Futuregrowth to establish new early-stage investment fund
Futuregrowth has announced its intention to launch its Futuregrowth High Growth Development Equity Fund (HGDEF), targeting investments in early-stage businesses that will have a strong developmental impact. The Futuregrowth HGDEF will form part of Futuregrowth’s suite of developmental investment funds which cover a range of impact areas such as infrastructure, social services, clean power, agriculture, regional development, and more.
The Futuregrowth HGDEF will sit alongside the Futuregrowth Development Equity Fund (DEF), which has accumulated a 16-year track record of investing in developmental unlisted equity. “Through the DEF, we have been investing in early-stage equity transactions for over nine years,” says Amrish Narrandes, head of private equity and venture capital at Futuregrowth.
“We have been considering an early-stage equity fund for several years, watching the evolution of the South African market, considering South Africa’s strategic position for disruptive enterprises, and investing in several high-growth equity transactions,” said Andrew Canter, chief investment officer of Futuregrowth, “and we believe the time is right for a risk-seeking offering.”
The DEF currently has over R3.4 billion (c. $207.9 million) under management, of which R500 million (c. $30.6 million) relates to developmental early-stage investments. This portion includes disruptive fintech companies such as Yoco, Retail Capital and Lifecheq, and, more recently, Ozow. Additionally, the DEF has invested in companies engaged in various other subsectors, including health technology (hearX), agriculture technology (Inseco), and marketing technology (Mobiz). The DEF recently sold one of its first early-stage investments, CashConnect, to Nasdaq-listed company Net1, generating a 33x multiple on invested capital and a 48% internal rate of return (IRR). “Taken as a whole, our experience in early-stage investments indicates a sound investment return,” said Canter.
Born out of the DEF’s strong investment process and developmental focus, the Futuregrowth HGDEF will seek to invest in a range of investments, including early-stage or highly-scalable businesses that offer new services or products, niche markets, or disruptive technologies in growth markets. Futuregrowth aims to support businesses driven by excellent teams in need of capital to help them grow. The Futuregrowth HGDEF will seek investment opportunities from venture capital to early-stage private equity, as well as other special opportunities.
“The new Futuregrowth High Growth Development Equity Fund aims to support South African entrepreneurs who push the boundaries with innovative technologies that change how we live. We believe that by backing South African start-ups, we can play our part in job creation and in growing our economy,” said Narrandes.
Futuregrowth’s investment approach is centered around six fundamental principles, and a potential investee company would generally demonstrate these attributes: developmental impact; a strong competitive position; operating in an attractive market; scalability; revenue generating; and a strong management team.
The Futuregrowth HGDEF will be a closed-ended, limited life fund with a four- to five-year draw period and a five- to six-year payback period. Futuregrowth is targeting R500 million to R600 million (c. 36.7 million) of committed capital, and its indicated fee will be 2% on committed capital plus a 20% incentive fee. The fund will have a warm start, with an existing pipeline and team. There will be no asset transfers from the DEF. Futuregrowth has kicked off the fundraising process and is aiming for a first close by the end of 2022.