Vantage Capital

Vantage Capital commenced business in 2001 as a black owned and managed private equity fund manager. Vantage Capital remains primarily focused on private equity investment activities for its own account and for third-party funds and is one of the only remaining black controlled, independent private equity firms in SA.

Vantage’s key focus areas are third-party private equity fund management (technology and mezzanine funds), advisory and debt placement services, and on-balance sheet proprietary investments. The Group currently has funds under management and investments of over R3 billion ($375 million).

Vantage Risk Capital, a subsidiary of Vantage Capital Group, has successfully raised two generations of funds from local and international investors. Mezzanine Fund I raised R1 billion ($125 million) and was officially closed in November 2007.

In March 2012, Vantage Risk Capital closed Mezzanine Fund II, which has a pan-African investment focus (with a 35% allocation to opportunities outside South Africa) and can make investments up to R300 million ($38 million) in a single transaction. R1.9 billion ($230 million) of commitments were secured from fourteen pension funds, three charitable endowments, two development finance institutions and a family office.

Vantage is well-positioned as Africa’s leading mezzanine financier to capitalise on its strong position in the South African mezzanine market, to build a portfolio of income generating mezzanine assets in South Africa and in the rest of Africa.

Vantage Capital has a value-add philosophy and will generally only invest in businesses where it is able to play an active role. Some of the factors which influence the investment decision are the risk-return profile, the size of the investment, the location, the industry and the value addition that the company can derive from Vantage Capital management’s involvement. As a pioneer in black empowered private equity fund management, Vantage Capital is committed to black economic empowerment (“BEE”) and the transformation of the private equity industry. This is reflected in the composition of the team which is representative of a broad range of skills and cultures.