NAIC Remembers Business Pioneer and Black Enterprise Founder, Earl G. Graves, Sr.

It is with a heavy heart that NAIC says goodbye to Earl G. Graves, Sr., a business pioneer, successful entrepreneur and tireless champion for diversity and inclusion. The visionary behind the Black Enterprise brand, Mr. Graves used the platform to showcase talented, successful African American businesspeople at a time when such positive imagery was hard to find in mainstream media.

He will long be remembered for his philanthropy, his crusade for greater diversity in Corporate America, his service as a role model, and for inspiring millions as he paved the way for new generations of diverse executives. A 2004 recipient of the NAIC Lifetime Achievement Award, Mr. Graves leaves behind a legacy of inclusion, progress and diverse business achievement that will endure for years to come.

The Graves and Black Enterprise family remains in our thoughts as we bid farewell to a great man, a history maker and a true champion for diversity.

NAIC Performance Study Shows Diverse Asset Managers Continue to Beat Benchmarks

NAIC proudly announces its findings for Examining the Returns 2019: The Financial Returns of Diverse Private Equity Firms! The industry's only quantitative report tracking the performance of diverse private equity firms, the study is a testament to the value-add of incorporating manager diversity into institutional investors' portfolios.

Among other relevant conclusions, Examining the Returns 2019 determined that despite most diverse private equity funds surpassing the Burgiss Median Quartile and outperforming on a Distributed to Paid-In (DPI) and multiple on investment capital (MOIC) basis, they continue to manage only a small fraction of the investment industry’s assets under management

NAIC Perspectives: Deal-Making in South America

What is the outlook for investing in South America over the next 5-10 years? In this installment of Perspectives, NAIC's online video series, Oscar Decotelli, Founding Partner and CEO of DXA Investments, explains the risks and benefits of investing in the region and how his firm's investment strategy generates emerging market returns while minimizing risk. DXA Investments is a Brazil-based private equity firm focused on providing growth capital to Small & Medium Enterprises.

Measuring the Economic Impact of NAIC Member Firms

In our data-driven industry, quantifiable information is key to demonstrating performance, value or viability of investment strategies. For that reason and in keeping with our goal of serving as the preeminent resource for information on diverse managers, NAIC developed IntelligentNAIC, an initiative to articulate, quantify and capture all member data and present it in aggregate form.

This will be an ongoing effort with the goal of presenting a comprehensive story about the impact of our members on the global economy with hard data on portfolio companies (locations, number of employees, revenues, etc.). In addition to our other research papers, this initiative will continue to quantifiably demonstrate that our member firms are highly-sophisticated investors with long track records of successful deal-making and execution. The data can also serve as a leverage point. “If we are speaking to a legislator in a particular state to lobby for greater allocations to member firms, we can say, ‘NAIC firms are responsible for this many employees in this particular state and generate this amount in revenues. You should be talking to us,’" explains David Smith, NAIC's Programs and Initiatives Manager.

Once compiled, the information will also be available on NAIC’s website with interesting factoids shared on NAIC’s LinkedIn page. “If I'm from California and I go to our website, I should be able to go to the IntelligentNAIC section and click on California and then I can learn how many NAIC firms have portfolio companies there, how many employees, which plans, which LPs have made commitments or allocations to our firms in that area,” Smith explains. The goal is for NAIC to serve as the most comprehensive resource for the most current, accurate data on diverse-owned alternative investment managers and their collective impact on the economy.

SteelSky Ventures: Pioneering Investment in Women's Health

While market conditions remain tumultuous in today’s COVID-19 environment, there are investment opportunities amid the chaos. “Right now, I'm hitting the gas even harder, because my companies have the ability to thrive in this type of situation,” says Maria Velissaris, Founder and Managing Partner of SteelSky Ventures. Launched in 2017 by the serial entrepreneur, SteelSky is an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on innovative women's health companies in the United States and Israel. In this Member Focus, NAIC takes a look at the firm's strategy, its investments and how the strategic career moves Velissaris made prepared her for success in the venture capital world.

Aon Offering Timely Suite of COVID-19 Resources and Tools

NAIC recognizes that contending with the effects of COVID-19 while managing a competitive enterprise will continue to challenge business leaders for the foreseeable future. To keep our network apprised of the latest tools and best practices in the face of this pandemic, Aon, a global professional services firm and valued NAIC corporate partner, has prepared the following resources:

• Through its network of global experts, Aon’s COVID-19 Response Site (https://www.aon.com/event-response/coronavirus.aspx), offers practical and actionable solutions for businesses and their employees. Among these resources are how to create pandemic response plans, thought leadership content that supports decision-making throughout the lifecycle of an infectious disease event, how business leaders can navigate the types of leaves available, effective communications plans during crises, insurance, and alternative risk perspectives and more.
• Aon is also making available a replay of its March 12 Webinar, “COVID-19: An Enterprise View for Protecting People and Operations.” Among the topics covered are property insurance considerations, additional risk perspectives, business continuity, supply chain and communication plan guidance, impacts on health and benefits, and more. The free Webinar may be viewed here: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1289738&tp_key=6221f2bded
• Aon’s COVID-19 Response Planning Preparedness Considerations – Comprehensive Decision-Making Tool Kit, provides in-depth information and insight on risk exposures and human capital concerns emanating from an infectious disease event or outbreak. The full kit is available here: https://aon.io/2JptsN0

WM Partners Joins NAIC Network!

NAIC proudly welcomes a new member firm, Ft. Lauderdale, FL-based WM Partners, LP! Founded in 2015, WM Partners (https://wmplp.com/) seeks to acquire lower-middle market companies with brands in the natural consumer health sector of the health and wellness industry and consolidate them to create scalable platforms with a portfolio of brands. They employ a strategy to create value by implementing their operational toolkit and through operationally-focused M&A to take the brands to its next level of growth with the goal of exiting to a strategic buyer.

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