Ownership and Management
Kathaka is a single-family office deploying capital and strategic resources into investment and philanthropic endeavours, but Caroline Rupert, its founder and chairwoman, says the name has a deeper meaning—Kathaka in Sanskrit means, ‘One who tells a story’.
Maersk family expands into healthcare with Unilabs deal, Weston family sells Selfridges to Chirathivat family, Lonely billionaire Bill Gates shares The Giving Pledge with ex-wife Melinda.
Dr Andrea Illy is the chairman of illycaffe SpA, a family-owned business and the first B Corporation coffee company in Italy. Illy, who is a trained chemist, environmental expert and innovator, has made illycaffe synonymous with sustainability and quality.
Philanthropic activity is broadly a family affair that may involve carrying the reigns and building on the activity of previous generations, creating programmes for closeknit family units, equipping the next generation with the habits and skills they will cherish, or creating a sense of identity for large and disparate family groups.
There is careful planning involved at every stage of the business life-cycle, such as launching new product lines, entering new markets and moving into adjacent industries. An owner-managed business would be adept at managing such transitions, and the rigorous planning that precedes them.
As the appetite for venture capital investing increases among family offices, it is important to take a closer look at the origins and structural differences between a family office and venture capital fund to assess their relative strengths and weaknesses in the context of risk in private capital technology investments.
Editor's Pick