Offices Group

The Family Offices Group is an industry association with 39,874 members from around the globe. The association is now four years old and offers a family office training program, events, and industry resources. If you want to learn more about the Family Offices Group please visit http://www.FamilyOfficesGroup.com/about-us

Tags: private equity capital raising, private equity marketing, private equity third party marketing, family office marketing, family office capital raising, family office third party marketing team, family office capital raising team, Raising Capital From Family Office Investors

Private Equity Interview Request

2012-03-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Private Equity Interview Request

Private Equity Interview Request for the CPEP

I am reaching out to experienced private equity professionals to participate in a brief phone interview with me this month. The interview will be used in our Certified Private Equity Professional program and possibly in the book that I am currently writing on private equity. The interview will be primarily career-focused but we can touch on whatever topics you would like to discuss related to the private equity industry. Please only respond if you have multiple years of experience at an established private equity firm.

If this is something of interest to you, please contact me at Team@PrivateEquityCertification.com and we can schedule a time that works best for you.

Thank you for your help,

Theo O'Brien

Tags: private equity training, private equity interview, investments, private equity firm, private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, news

Russian Private Equity Firms

2012-03-02T09:21:00.003-08:00

Russian Private Equity Firms

Russian Private Equity Activity is on the Rise

I studied Russia for a time in college (culture, economics, language, etc.) and it is a fascinating country, especially its business sector. Although the country suffers from a less than transparent business environment and real and perceived corruption (at least according to the corruption perception index), the Russian Federation has attracted an impressive level of foreign investment in recent years and several private equity firms are taking a chance on investing in Russia.

According to an Ernst and Young study, Russian private equity activity has been on the rise in recent months. Deal value last year was double what it was in 2010 and deal volume has steadily climbed as of late. Some of that growth has been cultivated and encouraged by the Russian government and the market situation continues to look good for private equity firms, says one expert.

Private equity investments in 2011 were $4.2 billion, almost twice the 2010 figure of $2.2 billion, while deal volumes also climbed from 46 in 2010 to 55 in 2011. Average deal value grew from $50 million to $80 million, said the analysis, which included equity deals in excess of $5 million.

Private equity funding is becoming increasingly popular among Russian businesses, as bank credit has become costlier over the last six months and global financial market conditions are deterring initial public offerings as an option for raising capital, according to Ernst & Young.

“The market situation continues to look good for private equity firms,” says Davron Rustamkulov, Ernst & Young partner. “Companies in many sectors performed poorly for macroeconomic reasons, which, combined with heavy debt burden as a pre-crisis legacy, makes many of them call the PE firms while shopping for finance. Private equity investors are an expensive, but often the only, source of finance and are extremely picky, showing their preference to invest in companies with a proven business model and a clear mid-term exit strategy.”

A number of major deals involving two or more financial investors were announced in the manufacturing and media sectors in 2011. RUSNANO, Baring Vostok and Russia Partners invested in Novomet, a group of companies engaged in manufacturing oil production equipment; while News Outdoor was acquired by Alfa Capital Partners, NOOH and VTB Capital. Source

Tags: Russia, Russian private equity, private equity in Russia, investments, private equity firm, private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, news

Private Equity Interview

2012-03-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

Private Equity Interview

Request for Interview with Private Equity Professionals

A few months ago we put out a request for private equity professionals to participate in an interview with me on their career and the private equity industry. The response was huge and while I've conducted several interviews since then, I am still looking to complete a few more throughout March. The interview will be used as an educational training resource in our Certified Private Equity Professional program and possibly in the book that I am currently writing on private equity.

If you are a private equity professional who has worked several years in the industry and would be willing to participate in a phone interview this month, please contact me at your convenience.

If this is something of interest to you, please contact me at Team@PrivateEquityCertification.com and we can schedule a time that works best for you.

Thank you for your help,

Theo O'Brien

Tags: private equity interview, investments, private equity firm, private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, news

Canada Private Equity

2012-02-28T10:55:00.004-08:00

Canada Private Equity

Canada's Private Equity Sector Rebounding Swiftly from Crisis

Interesting data coming from PitchBook on Canada's private equity industry. According to PitchBook, Canada's private equity sector is making an impressive, quick recovery from the financial recovery, especially compared to private equity in America. In 2011, investment levels reached nearly 80% of peak levels seen in 2007, whereas the U.S. hit just 57% of its peak deal flow.

The Canadian private equity industry is making a swift recovery from the financial crisis. In 2011, investment levels returned to nearly 80% of the peak levels seen in 2007, making last year the third best on record in terms of deal count. Comparatively, the U.S. private equity industry closed in 2011 with only 57% of its peak deal flow. As such, Canada merits a close watch in 2012.

To help you keep an eye on Canadian private equity in the months ahead, PitchBook and Merrill DataSite have published the Annual Canadian PE Breakdown 2012. Powered by the PitchBook Platform and sponsored by Merrill DataSite, this report covers trends in Canadian private equity investment, exits and fundraising, with a focus on activity and trends emerging during 2011. report

Tags: private equity investments, private equity firm, private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, private equity Canada news, Canadian Private Equity, Canada Private equity firms

Stephen Schwarzman Salary

2012-02-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

Stephen Schwarzman Salary

Schwarzman's Compensation Puts Private Equity in Cross-Hairs

Stephen Schwarzman, a titan in the private equity industry, is set to receive a huge payday and it isn't tied to his actual compensation as CEO. Rather, Mr. Schwarzman will receive at least $120 million in 2011 dividends for his 21% ownership of the firm he founded, Blackstone Group LP (BX.N). For his role as CEO of Blackstone Group, Schwarzman is paid $350,000 with $6.7 million in total compensation.

With all the unwanted attention on private equity lately, it's hard to say that even a payday as a shareholder in a firm he founded will escape media scrutiny. If you'd like to read a story on the campaign to save private equity's image and fend off recent critics, click here.

Stephen Schwarzman, the boss of the world's largest private equity firm, made his fortune by being a financier who delivered outsized returns for investors from buying, restructuring and then selling companies. These days, he is getting huge rewards for being the biggest shareholder in what is more like a souped-up asset manager.

The Blackstone Group LP (BX.N) head is set to receive at least $120.6 million in 2011 dividends from his 21 percent ownership of the firm, based on regulatory filings. That is many times what he gets for being CEO - he received a $350,000 salary and total compensation of $6.7 million in 2010 though it hasn't yet been disclosed for last year.

Fees for managing assets and advisory services accounted for 82 percent of Blackstone's dividend payouts in 2011, up from 63 percent in 2010, the statements show. That means Schwarzman's payout includes a lot more from fees charged to investors for managing their money than from Blackstone's slice of the profits from its buyout business, also known as carried interest. Source

Tags: blackstone group, Stephen Schwarzman, Stephen Schwarzman compensation, Stephen Schwarzman pay, Stephen Schwarzman Salary, Stephen Schwarzman 2011 dividends, Blackstone Group Shareholders

Private Equity SEC Inquiry

2012-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

Private Equity SEC Inquiry

Private Equity Firms Face Informal SEC Inquiry over Valuation

The biggest news in the private equity industry lately is the SEC informal inquiry of several private equity firms. The SEC is reportedly looking into how private equity firms value their investments and report performance to investors. Because private equity firms have to value private investments that are not listed on a public market, this can be difficult and the SEC is looking at whether private equity firms have pumped up valuations in order to attract more investors to funds.

It's hard to say what the ultimate conclusion to this inquiry will be; it has certainly brought some unneeded bad publicity to the industry but Dan Primack suggests that the SEC is not looking at a systemic issue.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun a broad examination of the private equity industry, seeking information about the business practices of some of the country’s most powerful financial firms.

The S.E.C.’s enforcement unit sent a letter late last year to several private equity funds as part of what it called an “informal inquiry” into the industry, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. It is not clear which firms received the letter.

While the S.E.C. emphasized that the request should not be construed as an indication that it suspected any wrongdoing, its goal in gathering information was to investigate possible violations of securities laws, these people said.

One focus of the inquiry is how private equity firms value their investments and report performance. Unlike the valuing of publicly traded stocks, valuing private equity investments — largely in private companies that are not listed on an exchange — can be a thorny and subjective process. Source

Tags: private equity investments, private equity firms, private equity investments, management, contact, website, private equity LP, group, news, private equity inquiry, SEC

Family Offices in Singapore

2012-02-08T12:25:00.001-08:00

Family Offices in Singapore

Family Office Industry Growth in Singapore and Southeast Asia

The following is a free white paper created by Richard Wilson of FamilyOfficesGroup.com on the family office industry growth in Singapore. You can download the Singapore Family Offices Whitepaper in PDF format.

I recently was asked to speak at a few investment conferences for IQPC in the Cayman Islands this month and Singapore next month. The following is a short whitepaper/report that I typed up for them explaining what really makes Singapore such a unique location for family office and fund management activities.

Background on Singapore

A brief introduction to Singapore: international trade has helped jettison Singapore above leading Western countries in terms of GDP per capita (the IMF and World Bank both place Singapore in a range of three to five in the rankings and consistently ranked above the United States, Switzerland and other wealthy, developed countries). Singapore has a healthy, free-market-based economy that has excelled in recent years.

Singapore’s economy has grown significantly in the last decade (as evidenced by Figure 1) with financial services playing a vital role in that growth. However, like other international business and financial-focused economies, Singapore’s economy was hurt by the global financial meltdown, but it has managed to rebound impressively by earning more than 14% GDP in 2010.

Figure 1; Source: Singapore Dept. of Statistics

The Singapore city-state is a popular financial destination due to its business- and wealth-friendly tax environment. It is also an island nation that draws a lot of tourists and vacationers as well as wealthy individuals looking for an international hub that is both attractive and enjoyable from which they can conduct their business. As one fund of funds manager put it, “Singapore has turned out to be a great destination for wealthy individuals to relocate to because of Singapore’s smart government, conducive tax and regulatory environment and because it’s a great place to live.”

In fact, Singapore has the highest concentration of millionaire households, with15.5% of all households having at least $1 million in AUM; Singapore has the ninth highest concentration of ultra-high-net-worth households that have over $100 million in AUM, according to the Boston Consulting Group. As you can see in Figure 2, Singapore is perhaps the most vital access point to high net worth families due to its high proportion of wealthy households and its proximity to other key locations like Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taiwan.

Figure 2; Source: BCG

Singapore is also an attractive location for firms and investments funds looking to establish an Asian hub for their business as it is a brief flight to Tokyo, Shanghai or Mumbai. This access to emerging markets has led to a growth in foreign investment and made Singapore a highly attractive place to live and do business. Singapore’s status as Southeast Asia’s financial and high-tech center has drawn a great deal of wealth and investment to the country and this has, in turn, led to a wealth management solution: family offices.

Family Offices in Singapore

The family office concept, once almost exclusively available to the wealthy families in Europe and the United States, is quickly migrating to new pockets of wealth in places like Brazil, Australia and Singapore. Only a few years ago, a wealthy family or ultra-high-net worth individual would be hard pressed to find a customized family office wealth management solution; now, there are dozens of family offices operating in Singapore and the number of single and multi-family offices is only expected to increase in the coming years.

As the amount of wealth in Singapore has steadily grown, so too has the need for family offices. Asia is, of course, a region of great wealth and Singapore is one of the wealth capitals for the region. It is estimated that there are 17,500 ultra-high net worth individuals in Asia and the region accounts for 18.5% of ultra-high net worth individuals in the world. In Asia, Singapore serves as one of two primary hubs for Asian family offices–the other being Hong Kong. Singapore has developed a reputation among the high-net-worth community as a financial capital and a popular destination for wealthy families, so many family offices have established offices in the country to service local families and individuals.

Singapore has been attracting a great number of these ultra-high net worth individuals and more and more are moving from mainland China to reside in Singapore. Accordingly, the number of family offices in Singapore is growing; however, many high-net-worth individuals and wealthy families have relied less on typical single family offices in favor of a different model. One study by VP Bank found that wealthy Asian families turn to “‘a plurality of players that are independently (e.g. global banks) or collaboratively (e.g. asset managers, lawyers and independent advisors) providing family office services for wealthy Asian clients … these structures work as a dynamic network of different players’ discussed as a ‘Hybrid network Family Office Model.’” Yet, as single and multi-family offices gains traction among the Asian investment community, we expect Singapore to fully embrace the more traditional family office model.

We asked one fund of funds manager based in Singapore to list some of the advantages to managing and investing wealth in Singapore, he listed a number of advantages, “the tax and regulatory regime is favorable, it’s an excellent location in Asia in terms of proximity to other countries, infrastructure, and ancillary services to investment firms also have offices in Singapore.” This reflects a growing consensus among fund managers and alternative investors that Singapore is a great location for investing and wealth management and the opportunities here are only growing.

Why Are We Focused on Singapore?

Wealth accumulation has steadily increased in Singapore from a low point in 2001, along with the number of family offices. The country has a high concentration of billionaires compared to other Asian countries, making it a very attractive destination for family offices. The number of high-net-worth individuals in the country is estimated to be 60,000 although that number has likely grown since.

Despite the huge number of high-net-worth individuals and billionaires currently residing in the country, there are relatively few family offices, but that is expected to change in the coming years. As one report on Singapore family offices concluded: “Even if only a few family offices are identifiable in Singapore today, the market will clearly play an important role in the family office business for Asian clients in the future.” It is clear that Singapore will continue to play a big part in the future growth of the family office industry. According to Singapore-based hedge fund manager Anson Zeall Partner at Stoxster Capital LLP there is a continuous rise in money flowing into the area, which is fueling demand for family offices.

Anecdotally, when I attended past conferences in Asia, I was always surprised by the relative lack of family offices compared to other ultra-high-net worth hotbeds around the world. However, in my most recent trip to Singapore, I saw mounting evidence that Singapore is on the cusp of a surge in the local family office industry. For one, there are already dozens of family offices working in Singapore and has made the concept more familiar to Singapore and Southeast Asia’s wealthy, laying the groundwork for future family office growth. Furthermore, I met with several family offices considering or actively establishing an office in Singapore because they, too, see the huge growth potential in the region.

You can see other signs of this coming boom by the number of family office and wealth management conferences in Southeast Asia and Singapore and the number of hedge funds and private equity firms setting up new offices to service clients in the region. I am constantly talking to hedge fund and private equity marketers who are eager to find new investors for their funds and yet few have a clear strategy for targeting family offices and even fewer have a specific plan for raising capital from Singapore investors. The fact that investment funds are undervaluing Singapore is not atypical; for years, investors in Singapore and, more generally, Asia, have been underserved and overlooked in favor of investors more local to American and European funds. However, this trend is reversing as forward-thinking hedge funds and private equity firms realize the potential in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

At the Family Offices Group association, and at my capital raising firm, Richard Wilson Capital Partners we are looking to Singapore as one of the top emerging hot beds for family office activity. For those looking for a foothold in Asia and an access point to under-served wealthy investors, you need look no further than Singapore. If you would like to discuss the Singapore family office marketplace or learn more about the Family Offices Group please email me at Richard@RichardWilsonCapital.com, download our report on family offices, or visit our About Us page here.

Richard C. Wilson

Family Offices Group

Richard@RichardWilsonCapital.com

Richard Wilson Capital Partners, LLC

http://FamilyOfficesGroup.com/about-us

Tags: investments, private equity firm, private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, news

Private Equity at Work

2012-02-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

Private Equity at Work

PEGCC Launches "Private Equity at Work" Campaign

In the face of sweeping criticism of private equity and carried interest in the media as of late, the private equity industry's lobbying group, the Private Equity Growth Capital Council, has sought to reverse the negative spotlight on the industry by explaining what private equity firms really do. The campaign, Private Equity at Work, is a great look at some of the success stories in private equity and provides some information to counter all the bad press surrounding private equity this year.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the campaign is that it was planned in anticipation of this election, rather than conceived as a reaction to recent attacks on Mitt Romney's work at Bain Capital. It was inevitable that with Mitt Romney's presidential campaign would come some media focus on private equity; so, rather than let President Obama or Romney's Republican rivals define private equity, the Private Equity Growth Capital Council developed the Private Equity at Work campaign last summer and launched it in January 2012 as attacks on the industry started to heat up--largely from Newt Gingrich and his Super PAC.

How successful the Private Equity at Work campaign will be in persuading the public that private equity can be a source of capital for business and a key driver of economic growth remains to be seen, but the PEGCC has shown that it will not sit on the sidelines as private equity firms are assaulted left and right.

If you want to check out the Private Equity at Work campaign, click here.

To see how Mitt Romney has faced criticism of his compensation and his work at Bain, see this post

Tags: Mitt Romney, Private Equity Growth Capital Council, Private Equity Growth Capital Council Private Equity at Work, Private Equity at Work, Private Equity at Work PEGCC, Private Equity Mitt Romney, Private Equity and Mitt Romney, Private Equity Mitt Romney President, Mitt Romney Bain, Mitt Romney Bain Capital

Private Equity Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

2012-02-07T10:14:00.001-08:00

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Private Equity and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

I just came across an interesting read on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and how it can affect private equity firms and hedge funds. In an interview with FinAlternatives, Matthew Reinhard of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Miller & Chevalier, talks about why private equity funds should be concerned with complying with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Why do hedge fund and private equity managers need to think about the FCPA?

There are several reasons why managers need to consider FCPA issues. First, FCPA liability can present a significant economic risk from an investment perspective. The size of FCPA penalties has increased exponentially over the last decade, with resolutions in the tens, or hundreds, of millions of dollars not uncommon. Often, these penalties include disgorgement of profits attributable to the corrupt transaction. Furthermore, there are tremendous costs and expenses in responding to an FCPA investigation. Thus, from an investment risk standpoint, like any other potential liability, managers should consider whether a potential investment presents FCPA risks that, if prosecuted, could significantly diminish the value of the investment.
Second, the FCPA provides for successor liability. Particularly for private equity investors, the purchase of a controlling interest in a company with FCPA liabilities could cause the new owners to become liable for past violations.

Third, the actions of affiliated agents and business partners can create FCPA liability directly for managers. For instance, if a hedge fund manager or private equity group uses foreign agents to help secure an investment in a foreign country, and that agent paid a bribe to a local government official to gain an advantage, the managers may be liable under the FCPA.

Read More

Tags: private equity, private equity news, private equity Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Private Equity firms Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Private Equity Foreign Corrupt Practices Act definition, Private Equity Foreign Corrupt Practices Act law, Private Equity Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance

Facebook IPO Share Class

2012-02-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

Facebook IPO Share Class

What are you Really Getting in the Facebook IPO?

There's an interesting article I saw today on The Street about Facebook's impending IPO. If you missed it, Facebook, the massive social network, has filed for its long-anticipated initial public offering where it will finally sell shares of the company to the public. The article, dramatically titled, "Facebook to Future Stockholders: Bow Down to Mark Zuckerberg" focuses on one issue with the Facebook IPO: the difference in what Class A shareholders will be getting vs. what Class B shareholders get and how your shares could be diluted now and in the future.

Facebook has finally filed to go public, but investors itching for a chance to hitch their wagon to Mark Zuckerberg's star should give the company's S-1 filing a close read. Because rather than getting a real stake in the social networking giant, it looks like purchasing the stock will at best be the equivalent of being a peasant in Farmville.

This is the result of the company's decision to opt for a dual class structure for its stock, a practice that's not very prevalent on Wall Street these days. Facebook is selling Class A stock in its IPO, but the real power (and value) will be retained by holders of the Class B shares.

All S-1 filings contain plenty of caveats about how poorly the company or its stock could do in the aftermarket if certain events do or don't come to pass. Facebook, though, is opting to tell potential investors that buying its stock will result in "substantial and immediate dilution" from the undisclosed pro forma tangible book value of the shares as of year-end.

"This dilution is due in large part to the fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the initial public offering price when they purchased their shares of our capital stock," the filing read. "You will experience additional dilution upon exercise of options to purchase common stock under our equity incentive plans, upon vesting of RSUs, if we issue restricted stock to our employees under our equity incentive plans, or if we otherwise issue additional shares of our common stock." Source

Tags: Facebook, Facebook investments, how to invest in Facebook, FB stock, Facebook share class, Facebook Class A Shares, Facebook Class B shares, Facebook shares public, Facebook IPO, investments

TPG Capital GlobeOp

2012-02-01T09:16:00.001-08:00

TPG Capital GlobeOp

TPG Capital Buying GlobeOp for $800 million

TPG Capital Group, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, has agreed to buy a hedge fund administration firm, GlobeOp (GO.L), for $800 million. This is a win for TPG, which hopes to establish a presence in the area of hedge fund administration services, as it beat out a competitor, Advent International.

TPG is offering 435 pence per share in cash for London and New York-based GlobeOp, which administers $173 billion in client assets and which last month kicked off a strategic review to try and boost its share price.

The deal marks a premium of nearly 50 percent to GlobeOp's January 5 share price, just before it announced it was in talks with TPG, which beat private equity rival Advent International to the deal, according to a source familiar with the situation.

GlobeOp shares, which had fallen from 440p last July to below 300p early last month, were up 22 percent at 432.13p by 1136 GMT.

TPG intends to invest in expanding GlobeOp's business and hopes to bolt on other businesses serving the hedge fund industry, the source said.

The U.S. private equity group has significant experience in the so-called financial technology sector, with investments that have included account processing group FIS Global and insurance software business Vertafore. Source

Tags: TPG Capital GlobeOp investments, TPG private equity firm, TPG private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, news, TPG Capital GlobeOp takeover, TPG Capital GlobeOp acquisition, TPG Capital GlobeOp buyout

Steve Judge Private Equity Growth Capital Council

2012-01-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

Steve Judge PEGCC

Steve Judge Heads Private Equity Growth Capital Council

The private equity industry's lobbying group has selected its new chief executive. Steve Judge will head up the Private Equity Growth Capital Council after serving as interim head following the departure of past CEO Douglas Lowenstein. The Private Equity Growth Capital Council, formerly the Private Equity Council, has been in the news for offering a spirited defense of Governor Mitt Romney's work at Bain Capital and the private equity industry as a whole. For more information on this transition, review the press release below from the Private Equity Growth Capital Council:

The Private Equity Growth Capital Council (PEGCC) today announced that Steve Judge has been appointed president and chief executive officer. Judge succeeds Douglas Lowenstein, who stepped down last year. Since August 2011, Judge served as interim president and chief executive officer, prior to that he served as the Council’s vice president for government relations. The appointment is effective immediately.

Mark B. Tresnowski, chairman of the PEGCC and managing director and general counsel of Madison Dearborn Partners, a PEGCC member firm, said, “After a search and several months of Steve’s leadership, it became clear that Steve’s effective advocacy during a challenging and dynamic time for our industry make him the right person for this important role. With the full support of the PEGCC membership, we are confident that Steve and his team will succeed in their mission.”

Mr. Judge said, “I am extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished in just a few years since the founding of the PEGCC and I look forward to building on that record of success. Our goal is to engage policymakers, the media, and the public in a national dialogue about how private equity and growth capital firms drive economic growth, strengthen and improve businesses, and provide financial security for millions of Americans. The year is already off to an exciting start, and the Council is ready for the challenges to come.”

Judge has a long and distinguished career in Washington. Before joining the Council in March 2007, Judge was Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Head of the Washington Office for the Securities Industry Association (SIA), now the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). Judge also served as a member of several congressional staffs. From 1987 to 1991 he was Deputy Staff Director of the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives. Judge came to Washington, D.C. in 1978 with Congressman Bruce Vento (DFL-MN), eventually becoming the Congressman’s Legislative Director. He began his legislative career in the Minnesota State Legislature as Staff Assistant with the Senate Committee on Education. Judge holds a Bachelor of Science degree in government from St. John’s University in Minnesota.

About Private Equity

The private equity industry in the U.S. comprises nearly 2,300 investment firms in all 50 states. They operate nearly 14,000 U.S.-based companies that employ approximately 8.1 million people. In 2010 alone, U.S. private equity firms invested nearly $150 billion in over 1,200 companies. Through 2009, the private equity industry worldwide has distributed nearly $1.6 trillion to its limited partner investors.

About the Private Equity Growth Capital Council

The Private Equity Growth Capital Council (PEGCC) is an advocacy, communications and research organization and resource center established to develop, analyze and distribute information about the private equity and growth capital investment industry and its contributions to the national and global economy. Established in 2007 and formerly known as the Private Equity Council, the PEGCC is based in Washington, D.C. The members of the PEGCC are 36 of the world’s leading private equity and growth capital firms united by their commitment to growing and strengthening the businesses in which they invest. More information about the PEGCC can be found at www.pegcc.org.

Tags: Steve Judge Private Equity Growth Capital Council, Steve Judge Private Equity Growth Capital Council CEO, Steve Judge CEO Private Equity Growth Capital Council, President of the Private Equity Growth Capital Council, Private Equity Growth Capital Council, Private Equity Steve Judge, Who is Steve Judge?, Steve Judge Bio, Steve Judge PEGCC

Private Equity Mitt Romney

2012-01-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

Private Equity Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney, Private Equity, and Carried Interest

The Republican presidential primary has taken a particularly nasty turn with countless negative ads and mudslinging in the latest debates. One attack against Governor Mitt Romney has been particularly surprising in a GOP primary: that Mr. Romney made millions through the private equity firm that he founded, Bain Capital, often by slashing benefits, cutting jobs and stripping value from the portfolio companies his firm invested in. Linked to this attack is questions over his compensation at Bain Capital which was largely through capital gains which is taxed at 15%, much lower than ordinary income.

The attacks, largely from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have drawn new attention to private equity and capital gains tax on carried interest (somewhat ironically, Mr. Gingrich was paid about $60,000 for a speech praising private equity--that income was probably taxed higher than 15% though). As the news media and the American public focus their attention on this industry, which has so often been the focus of derisive attacks and criticism, the Private Equity Growth Capital Council has delivered a response with a fact sheet aimed to "set the record straight" on private equity that you can read here:

PEGCC Sets the Record Straight on Private Equity

Statement from Steve Judge, Interim President and CEO of the Private Equity Growth Capital Council (PEGCC) in response to recent political attacks that mischaracterize the industry:

“There is a lot of misinformation being spread, purely for political purposes and on both sides of the aisle, as it pertains to private equity. What’s been lost is an understanding of the critical role that private equity investment plays in growing the U.S. economy and delivering more than a trillion dollars in investment returns to pension funds, endowments and charitable foundations. While the business model has evolved over time, the fact of the matter is private equity provides capital and operational expertise to companies that are often underperforming or on the brink of failure. In 2010 alone, private equity invested nearly $150 billion in U.S. companies. As a result, many businesses grow and are strengthened and often jobs are created over the long term.”

The Facts About Private Equity

Private Equity Fast Facts

There are 2,300 private equity firms in the U.S. In 2010, private equity firms invested more than $148 billion in 1,234 U.S. based companies in 2010.
There are 14,200 companies in the United States that are backed by private equity investment.
Private equity-backed companies employ approximately 8.1 million people worldwide.

Private Equity: An Overview

What is Private Equity? Private equity is a vital source of capital investment in the U.S. and global economies. Our investment model is simple: We buy companies that have significant potential for growth. Over time, we invest capital, time and effort to improve their performance and increase their value. Eventually, we sell the improved companies, hopefully at a profit, and undertake a new investment.

How Does Private Equity Work? Private equity firms seek out underperforming or undervalued companies. By working with these companies managers unlock significant value —by changing the business strategy, injecting new managerial expertise, or improving sales and marketing, production, distribution or sourcing. Ultimately, private equity firms succeed when their investments are able to achieve long-term success.

Who Benefits? Private equity investment is a steady source of income for its investors such as public and private pension funds, university endowments and charitable foundations. Public and private pension funds make up 42 percent of all private equity investment. Private equity also provides enormous benefits to the company, its employees and investors, and the U.S. economy. According to the most recent research, through 2009 private equity funds worldwide have distributed more than $1.6 trillion to limited partner investors.

The Benefits of Private Equity

Private equity drives growth. The mission of a private equity firm is to strengthen the businesses in which they invest. A study by Ernst & Young found that the average value of businesses in the U.S. acquired by PE firms grew 83 percent over the course of private equity ownership.

Private equity creates value. Private equity firms seek out companies in which they believe they can unlock significant value by changing the business strategy, investing new capital or injecting new managerial talent.

Private equity makes companies and the American economy more competitive.The PE investment model is built on the premise that companies can improve their performance and better position themselves for long-term success by aligning the interests of owners and managers and removing the short-term pressures of public ownership.

It's clear that if Mr. Romney wins the primary he will be forced to endure much more sustained criticism over his role at Bain Capital, his taxes, and how the companies he invested in ultimately performed. You can bet that President Obama's team is cooking up ads similar to the ones that Senator Ted Kennedy used to defeat Governor Romney in his 1994 senatorial campaign. It will be interesting to see whether Mr. Romney can mount a stronger defense of private equity as the spotlight once again turns to the world of buyouts.

Tags: Private Equity Mitt Romney investments, private equity firms Mitt Romney, Romney private equity, Bain Capital management, contact, website, LP, group, news, Mitt Romney, Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's role at Bain Capital, Mitt Romney private equity investing, how private equity firms make money, private equity and Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney Carried Interest Taxation, what is Bain Capital

New Markets Movement

2012-01-05T11:31:00.001-08:00

New Markets Movement Seeks to Bring Back IPOs

I rarely pass along press releases, which I receive almost daily, but this one was especially intriguing and relevant to the private equity industry. IPOs represent an important exit path for private equity firms looking to make a return on their portfolio investments, but the IPO market has been less than welcoming despite some small internet successes like Groupon and LinkedIn and a few other IPOs in 2011. Now, there is a "movement" to revive the IPO market and make it a better environment for these would-be public companies.

Weild Says Changes Will Boost Economic Growth, Employment at No Cost to Taxpayers

NEW YORK, N.Y., Jan 4, 2012 – Former NASDAQ Vice Chairman David Weild IV and media entrepreneur Brett Johnson today announced the formation of the New Markets Movement (NMM) with the goal of reviving the stagnant market for initial public offerings (IPOs) and aftermarket support for public companies.

The NMM will advocate for passage of legislation to stimulate IPOs, and investments to fix the financial ecosystem and provide support for public companies. Its first goal is drafting and passage of the Issuer Choice Jobs Act, which would make the market structure more favorable for IPOs and public companies. NMM will also support other legislation that favors market improvements.

“Wall Street doesn’t need to be occupied, it needs to be fixed,” said Weild. “The United States has a proud history of launching and nurturing innovative job creators. Today, U.S. public stock markets, once the envy of the world, have become our weakest link and are failing to support job-generating growth companies.”

Weild will kick off the launch of the New Markets Movement as the keynote speaker at the Fifth Annual OneMedForum SF2012, an emerging company finance conference, at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco, Calif.

Weild, who is Director of Capital Markets at Grant Thornton and Chairman and CEO of Capital Markets Advisory Partners, is the country’s leading expert on U.S. capital markets and specifically the dramatic drop in IPOs and aftermarket support for public companies. In addition to serving as Vice Chairman of NASDAQ, he was head of equity capital markets at Prudential, where he priced over 500 IPOs and another 500 follow-on offerings.

Weild’s research with colleague Edward Kim inspired Johnson to contact him and suggest the formation of the New Markets Movement. Johnson publishes OneMedResearch, which is dedicated to lesser known microcap public companies, and the founder and CEO of OneMedPlace, a research and media firm that aggregates information for investors in emerging growth companies in healthcare and life sciences.

“Innovative companies no longer go public in adequate numbers to drive growth and job creation,” Johnson said, “because our system rewards computerized trading, not investors. Markets today cater to backward-looking computer-based trading strategies at the expense of forward-looking fundamental investment strategies.”

The number of IPOs in the U.S. dropped 77% in the first decade of the millennium – from an average of 520 a year during the pre-bubble years of 1991 through 1995 to just 126 a year from 2001 through 2009. There were 154 in 2010 and 125 in 2011, but many recent IPOs were for brand-name social media companies and most performed poorly after public trading began.

A Grant Thornton study found that if the number of companies going public between 1998 and 2009 had not plummeted, theeconomy could have generated an additional 11.6 million to 22.7 million new jobs.

Weild and Johnson believe that new legislation to fix the economic model, if signed into law, would incent equity research coverage, capital commitment and market making, encourage investment and discourage speculative trading.

The Issuer Choice Jobs Act that the New Markets Movement is proposing would empower the Boards of Directors of public companies to optimize the market for their shares by giving them the authority to establish the “tick size” in the trading of their stock. Since decimalization of stock prices, tick size, which is the monetary increment in which stocks trade, has defaulted to one cent per share and as low as 1/10^th of a penny for some stocks.

Penny and sub-penny ‘tick sizes’ have induced high frequency and speculative trading in large-cap stocks, according to Weild, while in small and micro-cap stocks these tiny tick sizes have removed the economic incentive for traders to provide liquidity and for research analysts and brokers to create order flow.

“By replacing one-size-fits-all stock markets with an elegant and cost-effective mechanism to create ‘mass customization’ of markets,” Weild said, “it will give corporations a seat at the table to determine what the quality of their markets should be, rather than allowing trading interests to treat them like so many casino chips.”

Johnson said NMM will support other initiatives that can “resuscitate the IPO and put America’s job creation engine into high gear.”

About the New Markets Movement

The New Markets Movement was created to advocate for changes that will spur economic growth and job creation by stimulating initial public offerings (IPOs) and aftermarket support for public companies.

Tags: new markets movement, initial public offerings, IPOs, New Market Movement IPO, What is the New Market Movement?, investments, private equity firm, private equity, management, contact, website, LP, group, news

Private Equity Seed

2011-12-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Private Equity Seed Capital Strategies

Free Private Equity Video on Seed Capital Strategies

The following video is borrowed from the Certified Private Equity Professional training program. I am frequently asked for advice on how to connect with seed capital providers for a private equity fund. In this video, I cover some strategies for obtaining seed capital for a private equity startup. If you are reading this via email or RSS, please click here to watch.

Video Transcript/Summary: The strategies and tips provided within this video module include:

Coming soon.

If you're interested in learning more about private equity through our private equity training program, visit http://businesstraining.com/Private-Equity-Certification.html

Tags: private equity investments, private equity firm, private equity seed capital, private equity seeders, private equity seed, private equity seed funds, private equity investors, private equity seed investors, management, contact, website, LP, group, news

Private Equity Southeast Asia Summit 2012

2011-12-06T08:41:00.001-08:00

Join Us at the 7th Annual Private Equity Southeast Asia Summit!

Greetings,

My name is Richard Wilson and I want to personally invite you to a private equity conference that I will be speaking at in March. The 7th Annual Private Equity Southeast Asia Summit 2012 is a great opportunity for you to capitalize on the pre-eminent gathering of Southeast Asia-focused private equity professionals and LPs.

Private equity firms ignore Southeast Asia at their own peril; as this Summit shows, leading private equity investors have long-recognized the huge potential for returns in the region. Don't miss this opportunity to broaden your reach in Southeast Asia, meet with investors, and better understand how others are investing in the region. The event takes place in Marina Mandarin, Singapore on March 7-8, click here to learn more about the summit.

I will be delivering a speech on a topic that I have spent the last year researching in-depth: family office investment preferences. I can't think of a topic more important for private equity firms looking to raise capital and yet I rarely see GP's devoting significant time to understanding and focusing marketing efforts specifically on family offices. If you sign up to attend the Private Equity Southeast Asia Summit 2012 you will hear my talk on what family office investors look for in private equity fund managers as well as many other presentations from private equity authorities--from prominent limited partners to top-tier fund managers.

With 40 speakers already committed, and over 40 LP decision makers confirmed to attend, this summit is dedicated to providing the Southeast Asia Private Equity sector with the definitive forum to network and learn. It will enable you to understand how you can capitalize on the buoyant PE market in South East Asia.

Establish local connections within Southeast Asia’s growing markets to facilitate your entry and growth into the regions hottest sectors and industries looking for investors
Meet institutional LPs waiting to capitalize on rapidly emerging private equity investment markets in the region
Develop a deeper understanding of Southeast Asia’s often complex GP-LP and GP-investee company relationships to warrant greater success in deal sourcing, structuring and fundraising.

If you're ready to secure your seat at this valuable program then simply sign up here.

See you this March in Singapore!

Richard C. Wilson
Founder, Private Equity Investment Group

Tags: private equity event, private equity summit, private equity conference, private equity southeast Asia, private equity Asia, Private Equity Southeast Asia Summit, 7th Annual Private Equity Southeast Asia Summit 2012, private equity capital raising, family offices, events

Invest in Private Equity

2011-12-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Why Invest in Private Equity

Free CPEP Video: Why Invest in Private Equity

The following video is borrowed from the Certified Private Equity Professional training program. A common question we receive is simply, “Why invest in private equity?” In this video, you will learn some of the common reasons that investors choose to invest in private equity. If you are reading this via email or RSS, please click here to watch.

Video Transcript/Summary: The strategies and tips provided within this video module include:

Coming soon.

I hope that this video has given you some reasons to consider investing in private equity if you meet the requirements and have sought counsel with a financial and/or legal professional. If you're interested in learning more about private equity through our private equity training program, visit http://businesstraining.com/Private-Equity-Certification.html

Tags: private equity training, private equity certification, what is private equity, invest in private equity, why invest in private equity, investing in private equity, how to invest in private equity, private equity investors

Leveraged Buyout Models

2011-09-30T08:37:00.001-07:00

Leveraged Buyout Modeling
Training Series | Leveraged Buyout Modeling | Part 3
The following video is borrowed from one of our BusinessTraining.com training programs, where you can also learn about the Certified Private Equity Professional program. This video is the second of a series on leveraged buyout modeling that I am including here as a free educational resource. If you missed the first video in this series, be sure to watch Leveraged Buyout Modeling Part 1 and Leveraged Buyout Modeling Part 2. Note: if you're reading this via email or RSS feed, click here to watch this free video on leveraged buyout modeling.

Video Transcript/Summary: The strategies and tips provided within this video module include:
Coming soon.

Please stay tuned for our free training videos from the Certified Private Equity Professional designation.

Private Equity Tracker Tool

Private Equity Career Guide

Private Equity Training

Private Equity Directory - List of Private Equity Firms

Tags: leveraged buyout modeling, leveraged buyout, leveraged buyouts, leveraged buyout definition, models leveraged buyout, how to construct a leveraged buyout model, leveraged buyout modeling example, leveraged buyout models, leveraged buyout model, what is a leveraged buyout?, LBO, LBO modeling