Helios Investment Partners (“Helios”), UK based African focused private equity firm has closed $900 m for investment in Africa. But do not jump, this fund is for big business as it is investing from $25m to $250m per transaction in various forms, including business formations, growth equity investments, structured investments in listed entities and large leveraged acquisitions.
In a statement, the company stated that the the fund’s investments will be focused on high-growth sectors which have been deregulated, are core to the economy and are sectors in which the firm has particular expertise. These include Telecommunications & Media, Financial Services, Power & Utilities, Distribution & Logistics and fast moving consumer goods.
In recent months, Helios has made three investments through the Helios II fund: the acquisition of Interswitch, Nigeria’s leading electronic payments processing company; the establishment of Helios Towers Africa which builds and operates telecommunications tower businesses across Africa, and the acquisitions of tower portfolios in Ghana, Tanzania and the DRC; and the acquisition of Continental Outdoor Media, Africa’s largest outdoor advertising company. In addition, Helios recently announced the acquisition of Shell’s downstream fuels business across Africa.
Helios II was substantially oversubscribed, despite the challenging global fundraising market conditions, with demand exceeding $1 billion. Continued political and market liberalisation and strong economic growth have prompted global investors to evaluate investment opportunitites in Africa more closely.
Helios II will be deployed by a team of investment professionals whose deep understanding of the African market, coupled with extensive global private equity experience, provides a unique advantage in originating and evaluating investment opportunities in the region.
What s Helios Investment Partners? It is an Africa-focused private investment firm. Helios operates a family of funds and their related co-investment entities, aggregating more than $1.7 billion in capital commitments. Established in 2004 and led by co-founding partners Tope Lawani and Babatunde Soyoye, Helios is one of the largest investment firms focusing on Africa and is among the few independent pan-African private equity investment firms to be founded and managed by Africans.
Helios’ portfolio companies operate in more than 25 countries, and in various industrial sectors, across the African continent. The firm has significant experience in private equity investing across a broad range of industries and investment types – leveraged buyouts, recapitalisations, joint ventures, seed-stage venture capital, restructurings, and strategic public equity investments.
Limited partners in Helios’ funds include several leading global funds of funds, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, high net-worth individuals and development finance institutions.