In 2008, David Kezerashvili founded Universal Capital Group (UCG) and Future Products Company (FPC), both investment holding companies focused on the management of small and medium-sized businesses in Georgia and the Caucasus region. With a core focus on logistics, transport, commodities in Georgia and the Caucasus region, both groups held interests in oil products transportation and terminal operations in Georgia and were active in offering logistical services; the delivery of jet fuel to NATO forces in Afghanistan; petrol distribution chains in Georgia; and a minority interest in a raw sugar processing consortium.
Under David’s leadership, UPC and FPC negotiated and executed a number of successful deals and ventures in the region, enabled by his operational experience and deep expertise of business in Georgia and neighbouring countries. In 2009, David secured a contract with Poti Oil Products Terminal – the largest refined petroleum terminal on the Georgian coast – for the transportation of light oil products through the East-West Transcaucasia corridor to large multinational oil traders and end users in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Subsequently, FPC went on to lease 100 per cent storage capacity at the Terminal before acquiring a 75% equity stake from its owners. By the end of 2012, FPC Group was transporting over 1.2 million tonnes of petroleum products throughout the region.
During this time, David negotiated a major deal at FPC for the transportation of jet fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan, supplying over 35,000 tonnes of jet fuel per month through the Poti Oil Products Terminal. In 2011, David led a consortium of investors on the acquisition of several petrol distribution chains in Georgia and consolidated them all into one group, creating the largest retail petrol chain in Georgia at the time.
In 2012, David was forced to give up all of his interests in FPC Group and other businesses in Georgia, exiting the Georgian business community entirely. Since then, David has spent the last decade and more actively investing in a diverse range of real estate and property ventures across the UK and Europe, as well as investing in early-stage technology companies. He owns a number of entities in multiple jurisdictions. In 2019, David founded Formula, the leading opposition TV channel in Georgia, of which he is the majority shareholder, and this remains his only commercial interest in the country.