Sphere Private Equity

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Sphere Private Equity is a high performing investment holding company driven to create value for funders, shareholders and business partners. With a solid track record shaped over a decade, they actively seek out investment partnerships with high quality privately owned businesses across a range of strategic sectors.

Majority black controlled and managed, boasting 59% black ownership, including 33% women ownership, Sphere has the necessary credentials to advance the broad based Black Economic Empowerment goals of South African businesses.

 

Sphere Private Equity

Sphere Private Equity is the private equity arm of Sphere Holdings Pty Ltd. specializing in management and leveraged buyouts, acquisition financing, expansion, replacement, growth capital, and middle market investments. It does not invest in early stage and in sectors including primary agriculture, mining, and property.

The cornerstone of the business is to forge strong long-term alliances with founders, management teams and co-investors to drive strategic and operational excellence, and ultimately to create tangible value for all their stakeholders. Sphere works hand in hand with their portfolio companies to assist them in reaching the next stage of their growth path.

The company has a far reaching business network which is leveraged for the benefit of their portfolio companies and possess strong relationships with industry influencers across diverse sectors in South Africa and into Africa. As a team, they have also been fortunate enough to have worked on multi-disciplinary projects to provide both counsel and advice to government stakeholders on diverse projects ranging from policy to mergers and acquisitions.

 

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Sphere’s management team holds a 53% share in the organisation while leading financial institutions Rand Merchant Bank, Sanlam Private Equity and Eskom Pension & Provident Fund hold a 40% share. Approximately 11% of the shares in Sphere are held by charitable organisations.

It prefers to take significant minority and majority stakes in its portfolio companies and also takes a board seat in its portfolio companies. Sphere Private Equity was founded in 2003 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.

 

Investments made by Sphere Private Equity

Sphere’s portfolio of investments are centered on increasing business opportunities for existing successful enterprises and meaningful returns for all shareholders.

The firm seeks to invest in large and medium companies in the services sectors, banking, finance, financial services, industrials, industrial services, and technology sector in companies based in South Africa. It makes equity and equity related investments between ZAR5 million and ZAR50 million in companies having enterprise value between ZAR50 million and ZAR200 million and operating profit of ZAR20 million and above.

Sphere is interested in investing directly in medium to large quality established businesses that offer:

  • A meaningful and sustainable competitive advantage
  • Real growth and a track record of performance
  • A strong and aligned management team
  • Meaningful growth prospects in South Africa
  • Opportunities to expand to the rest of Africa
  • A willingness to build genuine partnerships based on mutual respect and a common vision.

 

At DTC we understand the complexities of the various funding agencies and the unique application criteria for each. We have assisted thousands of entrepreneurs through the application process to access funding for businesses, and we can assist you with the same.

Contact us for more information on funding through Sphere Private Equity.