Family office investment recommendations with Obediah Ayton? Following the Unite Monaco event organized by the Private Investment Group, earlier this month, which gathered high-level public sector figures and private families from the UAE and Monaco, Wealth Monaco caught up with Obediah Ayton, Chief Operating Officer of the Private Investment Group. What is the Private Investment Group mission and process? We have acted for the last three years as an international gateway into the GCC region which is very much open for business and has consistently been the biggest allocators of capital despite the global pandemic. We have established built relationships with the public and private sector within the GCC with a focus on supporting International business, businesses that seek access to the region through a joint ventures and partnership for the distribution and licensing of products and services but also attracting investment both indirect and directly.

The nature of the Middle East family office induces secrecy (many don’t even have a website), which makes it nearly impossible to blast off unsolicited pitches. So it really does come down to networking. But in the end, being able to break through and figure out a way to connect with the right family office can act as a natural selection process and indicate the hallmark of a good entrepreneur and good deal. Another great place to start is identifying other entrepreneurs who have been successful in your specific space and may currently have a family office or more formal startup investment program. Most often, your ideas will resonate with these folks first and best. There’s no doubt that the slowdown in venture investment is impacting companies across industries, COVID being the main driver. But entrepreneurs who open their eyes to non-traditional sources of capital and are willing to put in the legwork to identify them may find an enduring friend in the family.

“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 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 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 growth of a business influencer? 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: 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 on how to raise money from family offices: Biggest advice: – To let the Family Office understand that you’re interests are aligned with theirs. That you’re in this for the long term, not just a few transactions. Even if they’re great deals. Intelligence is a commodity. Integrity is not. To do: Listen. Add value at all times. Ask about their goals and objectives. Be authentic. Ask about what they are currently looking for. Do what you say you’re going to do. “Trusting is hard. Knowing whom to trust, even harder.”

Right now is a great time to build close relationships with Family Offices for future capital raises! Begin Locally: If you are looking to connect with just a few family offices, the best place to begin is in your own backyard. The best method is to begin locally. These family offices are usually the easiest to initially meet and spice up a common interest. You can focus on getting to know every single family office in your city. With this base network, you are able to use it as a foundation for further outreach and referrals. But what happens if you do not know any family offices in your city or region? After all, they are submerged whales. Google is one of the best places to begin the search. If you don’t know any [family offices], start by searching Google. You will probably discover at least 2 or 3 in your area. Google search simply include your area (i.e. London) and the phrase “family offices.” Alternatively, you could search for the ultra-affluent residents of your area, and search for an associated family office.

Obediah Ayton about the new definition of a billionaire is not the net worth but in achieving change in a billion lives: We have seen family offices become much more engaged in discussions about sustainable and impact investing over the last 12 months. This is no longer seen as a ‘side project’ or preoccupation of the Next Gen, but a priority for the family as a whole. Many products are now recognised by family offices as fully-fledged investment tools that can generate good returns. New technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptocurrency, blockchain and even gaming have made their way onto the family office radar and into their budgets.