Capital for African businesses, from next week's payroll to your next expansion.
We raise capital from short-term funders, DFIs, banks, private equity, private credit and grant programmes, and advise on valuations, transactions and cross-border expansion. Short-term funding can be in your account within days.
Every source of capital, matched to size and speed
Different needs call for different capital. Short-term funders move in days for smaller amounts. Development finance, banks and private capital take longer but fund far larger and longer-term needs. We know where each fits, and structure combinations when one source isn't enough.
- Blended structures: DFI or bank debt alongside equity and grants
- Bridging finance while longer-term funding is approved
- One adviser across every layer, so nothing is repeated
Indicative funding ranges and time to funds. Every deal differs.
Three practices, one relationship
Most businesses need different kinds of capital and advice as they grow. We cover all of it, and stay with you through each stage so nobody has to learn your business again.
1Capital Raising
Every source of funding, matched to the need: short-term funders, development finance institutions, banks, private equity, private credit and grants.
- Short-term and working capital funding
- Development finance
- Private equity and private credit
- Impact and gender-lens funding
- Bank finance
- Grants and incentives
2Corporate Finance and Transaction Advisory
Valuations, financial modelling, due diligence, buy-side and sell-side advisory, and cross-border expansion across Africa and beyond.
- Business expansion
- Buy-side and sell-side advisory
- Valuations
- Financial modelling
- Due diligence and pre-DD reports
3Investment Readiness, Accounting and Tax Advisory
The accounting, financial, governance and tax groundwork that makes a business investable, and keeps it compliant all year.
All 3 services →Plan your funding before you apply
Free tools that show what you qualify for, what funding will cost, and how much you can borrow.
Funding check
See which of our 33 short-term funders fit your business, then upload your documents securely in the same place.
- 1Answer 4 short steps
- 2See your matches and what to fix
- 3Upload your document pack
Short-term cost calculator
Compare the true cost of fixed-fee advances, merchant cash advances, invoice discounting and purchase order funding.
Open the calculator →Loan repayment calculator
Monthly instalments, total interest and a year-by-year schedule for bank and development finance loans.
Open the calculator →How much can I borrow?
Estimate the loan your cash flow can support, using the cover ratios lenders apply.
Open the calculator →Dealmakers who have sat on both sides of the table
Since 2014 we have facilitated more than R2bn in funding and supported expansions across Africa and Europe. We know how funders decide, and we know what it takes to run a business while you wait for the money.
Funder-grade information
We know exactly how funders want information presented to make a decision, so we package every application, model and pack to credit-committee standard.
Experienced dealmakers
Our team brings decades of experience across private equity, private credit, development finance institutions and investment banking, with qualifications in accounting, investments and law.
Entrepreneurs ourselves
We've raised funding for our own businesses and know the pain of tight cash flow, so we approach every mandate from the owner's side of the table, not only the funder's.
Long-term partners
We walk the journey with clients through each stage of growth, build lasting relationships, and disclose every fee in writing.
How a mandate works
- 1
Assess
A funding check or first meeting shows what you qualify for and the right route.
- 2
Agree the mandate
Scope and fees in writing: a fixed engagement fee where one applies, and a success fee on funding or closing.
- 3
Package and approach
We prepare the documents, model and pack each funder needs, and approach the right ones.
- 4
Negotiate and close
We compare offers, negotiate terms and see it through to funds released or closing.
The whole funding market, in one place
We know each funder's mandate, appetite and process, and approach only those likely to say yes.
Debt
33 short-term funders, plus banks and private credit
- Alternative and fintech lenders
- Purchase order and invoice funders
- Commercial banks
- Private credit funds
Development finance
16 institutions profiled, national to continental
- National DFIs: NEF, IDC, SEDFA, DBSA, Land Bank
- Provincial DFIs: GEP, Ithala, ECDC and others
- Continental: Afreximbank, AfDB, TDB, AFC
- State co-investors abroad
Equity and grants
R20m+ private capital raises, plus grant programmes
- Private equity funds
- Family offices and impact investors
- Grant and incentive programmes
- Corporate ESD programmes
From Johannesburg to Lusaka, Lagos, Nairobi and Madrid
We structure and fund expansions across Southern, East, West and North Africa, into Europe and the Middle East, alongside local partners, host-country investors and continental DFIs.
Business expansionBusinesses we help grow
We work across the economy. These are the sectors where we see the most demand, and the funding they typically need.
Keep your doors open and your business growing
From stock for the busy season to a second site, we find the funding that fits how your business actually runs.
Check your funding optionsLatest from our desk
Practical notes on raising capital in South Africa.
What short-term funders actually check before they say yes
Alternative lenders decide in hours because they read your bank statements, not your business plan. Here's what they look for.
Term loan, cash advance or PO funding? Match the instrument to the need
The cheapest facility is the one that fits the way your cash actually moves.
Five reasons development finance applications stall
Development finance institutions fund good businesses every week. Here is why so many applications never reach credit committee.