A niche SME buyout model developed in 1984 at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School, the search fund model has produced a 33.7% IRR and a 6.9x ROI over its 35-year history, generating an aggregate equity value of US$5.7 billion for investors. Since proving its viability in North America, the model has seen success in Latin America and Europe over the last decade. Australia’s first search fund was raised in Q2 of this year, and early momentum is building in Asia Pacific.
Why has this model been so successful? What is the opportunity for search funds in Australia & New Zealand? What are the potential roadblocks? Could search funds be a solution to the SME succession crisis in Australia & New Zealand?
The evening will kick off with an introductory presentation followed by a panel discussion moderated by Tarun Sankaran (GEMBA ‘18), Director in the deals team at PwC, and featuring our expert panelists:
Alex Simmons (MBA ‘16J): Founder of Voyager Equity, Australia’s first search fund
Jake Nicholson (MBA ‘12J): MD of SMEVentures, an accelerator of search funds in APAC; former search fund entrepreneur; former VP of Search Fund Accelerator, the world’s first accelerator of search funds; INSEAD Entrepreneur in Residence
Lisa Foster (Master in Finance ‘09): Director in PwC’s Private Clients business; expertise in SMEs and family business
The presentation, panel discussion, and audience Q&A will be followed by drinks and networking.
Our thanks to PwC for kindly hosting this event.