Baobab Capital

What they do

Baobab Capital Partners is a private equity advisory firm to the small and medium-sized companies that service the needs of the growing middle class in Southern Africa. Over time, the Principals of the firm will raise a dedicated growth capital fund for these efforts. The Fund will continue the investment themes of the management team established at other growth capital private equity players in the Southern African market, principally focused on technology investments in the IT, industrial, health care and food segments. The key areas of emphasis to drive investment performance will be through the implementation of world-class standards in strategic execution, operational improvements, governance and sustainability with respect to environmental, health and safety practices. Baobab’s three founding partners have extensive experience in the private equity realm in both the independent and captive institutional asset managers. The founders have nearly 30 years of relevant investment management experience which has been augmented by roles in investment banking, corporate finance, strategy consulting and operations. These roles have included work with a broad spectrum of companies, from start-ups to major multinationals, though the bulk of the last ten years has been with small and medium-sized enterprises. The management team is augmented by a retainer-based “Elders Network” and an MBA internship program from leading global institutions.

What they look for

They believe Africa’s next generation of unicorns will be 'tech-enabled' businesses solving real-world problems in essential sectors (logistics, health, finance) rather than just pure software. They back locally-led teams that have built an MVP and demonstrated early traction.

Stage

Pre-seed, Seed

Sectors

Fintech, Mobility and logistics, Healthcare, Food and agriculture, SaaS, Climate

Based

London, GB