Clearwater Capital is a private equity management company founded in 2004 on the principles of marrying strategic and entrepreneurial insight with operational excellence to generate superior returns.
Clearwater Capital was born out of a printing and packaging family business that started from humble beginnings and is now almost 100 years old. It has had 4 generations of the Mehta family work and lead the business through the decades.
At one stage in our printing business’s evolution we had private equity investors. We can relate to the nuances of an entrepreneur working with an outside shareholder and adhering to high levels of corporate governance. In our quest for growth we acquired numerous businesses to add scale and diversity as well as started new businesses to enter burgeoning markets. On many occasions this required us to take on prudent levels of debt.
It is these learnings that we utilize to provide insight to our investee companies.
Key metrics:
- Mid-market fund
- Partners with entrepreneurs (family businesses), trade players and other financial investors
- Black fund manager that provides portfolio companies empowerment credentials
- Realised IRR of more than 26% achieved to date
- Investors in Clearwater Capital include large financial institutions as well as family offices
Team
Clearwater Capital is a team of diverse, innovative thinkers who contribute to our dynamic and visionary thinking.
The team has been strategically put together to leverage each individuals’ unique skills and knowledge. We work towards a common goal of maximizing returns for our investors while building strong and sustainable businesses.
Clearwater Capital Our Team
Meet the Clearwater Team
Harish Mehta Executive Chairman
Harish is a seasoned entrepreneur, growing Uniprint from 34 employees in 1979 to over 1 600 employees in 2010. Harish has extensive first-hand experience working with private equity when Ethos invested into Uniprint in the mid 1990’s. Harish is currently a non-executive director of The SPAR Group, Tiso Blackstar Group, Ciba Packaging and Averda South Africa. He was previously a non-executive director of Redefine Properties, Standard Bank and held chairmanships in SA Home Loans, Lion Match and Kimberly. Harish is a Trustee of Nedbank Eyethu Trust and a member of the KZN Provincial Board of FirstRand Bank. Harish holds a Diploma in Printing Technology (Leeds School of Printing) a BSc Industrial Engineering and an MBA (University of Wisconsin).
Keval Mehta Executive Director
Keval is an investment professional with a strong background in operations and private equity. He has worked both in private equity (Absa Capital) and manufacturing (MAN Roland and Uniprint) where he held roles in sales and operations management, both in the United States and South Africa. Keval adds to the global experience of the team and provides insight into technology and trends. His experience in operations provides insight into valuing and growing businesses. Keval has a BSc (Rochester Institute of Technology) and an MBA (UCT). Keval serves on the boards of our investments in Ciba Packaging and Absto Industrial Supplies.
Kunaal Mehta Executive Director
Kunaal is an investment professional with a strong background in business development and strategy development and implementation. He has worked both in manufacturing and consulting industries where he was a business development management and strategic consulting. Kunaal has entrepreneurial experience co-founding a corporate consultancy service specializing in Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment compliance. Kunaal adds to the diversity of the team where he provides insight in strategy and business development. Kunaal has a BSc Finance (Rochester Institute of Technology). Kunaal serves on the board of the Lichen Group.
James Bircher Executive Director
James is a chartered accountant with a background in corporate finance. He began his career at Deloitte and upon qualifying as a CA(SA), went on to spend a further six years in corporate financial advisory focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, valuations and financial modelling. James has been with Clearwater Capital since June 2018 and played an integral role in setting up Fund III from a legal and financial perspective. His experience in corporate finance provides great insight in evaluating businesses as well as providing opportunities to grow portfolio companies through acquisitions. James has a BComm Accounting Hons (UKZN), is a CA(SA) and has a Certificate in Financial Markets from Yale University (distance). James serves on the board of Averda South Africa as an alternate to Harish who is the non-executive chairman.
Neerasha George Accountant
Neerasha is the Clearwater Capital accountant. She maintains the financial records for Clearwater Capital and the Fund SPVs. She also oversees the Funds monthly admin functions including processing of payroll, submission of statutory returns, and administration of payments. In addition, she is our liaison with the banks and auditors. Neerasha has a Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) degree and completed her SAICA articles in 2008.