COMPANY PROFILE

Who We Are

Blind pool investing through private equity funds is no longer a favorite investment strategy for large families and institutional investors. Active investment is fast becoming the new trend and is an area that is currently underserviced.

A group of highly experienced finance professionals have decided to set up SOKOTRA Capital Ltd. ("SOKOTRA Capital") a private investment company focused on direct investment opportunities in frontier markets. SOKOTRA Capital benefits from a unique business model built on five pillars of strength.

SOKOTRA Capital seeks investment opportunities in high growth, frontier markets, namely Africa (initially East Africa), Emerging Asia (with a focus on Mongolia and Vietnam). Additionally, SOKOTRA Capital is closely monitoring the developments in Iran as they unfold and will explore potential opportunities in the country if, and when, the current sanctions are eased and the market opens up to foreign investment.

SOKOTRA Capital focuses on investments in key sectors that will benefit the most from the growth afforded by its focus markets. These sectors are: Agriculture & Aquaculture, Food: Manufacturing, Processing & Retail and Hospitality & Non-Food Retail.

In addition, a key element of SOKOTRA Capital's post-acquisition strategy is to capitalize on our network by expanding the operations of our investments within the region through select partnerships in each of our focus markets.

Our Name

Socotra is an offshore territory of Yemen - an archipelago in the Indian Ocean consisting of four islands, located east of the horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The largest island, also called Socotra, represents almost 95% of the archipelago and is home to 50,000 inhabitants. The three smaller islands of Abd al Kuri, Samhah and Darsa are largely uninhabited.

Historically, Socotra was an important trading base in the Indian Ocean. Archeologists have recently discovered a large number of texts on the island, dating from the 1st century BC to the 6th century AD and written in numerous languages including Brãhmî, South-Arabian, Ethiopian, Greek, Palmyrene and Bactrian scripts.

The islands remained under the control of the Mahra Sultanate the early 16th century until its abolition in 1967, at which time they became part of South Yemen. Finally, they became part of the Republic of Yemen following its formation in 1990.

Despite its small size, Socotra is considered by many to be the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea and has been described as "the most alien-looking place on earth". The archipelago has been classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to over 700 species of flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth including many species of reefs, fish, birds, plants and trees.

Our choice of SOKOTRA Capital as the name of our private investment company reflects three principles:

Socotra is uniquely positioned between the Middle East and Africa, and was historically an important trade route with Asia - these are the markets that we, as SOKOTRA Capital, are passionate about.
Many species of flora and fauna are endemic to Socotra and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Similarly SOKOTRA Capital hopes to be able to source unique and exciting investment opportunities in high growth and relatively undiscovered markets.
Although the island's name has various spellings such as Socotra and Soqotra, we chose to spell it with a K to reflect the commonly used abbreviation for "capital" in economics and finance.

OUR MISSION, VISION & VALUES

Commitment to Shareholders - SOKOTRA Capital strives to create significant long term value for its shareholders and co-investors in each investment undertaken.

Personal and professional integrity - SOKOTRA Capital adheres to the highest professional and ethical standards, including with regards to confidentiality and conflicts of interest, and aspires to be a leading investor in its focus sectors and geographies.

Striving for excellence - SOKOTRA Capital makes no compromises on the rigor and quality of its work. In addition, it only pursues opportunities which are in line with its strategies and core competencies and where it can be a market leader.

Commitment to people and fostering talent - SOKOTRA Capitalis invested in its people and strives to reward, empower and enable them to grow professionally. By fostering an inclusive and non-hierarchical working atmosphere, the company aims to make learning and knowledge management a core asset.