Improved business operational efficiencies and higher corporate growth rates can potentially lead to much higher investment returns.

At IFSA, we play a unique role in the financial landscape and the global economy. In contrast to traditional asset classes, private equity (PE) refers to the capital required to invest in growing a business. Private equity helps clients unlock long-term gains through operational improvements. It results from active governance and investing in business growth.

We serve on the board of directors of the businesses we invest in. And not only from a capital or business growth point of view. We are also active investors in our own funds – the Cornerstone Capital Private Equity and Cornerstone Capital International Funds.

Without exception, we believe in putting our money where our words are. Being on the board of directors gives us, as financial managers, a far greater ability to control outcomes, which equals less volatility and more secured returns.

Private equity is making waves worldwide. A recent article published on Forbes indicates that private equity enterprises are set to grow exponentially over the next couple of years. Cementing the growth phenomenon is no other than Deloitte, reporting that global PE assets under management will reach $5.8 trillion by 2025.

Still, with private equity being a relatively new topic of investor interest, many questions have yet to be answered before widespread critical mass kicks in. For this reason, we encourage new and existing clients to connect with us directly to discuss challenges and expectations candidly. As specialists in family-owned (and operated) businesses, our team has the knowledge and experience to enhance growth and profitability by designing bespoke private equity solutions for competent entrepreneurs.

In terms of selecting a private equity investment partner you can trust, another sharp shift in management style is the way we go about resolving challenges. At IFSA, we have found that the best way to mitigate challenges, whether planned or unplanned, is to chase down the issue at hand and deal with it in the most direct way possible.

Bottom line – companies that proactively identify and respond to challenges will always be in a better position to accomplish goals and reach targets.

The practice of safeguarding and developing potential runs much deeper than the financial aspect of investing. However, one thing that remains universal about potential, irrespective of which aspect you choose to focus on, will be this – we'll never know the value of true potential until we push ourselves to uncover it.

From a business model point of view, we exist to protect true potential from the risks of success. And although no investment is without risk, we go the distance to ensure that your money is safe. As a firm and a people, we are personally invested in every part of the process – from managing investments to growing a business. In addition, we offer superb guidance on how to best manage legal processes behind each transaction.

To us, prosperity means caring about the development of talent, resources, and potential – in both business and people. Invariably, we are most satisfied when we have helped set prosperity in progress because we are people ourselves and we take pride in bringing the best out in others.

Seeing how positive change transforms lives gives us the satisfaction of knowing that the value we add is worth its weight in gold.

That is why we spend a great deal of time and effort to really understand our clients' unique challenges, before proposing a viable solution. We focus on things like doubts, fears, aspirations and dreams – human elements which often contribute greatly to how business decisions are made. Understanding what our clients want, and how they envision getting from point A to B, is often responsible for leading us to a long-term solution we can trust.

One of the biggest indicators of a company's future success is the kind of business they are willing to take on. Over more than two decades, we have learnt which opportunities to walk towards – and which to steer away from.

Our work at IFSA is highly specific, focusing on only three major target groups: investors, SMMEs, and IFAs (Independent Financial Advisers). The benefit of this focus is that we can create bespoke financial solutions that solve specific problems for our clients because we invest our resources to intimately understand the dynamics of each audience.

Our team has over two decades of investment experience managing traditional asset classes. Now, we are growing into leaders of the private equity space as well. As fund managers, we pay very close attention to the smallest indication of shifts in the market.

Our philosophy is supported by our experience and greatly impacts the way we look at value. Our view is that value is created by solving challenges for our niche audiences – the greater the challenge, the greater the value we provide.