iCert is the only diverse certification geared for the diverse private equity ecosystem
iCert provides a diverse certification solution to US-based diverse businesses that are controlled, managed and owned by diverse private equity firms. By targeting these diverse portfolio companies, the supplier diversity community can be expanded dramatically, expanding wealth creation opportunities for the diverse community throughout the United States .
“On Wall Street, the new biggest private equity firms are run by Black and Latino billionaires, and people of color.”
~MarketWatch, Dow Jones & Company, Inc., June 7, 2022
Why a new standard is necessary
Comprising over 700 private equity firms and thousands of diverse portfolio companies, the diverse private equity community now controls almost $500 billion of investment capital and has created and/or funded many ‘tier one’ and ‘tier two’ suppliers and has the capacity to create and/or fund many, many more.
In the past, organic growth drove building diverse suppliers. Today, however, mergers and acquisitions driven by the diverse private equity community will be the bedrock of building scalable diverse suppliers in the future. And without including diverse portfolio companies, the supplier diversity ecosystem will not reach its potential.
The iCert certification was developed to address this issue.
We’re specialists in the private equity industry
Within private equity firms, ownership structures can often be incredibly complex and traditionally challenging to understand true corporate control.
Diversity Capital, the company behind iCert, provides the requisite experience as we are led by private equity subject matter experts. We’ve advised various large, diverse private equity firms with supplier diversity strategy development and implementation as well as assisting with the certification of their portfolio companies.
iCert for Corporations
Fortune 100, and Corporate America at large, can use the iCert platform to identify new and existing diverse suppliers to meet the objectives of their diverse supplier programs.
- Opportunity to expand your diverse supply chain via the thousands of diverse portfolio companies within the diverse private equity community
- Access to the iCert database to identify new and existing certified diverse suppliers
- Proprietary D&I Scorecard ratings on potential suppliers to drive alignment with your diversity objectives
- Personalized concierge access to the iCert customized marketplace to identify qualified Certified Diverse Portfolio Companies and/or facilitate connections with Certified Diverse Private Equity Firms to form or acquire a needed diverse supplier
- Annual audit of iCert certification methods and processes
iCert for Private Equity Firms
Diverse private equity firms can access certification services for their portfolio companies as well as a customized marketplace to access corporate supply chain revenue opportunities.
- Access to corporate diverse supplier programs and qualification of your portfolio companies for corporate spend earmarked for diverse suppliers
- Inclusion in the iCert database for full visibility to iCert Corporate clients seeking to identify new and existing diverse suppliers
- D&I Scorecard rating to help your diverse portfolio companies demonstrate alignment with current and/or prospective corporate clients
- Marketing Playbook and support to help you leverage your iCert certification to maximize ROI
- iCert Certification seal for use in all communications to identify your certification status
- Personalized concierge access to the iCert customized marketplace to assist in identifying and facilitating business development opportunities
iCert provides diverse private equity firms and their portfolio companies access to streamlined diversity certification allowing them to access supplier diversity programs.
Certification process
iCert confirms by rigorous due diligence that members of a diverse constituent community control and manage and have meaningful ownership in a private firm to qualify it as a Certified Diverse PE firm. Then we confirm that it controls and manages and holds a meaningful ownership interest in its portfolio companies through various investment funds or other special purposes investment vehicles to qualify the portfolio company as a Certified Diverse Business.
Eligibility requirements
Pursuant to rigorous due diligence, iCert confirms that:
- Certified Diverse PE Firm: Members of a ‘diverse constituent community’ ‘control and manage’ and ‘own a meaningful interest’ in a ‘private equity firm control group’ to qualify it as a certified diverse private equity firm.
- Certified Diverse Business: Certified PE Firm ‘controls and manages’ and ‘owns a meaningful interest’ in a portfolio company through various investment funds or other special purpose investment vehicles to qualify this entity as a certified diverse business.
For more details on eligibility requirements, please contact us.
D&I Scorecard
To affirm alignment with prospective corporate clients and their D&I goals and objectives, iCert Certificates are qualified based on a proprietary D&I scorecard designation that measures adherence to industry best practices in four areas:
- Strategy – development and implementation progress
- Community – engagement and support
- Human Resources – culture, board, leadership and workforce inclusion
- Supply chain – diverse vendors outreach and inclusion