The Impact Investment Group dedicated to the African continent, Investors & Partners (I & P) led by Jean Michel Severino, organized for the first time its annual Investor and Entrepreneur Meetings in Africa.
Held in Abidjan on 19 October, this event highlighted I & P’s Africanization, particularly through the growth of its teams, ambitious recruitment targets in all countries of operation and the creation of five new funds. impact in sub-Saharan Africa in the next 5 years.
A TEAM OF 50 PROFESSIONALS DISTRIBUTED ON 8 SITES OF WHICH 7 IN AFRICA
Pioneering group of impact investment in Africa, I & P is illustrated by a growing Africanization of its activities and teams operating on 7 sites in Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar, Niger, Senegal, Côte d ‘ Ivory). Of the 50 or so I & P employees, 33 are based in Africa and 32 are African. Often young, very well trained and sometimes from the diaspora, the African teams of I & P quickly rise in skills and allow the various offices to gain autonomy. This new managerial distribution makes it possible to stick more closely to the realities of African economies, particularly with a view to rapidly increasing the number of companies in which I & P will invest in the coming years.
In parallel, IPDEV 2 continues its investment program: train, sponsor and support ten impact funds in ten African countries to eventually support 500 companies. To date five funds are already operational: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Niger and Senegal. Together, they have already financed 27 SMEs, in equity and seed capital, and raised 15 million euros from African and international investors.
At the beginning of October, I & P announced that the IPAE 2 fund had made its first investments in three companies (Afribon, African Management Initiative, CoinAfrique). Operating in very different sectors of activity, these companies are distinguished by the fact that each one of them, from the beginning of its course, chose to establish itself in several African countries, and by the strong technological component of two of them.
With the recent closing of its second and final closing, IPDEV 2 raises its capital to 21 million euros and is expected to launch a next impact fund in Mali and another in East Africa. In all, Investors & Partners plans to create 5 new impact funds in sub-Saharan Africa in the next 5 years. Through this innovative mechanism, IPDEV 2 helps promote the emergence of new champions of African entrepreneurship and build a community of investment professionals across the continent.
“This Africanization will continue and intensify in the coming years,” said Jean-Michel Severino, President of I & P. Today, we are already developing a decentralized and transversal approach between our different offices on the continent. This allows us to be better connected to the ecosystem of African SMEs and to identify the real growth drivers of the continent. The notion of a seat in Paris is destined to disappear gradually. These are our offices in Africa that will see their workforce increase and that will embody the dynamism of I & P. ”
AN INVESTMENT CONTINUUM ADAPTED TO THE NEEDS OF SMES
I & P’s commitment to African development is reflected in different funds but whose philosophy remains the same: entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to development, integrity and requirement. The strength of I & P lies in this investment continuum to boost African entrepreneurship.
In addition to IPDEV 2, the IPAE 2 fund embodies this new dynamic of I & P as close as possible to the realities and needs of African SMEs. Endowed with 80 million euros (with a second closing between 70 and 75 million expected before the end of 2018), IPAE 2 aims to invest in equity and quasi-equity in 30 to 40 startups and SMEs in the next five years in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in West and Central Africa, but also in East Africa and Madagascar. IPAE 2 is a generalist fund that supports companies operating in various sectors, such as agribusiness, microfinance, health, education and construction, with investments of up to 3 million euros. euros.
In addition to investing in capital, IPAE 2 provides companies with active participation in their governance, personalized managerial support and technical assistance resources, enabling them to reach their full potential in terms of growth and growth. impact. ESG issues (Environment, Social, Governance) and measuring the impact of the company on its stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, …) are at the heart of IPAE’s investment model.
