Our Criteria
Helmsman Investment
We have a target investment size of between $5m and $20m being the value of the equity component of the Helmsman investment.
Enterprise value
Helmsman targets companies where the enterprise value is above $10m and less than $150m.
Industry
Helmsman will invest in all industries and sectors except direct property investment and extractive mining. Our focus to date has been in service industries, processing and distribution.
Operating parameters
Helmsman do not invest in start ups or venture capital opportunities but prefer going concern operations which have had a proven business model in the past but need to change to improve performance.
Capital invested
Helmsman will generally invest through a combination of ordinary equity and hybrid debt instruments to achieve the desired capital structure which maximises value for our investors.
Investee revenue
Target company revenue will likely be above $10m but less than $500m.
Management participation
Helmsman will invest alongside a management team who are committed to the restructure and are financially aligned to our investors via an investment in the investee. This will likely occur either via an MBO or MBI but could also occur through other structures agreed between all parties.
Investee profitability
Helmsman invests in companies that are often not profitable at the time of investing but we will only invest if we have, with management, developed a plan to return the business to profitable trading and developed an investment return plan.
Areas covered
Helmsman has a mandate to invest in companies where the majority of the assets or the head quarters are in Australia or New Zealand.
