Mission
Disadvantaged African Small and Medium Sized Businesses
Why we started? We knew there was a major issue with finance for excluded African Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SME's)
40%
SME's Contributions to Africa's GDP
$327 Billion
Estimated Financing gap
80% of Jobs
Are Provided by SMEs Across Africa
Limitations of Investments
We saw limitations in the current investment options available especially for Sophisticated (High Net Worth) African heritage investors in the UK who want to help with the transformation and diversification of economies across the continent of Africa.
We also saw the limitations in the current focus of Development Finance, ESG and Impact Funds primarily on Big Companies.
What if we could pool these investment communities together to focus on this excluded area? The vast number of small and medium sized African businesses who have succeeded against the odds in building viable businesses but are now looking for finance to expand.
Our Simple Business Model Provides a Win-Win Outcome
Financial Payback
- By leveraging more readily available finance in the UK and connecting this with high-potential, local African businesses urgently in need of capital to grow their businesses
- By maximising the financial advantages of enhanced credit and the currency leverage of investors
- Supporting the growth ambitions of expanding businesses in African countries, leading to more sustainable finance
Impact
- We are committed to helping with local community development through philanthropic partnerships in the communities the businesses serve.
- We are committed to helping business owners fulfil their potential by improving their business skills through partnerships with social organisations.
- Focus on three areas aligned to UN Sustainability Development Goals:
Poverty eradication
Good health and well-being
Quality Education
Where are we Now?
We are at the early stage of securing grants and pre-seed funding to progress our first pilot focused on high-potential Nigerian businesses.
We will be delivering the first pilot on our in-house built, mobile-first, peer-to-peer digital impact finance platform.
Our pilot will also provide a gateway for connecting these Nigerian businesses to a new export area of 54 African Countries as part of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement signed in 2021.
Our Ambitions for the Future
Strategic Business Partnerships
Apart from finance, we will be exploring strategic partnerships with shipping and logistic firms involved in the current export ecosystem to reduce the challenges of doing business in Africa
DNA of Research & Development
We will continue a heavy Research & Development (R&D) focus on Smart Contracts, Decentralised Finance, and Embedded Finance as we look to bring more product offerings to the market
Expanding from B2B to B2C Finance
Our initial focus is on Business to Business (B2B) finance, but we do see this maturing in the future to Business to Consumer (B2C) opportunities through partnerships with like minded banks and telecommunications firms for new cross-border opportunities