It has been said that one can go faster alone, but farther when together with others. In the impact investment world, going alone isn’t an option. For Sarona, it’s all about partnerships.
We are delighted to showcase our pivotal and innovative service offering aimed to support fund managers in the impact investing space. SAM Shared Services Inc. intends to work with industry trailblazers and innovators to help catalyze and democratize investing for impact. Over the past 14+ years, Sarona has screened more than 1,200 funds in emerging markets. We supported many who successfully raised capital, but we also saw others who struggled and failed to get off the ground. Entry barriers remain high, especially for fund managers operating in underrepresented fields like climate and gender.
To address this issue, we aim to utilize our impact investing and operations experience to help fund managers that strive to achieve positive social and environmental outcomes and that follow responsible financial practices in all their investments.
We want to work with partners that target outcomes such as:
- Creating jobs
- Improving job quality
- Empowering women
- Reducing environmental footprint
- Improving governance
- Building sustainable communities
Our goal is to scale impact investing approaches and enable impact fund managers to focus on what they do best; fundraising, due diligence processes, and refining their investment strategies. While our fund manager partners work on scaling their business, the Sarona Shared Services team will provide a reliable and consistent CFO and back-office experience.
The Sarona Shared Services model provides a unique opportunity for impact fund managers to significantly decrease their time to market as well as cost associated with running knowledgeable and experienced middle- and back-office teams in-house. SAM Shared Services will support our partners and help them achieve optimal operational excellence with customized services that include the following:
Pre first close – Onboarding stage
- Introductions with preferred service providers such as fund administrators, auditors, and legal counsel
- Sharing of legal templates such as LPAs and side letters
- Ongoing Compliance and Legal support alongside legal counsel
- Preparing a comprehensive fund structure analysis put together by the Sarona Investment Team
- Establishing the theory of change and create a detailed impact analysis and thesis
- Designing an annual impact questionnaire in collaboration with the Sarona Impact Team
- Providing guidance and support in optimizing workflows
- Initiating a service level agreement between the fund manager, the shared services team, and the fund administrator
- Defining of the reporting requirements
- Developing of reporting templates in collaboration with the fund administrator
- Onboarding of investors supported by the Sarona Investor Services Team
Post first close – Ongoing Service Schedule
- Quarterly and annual financial reporting
- preparation, review, oversight, and distribution of financial reporting in collaboration with the fund administrator
- Reconciliation of underlying portfolio NAVs and investment holdings
- Audit and Tax support
- Overseeing the Fund’s annual audit process in collaboration with the fund administrator
- Liaising between auditors, tax advisors, fund administrator, and the fund manager
- Providing guidance and oversight during the preparation of tax reporting
- Overseeing the distribution of annual audit and tax reporting.
- Investor Services
- Performing of investor AML/KYC checks
- Processing of capital activity in collaboration with the fund administrator
- Managing the online investor portal in collaboration with the fund administrator
- Cash Management
- Providing customized cash flow reporting and projections
- Processing of fund expenses
- Preparing of capital calls and distributions.
For more information, please contact Marleen ter Mors, Director of Shared Services.
