Whether it’s an inexperienced startup with a big idea, or an established business with plans to make it big in a new industry, scaling serves as one of the most intimidating things to explore for a company. While crossing this threshold can be just the key to taking your business to the next level, growing too early, too fast, or just plain incorrectly can be one of the few things that can make a soaring company crash.
The key to successful scaling is to address concerns proactively, to respond to problems before they become insurmountable, or even before they arise altogether.
Venture Capital (VC) firms are one of the most potent scaling solutions for aspiring entrepreneurs. These forms of financing can not only provide the capital needed to grow a business but also they can reduce some of the considerable risk involved in scaling.
With over 15 years in VC and private equity, Stavros Stefanopoulos saw how the “invest and wait” approach of traditional VC firms can lead to failure for even the most promising of companies. As someone experienced in building his own businesses, Stavros knew how a more strategic approach could improve success for both firms and their clients. Based on this, he established SS Investment Group (SSIG) — a strategic venture capital firm that finds companies with proven successes, business maturity, and extensive industry knowledge and adds unique value through their wealth of resources and experience.
Stavros Stefanopoulos shares, “Unlike other VC firms, the SS Investment Group team consists of entrepreneurs and strategists who understand the work that goes into building companies. We can tailor how we structure our capital to best fit the needs of each of our clients.”
To ensure that this level of focus is maintained for each client, SSIG follows a strategy that is rare in VC. The firm carefully screens and limits its clients to ensure that the team can dedicate enough time for each and that SSIG can apply their unique services to add value.
As Stavros Stefanopoulos details, “Our many years in the public sector gives us a huge advantage with the services we offer. These include our experiences in taking many companies public through the IPO/RTO process in Canada, USA, and Europe; purchasing and restructuring distressed assets and public companies, and providing guidance through finding and purchasing assets that are better suited for a client’s long-term growth.”
At the moment, SSIG’s investment interests are primarily in the sectors of health and wellness, mining, technology, life sciences, entertainment, digital assets, and Better-For-You Brands. Throughout these, they maintain a focus on investing in well-managed companies that can disrupt industries — companies that have the potential to revolutionize their industries with SSIG incubation.
To date, SSIG’s unique strategy has been highly successful, with over $50M worth of Mergers and acquisitions in the above industries. Further, many SSIG-managed businesses have gone on to become publicly listed companies trading on the Nasdaq, TSX and the Canadian Stock Exchange.
In between running SSIG and his own entrepreneurial endeavors, Stavros Stefanopoulos believes in giving back to his community through various local charities and non-profit organizations. At the moment, he serves on the B.C. & Yukon Chapter Advisory Board for Make-A-Wish Canada.
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