High-caliber partnership for the life of the investment
Akoya Capital maintains trusted working relationships with the world's leading investors. Because we work closely with our industry-leading management partners to build and validate solid investment theses, identify proprietary platform organizations, and participate in the funding to create robust business entities, the Akoya value proposition delivers a high return on investment.
Along with a share of the investment capital, Akoya provides our co-investors with a fully assessed, industry-leading executive; a vetted, validated investment thesis; a proprietary platform company with high growth potential; other qualified co-investors; and an on-target operating pro forma. In addition, through trusted relationships with subject matter experts across our sectors of interest, Akoya Capital can deploy human capital talent over a spectrum of needs — including boards of directors, special advisors, and interim and permanent senior executive roles — for portfolio organizations.
Total alignment of interests
How do Akoya Capital's interests align with those of its co-investors? Akoya differentiates itself from investment banks and other advisors through our single-minded focus on executive-led investing. We create partnerships between management and capital.
We differentiate ourselves from buy-side advisors through the depth of our processes. Akoya invests its own capital and resources to develop fully examined and tested investment opportunities.
We differentiate ourselves by the support we provide from acquisition to exit, during which we continuously assess and build new opportunities for delivery of value.
Akoya Capital possesses world-class acquisition capabilities alongside seasoned human capital expertise. Akoya's core team leverages career-long operating and merger and acquisition experience throughout each transaction. Collectively, the team brings deep functional expertise in strategy consulting, market research and executive level assessment — resulting in a penetrating understanding of middle-market companies' key success factors.
Akoya possesses the rigor necessary to create profitable, growth-oriented enterprises with a high probability of success. We work as a hands-on partner in the entire concept development and acquisition process, straight through until closing…and beyond, as needed.
For investors
Akoya structures every transaction with the long-term success of the enterprise in mind. Our primary goal is to build a capital structure that will support growth and meet the challenges of the company. Akoya invests its own capital in every transaction. In addition, we have long-term relationships with a large number of institutional capital sources with whom we co-invest.
Because we are not reliant on one single funding source, we are not tied to a template of investment criteria, but rather are in a position to evaluate each opportunity on its own merits. Our investment partners are highly successful professionals within private equity firms, hedge funds and family offices, as well as high-net-worth individuals who understand the power of the CEO-based vision.
We work together with co-investors in several ways: Along with providing a share of the investment capital, Akoya Capital delivers:
- A fully assessed, exceedingly accomplished, industry-leading executive with relevant domain expertise and a track record of success who will create a distinct competitive advantage.
- A vetted, validated investment thesis that clearly articulates a significant opportunity in markets of particular interest to the co-investor.
- A rigorous buy-side search process to identify proprietary target companies aligned with our strategy — with significant growth potential and poised for acquisition — to serve as a strong foundation for delivering real shareholder results.
- A fully assessed, exceedingly accomplished, industry-leading executive with relevant domain expertise and a track record of success who will create a distinct competitive advantage.
- Operating pro forma on target.
Along with our core offering, Akoya's extensive network of C-level executives also can provide human capital expertise as strategic assets to a group's existing portfolio, in roles including board directors, interim or permanent C-level executives, or advisors during both the pre- and post-acquisition process. Principal manager at the front-end of each transaction, Akoya Capital also is a tactical partner from acquisition to exit.
The Akoya difference
Akoya leverages its internal resources and differentiating strategies in combination with other key industry assets in the delivery of value for co-investors. At the heart are our four pillars of transaction support:
1. Emphasis on human capital-led investment strategies
With more than 25 years' experience in the recruitment and assessment of world-class leaders and senior-level strategy enhancement, Akoya knows leadership is the key to effective execution and value creation. We partner with and support best-of-class operating executives — our designated 'management partners' — and their teams as they work to create shareholder value. We collaborate both with executives seeking a platform acquisition and experienced management teams seeking a partnership to provide guidance and capital to re-direct and/or grow their existing businesses.
2. Strategy development, validation and pursuit
Whether it is a core concept, a complete investment thesis, a management buyout of an existing company, or a re-capitalization of an existing company, Akoya's commitment is to assist in the assessment, shaping and realization of the management partner's vision. (Additional information.)
3. Acquisitions
Akoya is a key investor in each of its transactions, creating the economic and financial model to support a proprietary acquisition and value-creation program and package the investment thesis for the investor community. Akoya has experienced acquisitions partners working closely with the management partner to target effectively and secure the right platform company, and to pressure-test the investment idea to arrive at an executable business plan.
With a validated thesis, our market research team is proactive in the marketplace in locating and researching exceptional platform companies for strategy execution, actively analyzing and pursuing potential proprietary acquisition opportunities aligned with our management partners' investment strategies. We pre-screen the pool of targets, culling them from as many as several thousand companies down to several dozen that meet the characteristics of the ideal platform.
4. Operational support
To fulfill that long-term view, Akoya Capital maintains trusted, meaningful relationships with a portfolio of senior advisors, differentiating ourselves from private equity through the span of hands-on support we provide a management partner, the investment thesis, the target company, co-investors and the new business entity. Our Senior Advisory Council — a network of the world's leading luminaries with relevant domain expertise and advanced thought leadership — lends its insight and connections to Akoya-backed management teams as formal and informal advisors and co-investors committed to building meaningful enterprise value for the life of the enterprise.
