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Important Notice

Local restrictions Access to information on this web site may be restricted by laws and regulations applicable to the user. Use may be prohibited by reason of the user's nationality, residence or otherwise. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access the GRI Equity site. No offer The information and opinions contained on this web site constitute neither a solicitation, nor a recommendation, nor an offer to buy or sell investment instruments, or to engage in any other kind of transaction. None of the products or services described on this web site are available, nor will any of the prospectuses about these products or services be distributed, to persons in the US, the UK or any other jurisdiction where the provision of these products or services would run counter to local laws and regulation. No warranty The material and information in this site are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied. GRI Equity, their directors and their related, affiliated and subsidiary companies disclaim all warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any opinions, advice, services or other information provided. Limitation of liability All information contained on any page set up by an entity of GRI Equity is distributed with the understanding that the authors, publishers and distributors are not rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice or opinions on specific facts or matters and accordingly assume no liability whatsoever in connection with its use. Consult your own legal advisor with respect to your personal situation. In no event shall GRI Equity, their directors and their related, affiliated and subsidiary companies be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of the information herein.

For Sophisticated Investors only.

Investment Management Services

Our expertise is in three main areas:

venture capital investment advice and management,
listed investment management, and
training for individuals to manage their own listed investments.

Below is some discussion of how the GRI approach is distinct, followed by descriptions of generic services. We add special value in venture capital investment review for angel investors and due diligence services, offering world class expertise and service at local prices. Each client has their own needs which determine the nature of our relationship.

Venture Capital

You should only invest in venture capital if you have experience of this kind of investment or have at least 90% of your net worth in less risky investments. Consider whether or not you are a "Sophisticated Investor".

Target Market and Investment Policy

Our investment targets are small and medium sized businesses with attractive management, a sustainable initiative and prospects for fair returns and managed risk. Their financing needs are generally under served but their growth prospects are good.

What we offer is summarised at this link for information only. A description of the market opportunity extracted from an illustrative fund proposal is here.

Team and Method

Tom Butler leads the investment process and coordinates with the investment committee and other principals.

The investment process is as follows:

Opportunities are sourced and screened for investment policy suitability,
Preliminary discussion of risks, information requirements and investment terms.
Commitment and agreement on due diligence process and costs.
Investigation and investment.
Partnership, advice, fulfillment of conditions.

More on our venture capital focus and approach is offered here.

To find out more or retain us to advise on your investment management, please contact us. Thank you.

If you are seeking finance for your business, please use the introduction form here or contact us to discuss your options. Thank you.

Structure

Investments in private enterprises are made either via a GRI Equity fund or may be made directly by an investor who has retained GRI Equity. It is recommended that investors participate in a collective investment vehicle for risk diversification benefits.

The structure of our venture capital funds is attractive because they align our interests with those of investors. A holding company structure, in which the fund owns the management company, rather than only having an agency relationship and by vesting equity premium compensation rather than "performance fees". These are briefly described in a draft summary of fund principal features available here for information only.

Documents

Example documents available for further reading are:

Example Fund Prospectus

Presentation - html (one long page),
Presentation - sxi (please download to a directory)

Principal Features
Prospectus* - Executive Presentation* (~25 slides) - Short Presentation*(~40 slides) - Full Presentation*(~60 slides)

Listed Investment Management

We recommend investment in a low-fee, index tracking fund, held long term, such as those offered by Vanguard.

Jack Bogle's 8 basic rules for investors:

Select low-cost funds
Consider carefully the added costs of advice
Do not overrate past fund performance
Use past performance to determine consistency and risk
Beware of stars (as in, star mutual fund managers)
Beware of asset size
Don't own too many funds
Buy your fund portfolio – and hold it

If you would like further advice, please let us know how we can help.

We manage discretionary portfolios on a collective or segregated basis for selected clients. Our approach is simple. Companies are first screened by a sustainability index, such as Domini, FTSE4Good or DJSI. Specific companies are selected after fundamental analysis, including current price and business outlook.

Portfolios are recommended for long term holding. Portfolios are generally structured to select holdings to hedge the risk of other assets, such as property, currency or bonds, that the client may hold.

More on our listed stock investment service is here.

Please book a call with Tom to discuss your needs personally. Thank you.

Investment Management Training

If you would like to manage your own portfolio of listed stocks we offer an intensive one day training delivered to you at home or office. We'll cover the basics of investment selection, portfolio construction and the technology required. If desired, we will help you set up your investment system itself.

Please contact Tom Butler for more information or to book a day that suits you. Thank you.

Why GRI Investing?

The performance of SRI/ethical/green companies generally outperforms others. Increasing volumes of data are driving more investment in CSR, governance, human development, community engagement, earth care. Investors in this sector know the benefits of lower volatility and sustained growth offered by these initiatives. The following reports details recent findings.

As the markets started moving up again after a full three-year stock slump, well over two thirds (71 percent) of the largest socially and environmentally responsible mutual funds in the United States earned top the highest possible ratings through the end of 2003 from Morningstar and Lipper ...

Social Investment Forum President Tim Smith said: "The new data illustrate that socially responsible mutual funds continue to stand tall and outperform the universe of mutual funds when it comes to earning Morningstar ratings. With the markets rebounding, social funds are in the front ranks, receiving high marks from the tracking firms. Coupled with expanding shareholder advocacy for corporate reforms on social and governance issues, the performance of socially responsible funds is making them an even more powerful force for investors." ...

Alisa Gravitz, executive director of Co-op America, a non-profit investor education organization, said: "When you combine competitive performance with the good ethical conduct that is even more attractive to investors in the wake of the ongoing corporate and mutual fund scandals, there is a compelling case to be made for people taking another look at socially responsible mutual funds."

Social Investment Forum article 20040127.

From 1995 to 2003, since the inception of the Forum s publication of biennial Trends Reports, assets involved in social investing, through screening of retail and institutional funds, shareholder advocacy, and community investing, have grown 40 percent faster than all professionally managed investment assets in the U.S. Investment portfolios involved in SRI grew by more than 240 percent from 1995 to 2003, compared with the 174 percent growth of the overall universe of assets under professional management over the same time period.
SIF Report December 2003

In the US approximately $ 2.3 trillion is in green investment product, which accounts for approximately 10% of portfolio assets, and over 90% of that is held in individual accounts rather than mutual funds.

The advisor has a long track record of evaluating qualitative performance to gauge business prospects. This includes experience of venture capital investment in to private businesses, where information is not as transaparent as in listed vehicles, and in emerging economies where traditional business methods are not as driven by merit as in economies where markets and commercial infrastructure, like banking, law, accounting and judicial equity, is more developed. Our track record of investment to listed green businesses has matched or exceeded market performance.

Our integral systems approach is built upon the discipline of finance and with reference to natural systems law and practice. We apply hard screens, considering financial implications of operations, management, culture, ethics, environmental impact and community engagement and may also use psychographic screens.

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