Helical Capital Partners

What Helical Capital Partners does

Helical Capital Partners is a South Africa-based private markets advisory firm headquartered in Johannesburg, founded in July 2018 as a joint venture between Partners Group, a Switzerland-based private markets firm with approximately R1-trillion in assets under management, and Convergence Partners, a specialist African ICT impact investor. The firm provides end-to-end advisory and management services across the private markets value chain, including fund formation, fund raising, fund deployment, fund realisations, fund management and reporting, and a set of specialised services, alongside a broader private capital advisory practice covering start-ups, venture, growth, and SME exits. Helical holds authorisation as a financial services provider under the South African FAIS Act via the FSCA, a regulatory prerequisite for distributing and managing private market products in the country.

The firm's revenue model is built on advisory mandates and fund-related service fees, monetising both placement of international products (anchored by its Partners Group relationship and supplemented by a Stenham partnership) and bespoke South African mandates. It serves institutional investors including asset managers, pension funds, and multi-managers, as well as family offices, private market funds, and founder- or family-owned private capital companies. The service offering is extended through sub-brands Blue Frontier, which focuses on green and blue economy opportunities, and Groundswell, a philanthropic ecosystem initiative. Helical's senior team is led by founder and Chief Executive Officer Craig Beney, who brings more than 12 years of private markets experience across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, with the firm operating with a small team of between one and ten employees.

Name

Helical Capital Partners

Legal name

Helical Capital Partners (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://helicalpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Helical Capital Partners is a Johannesburg-based private markets advisory firm, founded in 2018 as a joint venture between Partners Group and Convergence Partners, offering fund formation, deployment, realisations, and management services to South African institutional investors, family offices, and private capital companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Markets Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Equity Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Capital Introducers (PE/VC/Private Credit) (FSAEAMAE)

Keywords

• Private capital advisory
• Fund management services
• Investment advisory
• Fund formation services
• Institutional asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bryanston

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advisory Services: Provides advisory services to private market funds and private capital companies. Services include fund formation, fund raising, fund deployment, fund realisations, fund management and reporting, and specialized/ancillary services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Helical Capital Partners is a private markets advisory firm that delivers investment advisory, fund formation, fund management, and private capital advisory services to institutional clients. Founded in 2018 and based in Bryanston, Johannesburg, the firm operates as a joint venture combining international and local expertise to serve institutional investors across South Africa.

Product overview

Helical Capital Partners operates as a private markets advisory firm offering a unified platform of services spanning fund formation, fund management, and private capital advisory. The core offering includes Private Funds services (Fund Formation, Fund Raising, Fund Deployment, Fund Realisations, Fund Management & Reporting, and Specialised & Ancillary Services) alongside Private Capital services (Start-Ups, Venture Capital, Growth Capital, and SME Exits). Two sub-brands extend the portfolio: Blue Frontier focuses on green and blue economy innovation partnerships, while Groundswell provides philanthropic community advisory. The firm connects investors to international private markets through Partners Group and Stenham relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Frontier: Helical Partners initiative to partner with start-ups and SMEs at the forefront of innovation in South Africa, particularly in the green and blue economy. Examples include mobility conversion technology from diesel to battery-powered, battery management technology for the industrial industry, river health technology, and innovative financial solutions for the aged.
• Groundswell

Products and services

• Investment Advisory

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stenham Asset Management: International private markets fund manager whose products are distributed to investors via Helical. Directly comparable as a private market product provider/investment adviser whose offerings flow through Helical's distribution platform.
• African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM): Pan-African infrastructure and private equity fund manager with deep South African institutional relationships. Comparable as an Africa-focused private markets firm offering fund management, deployment and institutional advisory across infrastructure, growth and private equity mandates.
• Maitland Fund Services: Global fund administration and advisory firm with significant South African operations. Directly comparable as a provider of fund formation, fund administration and reporting services for alternative investment managers.
• Convergence Partners: Co-parent of Helical Capital Partners and an African private capital investor focused on ICT. Directly comparable as a South African private capital firm offering advisory, fund formation and impact-oriented private market services.
• 27four Investment Managers: South African investment manager with a dedicated private equity and alternative investments business. Comparable as a domestic advisor helping SA investors access alternative/private market products and providing fund-of-funds solutions.
• Perpetua Investment Advisers: South African investment adviser focused on institutional and private market mandates, including fund-of-funds and private equity. Directly comparable as a domestic advisor serving institutional investors with private markets offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Rand Merchant Bank (RMB): One of South Africa's largest investment banks with a strong private equity and alternatives franchise. Comparable as a competitor for fund-raising mandates, capital introduction and advisory work with institutional and founder-owned clients.
• Alexforbes (now part of Sanlam): Large South African investment and wealth manager offering institutional and private market investment solutions. Broadly comparable institutional channel targeting multi-managers, pension funds and family offices for alternative investments.
• Old Mutual Alternative Investments: Large South African financial services group with a dedicated alternatives and private equity arm serving institutional investors. Overlaps with Helical's mandate provision and capital introduction activities but at much greater scale and breadth.

Regional players

• Clairfield International: Global mid-market M&A advisory firm with a dedicated Africa practice. Comparable as an advisor serving founder-, family- and manager-owned private capital companies on exits, deal structuring and capital raising.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helicalcapitalpartners

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helical Capital Partners