Freshstream

We support growing companies which recognise that “what got them here, won’t always get them there”.

We observe that founder-led and family-owned businesses, however successful, often hit a ceiling at some point in their development.

At this stage, the incumbent strategy, organisation, processes and often also culture simply don’t enable the next chapter anymore.

We have encountered these situations numerous times and understand what it takes to break through.

The value levers vary case by case, but we generally drive initiatives in the following areas:

Growth
strategy

Could you address other customer segments? Introduce new products? Shift along the value chain? Enter new geographies?

Pricing &
marketing

Are you charging the right price for your products? How do you think about discounts? Is your marketing giving you bang for your buck?

Processes
& systems

Are your processes truly scalable or effectively in the heads of a few people? Are your IT systems just “good enough” or actually creating competitive advantage?

Organisation
& culture

Are roles and responsibilities clearly defined? Do you have the right people in the right jobs? Would you say there’s a high-performance culture in the company?

Buy &
build

Are there opportunities to grow through acquisition? How many potential targets are out there? How do you choose which one to pursue? At what price?

We recognise that success rarely comes in the form of a silver bullet in just one of these areas. It is often a matter of hard yards and patience in most or all of them.

Successful partnerships are key to what we do. We aim to be a valued partner to the management teams we work with, allowing them to realise the full potential of the businesses they are running. Our commitment in this respect is as follows:

We listen first, talk later
We will put values first, business second
We will set a high bar and contribute fresh ideas
We will support and challenge you, but respect your job to run the company
We will be on the ground with you, in good times and bad
We will drive for results, but understand it takes time

ESG

Our business is to invest in successful companies and partner with strong management teams to make them even better.

We integrate environmental, social and governance considerations into all our investment processes. We are convinced that ESG can be a driver of strategy, and managing it properly will enhance our return on risk.

All of our portfolio companies regularly review their ESG priorities, status and plans. We dedicate significant effort to monitoring progress and driving positive change across our portfolio companies.

Furthermore, we practice what we preach. Although our direct footprint as an investment firm is relatively limited, we measure and mitigate our impact. We try to limit the energy use in our offices and substitute flights by video conferences whenever we can. We also purchase carbon offsets to the extent that we are not able to reduce our carbon footprint through other means.

 

Charitable giving

We believe that we should contribute to the communities in which we live and work. To this end, we have established a charitable giving programme to support local charities in and around the areas where we are active.

In setting up this charitable programme, our main objectives are:

  1. To support financially, and through appropriate volunteer work, a handful of charities in our core markets
  2. To encourage our partners and employees to participate in the governance and activities of our programme

Our hope is that our charitable programme can help create a meaningful and enduring legacy for targeted causes.

We are currently actively supporting the following charities through both our time commitment and capital:

Horizon Foundation
East Side Young Leaders Academy
Maxem Trust