Professional Investors Group was founded by ten corporate executives in Africa in 1981 to address the needs of entrepreneurs and businesses to gain access to venture capital funding, viable projects, corporate expertise and resources as well as exposure to new business opportunities.

Guided by these needs, Professional Investors Group has developed its well-structured intellectual capital and has grown into a formidable corporate network association.

Whilst associate members’ businesses remain autonomous; individual, financial and business growth is hugely accelerated through exposure to the Group’s intellectual capital resources.

During the first twenty one years of trading the Group established valuable trading partners, mostly in Europe and the USA.

These trading partners were among the first professional individuals to take up associate membership when the Constitution was amended, which was the catalyst for the vigorous growth experienced since 2002.

• To protect its exclusivity.
• To grow responsibly and prevent unnecessary strain on its intellectual infrastructure.
• To select only the most suitable candidates as associate members.

The Group’s ability to increase foreign investment in the countries where it is active, as well as its contributions to economic growth and job creation, have let to an increase in referrals from Governments and institutions such as banks, Chambers of Commerce and Trade Councils.

These referrals added to the Group’s considerable growth.

The primary motives in applying for associate membership clearly reflects the current international trend within organizations to place social, moral and good corporate values before profit-at-all-cost policies.

The increased demand in associate membership is due to the Group’s recognized international stature, good corporate governance practices as well as the high standard of ethical and social values underwritten by all associate members.

Another primary reason for the increased demand for associate membership is the exposure to unique opportunities, venture capital, corporate expertise and resources, as well as viable projects brought together in one organization.

It is imperative to achieve and sustain the correct ratio between entrepreneurs, professional consultants and venture capital funders to operate effectively and efficiently as a corporate network association.

Management sustains equilibrium between corporate services capacity and the needs and requirements of associate members by limiting the number of applicants accepted.

The Group achieved a phenomenal average annual growth of 62,2 percent during its first twenty three years of existence (1981 – 2004).

The growth in annual turnover is supported by growth in membership and corporate activity after Professional Investors Group’s Constitution was amended in 2002 in terms of its globalization policy.

The results clearly illustrate that the Group is in a favorable position to achieve its vision of becoming the leading international corporate network association.

The venture capital financing division of the Group, International Venture Capital Association, is one of its cornerstones.

The various lucrative investment opportunities available to funder members is one of the significant advantages available to venture capitalists and investment angels.

These statistics are self-explanatory and are calculated by dividing the completed project value turnover by the number of completed projects.

The Group’s corporate concept brings together venture capital funding, viable projects as well as corporate expertise and resources in a unique and dynamic way.

A specific project must be linked to a specific funder and to specific expertise in order to succeed. It is this unique business model, structure and strategic planning abilities of the Group that effectively turn development opportunities into profitable and sustainable business entities. Projects can only be considered for funding or development purposes if there is a significant possibility of success and sustainability as well as a high return on investment. Each considered project undergoes a vigorous process of due diligence and risk assessment.

These statistics, compared to those in the Breakdown of Membership by Geographical Area, clearly indicate that the Group’s financing derive mostly from the USA and Europe, as well as that this financing is invested primarily in projects in developing countries.

This is contrary to the high-risk profile traditionally associated with developing countries.

There is a significant increase in the extent of our associate members’ involvement in projects in developing and ex-Communist countries.

These statistics should be compared to those in Projects Completed by Geographical Area, which support the notion that the most lucrative corporate transactions are available in developing countries.

These opportunities include new project funding, commodity speculation and consultancy contracts, as opposed to those typical of developed countries (such as mergers and acquisitions, M.B.Os., M.B.Is., L.B.Os. and I.P.Os.).