Case study
The client, their challenge
Our client – a seasoned private equity management team with over 15 years of institutional investment experience – set out to establish their own firm and launch an inaugural fund. While they brought strong investment credentials, they faced the complex operational, structural and regulatory challenges of building a new institutional-grade platform from the ground up.
The client had secured a high‑profile anchor investor and significant institutional interest, including demand for an evergreen structure and co‑investment opportunities alongside the primary fund. However, their newly hired CFO was transitioning out of a previous role, limiting capacity during a critical launch window.
The firm needed a swift, cost‑efficient and deeply experienced partner to guide the full launch, mitigate operational risk and ensure readiness for rigorous operational due diligence (ODD).
Our solution
IQ-EQ Advisory was appointed to provide end-to-end outsourced launch advisory support, offering immediate access to senior expertise without the cost or delay of full‑time hires. With a team of professionals experienced in institutional operational due diligence providing real‑time insights, we embedded best practice expectations directly into the firm’s control framework, service provider ecosystem and investor-facing materials.
Our support included:
Project management and launch coordination
- Oversaw and coordinated all elements of the launch, freeing the founder and CFO to focus on fundraising
- Built a tailored launch plan, with timelines, checklists, service-provider referrals and bespoke guidance
- Worked seamlessly across all considered and engaged service providers, including IQ‑EQ Compliance Services, to ensure continuity and efficient execution.
Development of a comprehensive controls framework
- Created a customized due diligence questionnaire tailored to the firm’s strategy and operating model
- Developed institutional firm policies including valuation and cash controls policies cohesively integrated with the compliance framework
Service provider sourcing and selection
- Provided independent guidance across provider recommendations, procurement, negotiation and contract consultation
- Managed the full fund administrator selection process, including demos, technology evaluations, treasury functionality, transparency into books and records, investor-reporting capabilities and fee structure comparisons
Operational due diligence preparation
- Advised on data‑room structure, investor-facing documentation and presentation flow
- Conducted mock ODD interviews and coaching sessions to strengthen institutional‑readiness
- Reviewed and refined responses to investor ODD and managed the full ODD workflow, ensuring timely and high‑quality submissions
Results
- Cost-efficient launch: Enabled the client to avoid early-phase hiring of a full‑time project manager or ODD specialist, significantly reducing start-up costs
- Enhanced prospective‑investor confidence: Delivered an institutional‑quality control framework and service‑provider ecosystem from day one
- Accelerated growth: Supported a successful launch with the firm’s assets under management growing materially since its 2025 inception
- Built for scale: Established a robust operational foundation to support future fundraising rounds, co‑investment opportunities, and potential expansion into evergreen strategies
- Ongoing partnership: The client continues to partner with IQ-EQ for ongoing compliance support, with launch advisory services remaining available as needed
