Lapis was carried across continents and ground into the deepest blue a painter could find — worth more than gold, used only where permanence mattered. We deploy capital the same way: patiently, selectively, across private equity, private credit, real assets and special situations.
We don't treat capital as a clock running toward an exit. We treat it as a partnership — expertise, discipline and patient capital sitting alongside the people who built the business, or the fund, in the first place.
We invest from our own balance sheet, not a fund with a fixed life — so we're never forced into an exit or repayment timeline that doesn't suit the business, whether the instrument is equity, credit or a structured blend.
We back management teams and founders who know their industry cold, and we stay close enough to add real value without getting in the way.
Every package — equity, debt, or a blend — is shaped around what the business, the counterparty and its shareholders actually need.
Each strategy is managed on its own terms, but shares the same sourcing philosophy, fiduciary grounding and risk culture.
Control and significant-minority positions in established private businesses, with a focus on governance improvement and operational value creation.
View strategy →Direct lending and structured debt to businesses underserved by traditional bank finance, secured with disciplined covenant and collateral structures.
View strategy →Long-duration investment in property and infrastructure assets that produce contracted, inflation-linked income for institutional portfolios.
View strategy →Turnaround and business rescue capital for companies in financial distress, deployed alongside our practitioners' restructuring and legal expertise.
View strategy →From growth-stage backing to full buy-outs, our capital is structured around the milestone the business is facing.
Funding for businesses ready to scale operations, enter new markets, or invest in capacity ahead of demand.
Leveraged and management buy-out structures for established businesses changing hands or changing leadership.
Structured funding that supports broad-based ownership transformation without compromising business fundamentals.
Buying out existing shareholders who want liquidity, while keeping the business's strategy and team intact.
Flexible equity funding for businesses navigating succession, restructuring, or a capital structure reset.
Capital and connections for South African businesses taking their model into new markets across the continent.
Lapis Equity Partners originates and structures direct loans and structured debt for established businesses that are underserved by traditional bank finance — companies with sound fundamentals but funding needs that don't fit a conventional credit box.
Every facility is underwritten with the discipline of a fiduciary: conservative loan-to-value, enforceable security, and covenant packages designed to protect capital first and generate return second.
Bilateral, directly negotiated facilities — no syndication drag, faster execution
Security-backed structures with disciplined loan-to-value and covenant design
In-house legal and governance capability shortens diligence and documentation timelines
Active monitoring through the facility term, not a set-and-forget lender
First-ranking facilities against hard assets, cash flows or receivables for stable, cash-generative businesses.
Higher-yielding subordinated capital for growth, recapitalisation or ownership transitions.
Blended senior/mezzanine pricing in a single facility for simpler capital structures and faster close.
Short-duration capital to fund acquisitions, corporate actions or refinancing ahead of permanent capital.
Two further strategies, deployed selectively alongside our core equity and credit platforms.
Long-duration investment in property and infrastructure assets that produce contracted, inflation-linked income for institutional portfolios. Suited to investors seeking predictable cash yield with lower correlation to equity markets.
Real AssetsTurnaround and business rescue capital for companies in financial distress, deployed alongside our practitioners' restructuring and legal expertise to protect and rebuild enterprise value.
Turnaround CapitalWe concentrate where our operating knowledge compounds, rather than spreading thin across everything.
A disciplined, repeatable process — the same sequence for every mandate, regardless of asset class.
Direct origination through founder, advisor and institutional networks.
Rigorous commercial, financial and legal due diligence.
Terms built around downside protection and aligned incentives.
Active governance involvement through the hold period.
Disciplined exit planning aligned to long-term return objectives.
Whether you're a founder, management team or shareholder weighing a transaction, or an institutional investor exploring a mandate, co-investment or LP allocation — we'd welcome an early, informal conversation.
Lapis Equity Partners
1 Iris Road
Eastgate Lane Office Park, Block C, 1st Floor
Bedfordview, Gauteng
South Africa