Graphite Capital Management is a private equity

Private equity

Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....

 firm focused on middle market leveraged buyout

Leveraged buyout

A leveraged buyout occurs when an investor, typically financial sponsor, acquires a controlling interest in a company's equity and where a significant percentage of the purchase price is financed through leverage...

 investments, primarily in the UK. The firm also houses a fund of funds

Fund of funds

A "fund of funds" is an investment strategy of holding a portfolio of other investment funds rather than investing directly in shares, bonds or other securities. This type of investing is often referred to as multi-manager investment...

 platform that invests in other private equity fund

Private equity fund

A private equity fund is a collective investment scheme used for making investments in various equity securities according to one of the investment strategies associated with private equity....

s across Europe and the US. The firm has managed private equity fund

Private equity fund

A private equity fund is a collective investment scheme used for making investments in various equity securities according to one of the investment strategies associated with private equity....

s since 1981 and in 2001 became fully independent.

The firm is headquartered

Headquarters

Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...

 at Berkeley Square House in Berkeley Square

Berkeley Square

Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...

 in London's

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 West End

West End of London

The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...

.

The group has managed over £

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

1.3 billion for both institutional and private shareholders, with the most recent fund raising £555 million. Originally the fund closed on £475 million of investor commitments in May 2007. Since 1991, the firm has backed almost 100 management teams through various investments.

History

The Foreign & Colonial Enterprise Trust, a UK listed vehicle today known as Graphite Enterprise Trust was established in 1981 by the Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust

Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust

Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust is a publicly-traded investment trust. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...

 with a £10 million initial public offering

Initial public offering

An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...

 on the London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

.

Graphite's direct investment business was originally known as Foreign & Colonial Ventures Ltd.

In 1989, Graphite was involved in the start-up of Intermediate Capital Group

Intermediate Capital Group

Intermediate Capital Group is a British-based provider of mezzanine finance. It is headquartered in London and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...

, which is today one of the leading providers of mezzanine capital

Mezzanine capital

Mezzanine capital, in finance, refers to a subordinated debt or preferred equity instrument that represents a claim on a company's assets which is senior only to that of the common shares...

 in Europe.

The firm remained a subsidiary of F&C

Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust

Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust is a publicly-traded investment trust. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...

 until 2000, when the Graphite team completed a management buyout

Management buyout

A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...

.

External links

• Graphite Capital (company website)
• Graphite Capital Fund Investors (company website)