Financial Solutions “Outside the Box”

We believe that you would be best served by an independent advisor which looks out for your interests and will help you select the best product for your needs. Our senior team has a combined 40 years of international banking and asset management experience in Prague, London, Frankfurt and Zurich at your disposal.

Today’s entrepreneurs/investors are faced with a daunting task of trying to find the right solutions for their financial needs, whether in relation to asset management or liability management (fund raising and optimizing a capital structure). Banks and financial institutions have an inherent conflict of interest. Their bankers are incentivized to offer products that their banks offer, rather than the right product for the customer.

Credit conditions are tight. Since the financial crisis in 2008, banks have restricted their lending activity to the point that many viable projects nowadays go unfunded. Also, we find that banks often fail to offer innovative products. On the capital raising side, there are many gradients and structures available to fund projects. A loan, which is the standard banking product may not be suitable. There are many other types of debt instruments which can be explored including bonds, notes, mezzanine debt, preferred shares, convertibles, warrants, etc. There are pockets of capital in the marketplace that can be tapped to fund viable projects if these are well presented to the senior financiers.

We help clients find solutions that traditional banks and other financial service providers simply don’t offer. We tailor the product to meet their needs.

 

Services we offer

Asset Management

We help entrepreneurs and investors invest their assets by building a portfolio that suits their individual needs related to risk, return, time horizon and liquidity. We work, shoulder-to-shoulder with the client to choose the best investment solutions for his circumstances. We have access to private deals (private equity and loans) both in CEE and internationally. Often we invest alongside our clients to align our interest.

Liability Management

We help clients find the right fundraising solutions for their projects. We can evaluate standard financial products to help clients drive down the costs of funds. We can assist in creating structures which exactly meet the client’s needs and are acceptable for the banks at the same time. We know how the banks work and have built a personal knowledge of a number of senior bankers and financiers over the years. This increases a probability of success in obtaining sought after financing for our clients.

Business Brokerage

We help our clients to divest their majority or a minority stake in their businesses. Typically, we would first discuss with the owner his objectives (why he is intending to sell, to which type of investor, majority/vs minority stakes, timing and expected valuation). Subsequently we would advise the client on the right sales strategy and timing and assist in all phases of the project leading to a successful close of the transaction.

 

Profile of Our Typical Clients

Our typical client is one who has created wealth through building a business. While we, on occasion, work with large, multi-national companies, we do believe that we add the most value when working with local entrepreneurs to help them navigate the financial marketplace.

We appreciate that most of the potential clients approach us through referrals. We have clients who started as asset management clients and subsequently use our debt advisory services. On the other had we have clients whom we advised on raising financing for their projects and who subsequently invested part of their wealth through us.

 

Our Senior Team

John Vax

John is a recognized expert in debt financing in Central and Eastern Europe and an experienced international asset manager. Prior co-founding Independent Capital in 2011, John was managing London-based hedge fund MT Thaler which had more than USD100 million under management. Prior to that, from 1998 to 2003, he was the CEO of Commerzbank Capital Markets (CCM) active across Central and Eastern Europe including Russia. In this role, he was responsible for underwriting more than 150 bond issues and was Lead Manager on more than 45 issues in Central and Eastern Europe including such benchmark deals as City of Prague, Skoda Auto and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Previously, John worked for ING Barings and while there was Lead Manager of numerous deals including benchmark deals such as Škofin and ČEZ. John has worked in London, Frankfurt, Washington D.C. and Prague. John obtained his MBA at Loyola University of Chicago and has obtained a CFA charter.

Tomáš Horáček

Tomáš has 15 years of banking and asset management experience. Since 2010 Tomáš has been responsible for building the CEE business for Rhine Capital Partners, a Swiss based independent asset manager (a role he still keeps). Over this period, he has built strong relationships with a number of both high net worth clients and asset managers. In his previous carrier, he was Head of Corporate Finance at PwC and ING Barings for the Czech Republic and worked on a number of M&A and financing transactions in the CEE. He started his professional carrier at the Financial Institutions Practices of KPMG and Deloitte & Touche. Tomas has worked in London, Zurich and Prague and obtained his MBA at IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

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