AIH CAPITAL- A 100% BLACK WOMEN-OWNED AND OPERATED SOUTH AFRICAN PRIVATE EQUITY FUND SECURES $25 MIL
NEWS PROVIDED BY - Creative Voices PR for News Wires - 31 August 2022
Women of AIH Capital
AIH Capital invests in South African women, giving them more investment opportunities and boosting financial inclusivity.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, August 30, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With a flourishing middle class and its spending power growing at exponential rates, opportunities for investors to impact change in African communities are burgeoning. Impactful investing in Black women-owned businesses is especially important because these businesses, time and time again, invest their earnings back into their families and communities, raising the tide for all.
AIH Capital’s managing partners, Jesmane Boggenpoel and Sindi Mabaso-Koyana, are the driving force behind the efforts that secured $25 million USD (R400M) as a 100% Black women owned and managed fund manager.
As private equity managers, they recognize the opportunities to raise capital to invest in businesses and provide medium sized companies with a Black woman-owned shareholder in South Africa withe a board seat and assist with the gender transformation of the organization.
As two of the very few Black women private equity managers in a predominately white, male-led industry, they know what it’s like to be overlooked.
In May 2021, AIH Capital was selected to participate in the inaugural 13-month Women Empowerment Mentoring and Incubation (WE>MI) Fund Manager Program of Southern Africa, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and created and implemented by MiDA Advisors with on the ground support from the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA).
Through the WE>MI Program, AIH Capital was able to gain the necessary technical assistance and investment facility support to mobilize key investments into the region. Nadine Mentor Williams, Partner and Senior Managing Director at MiDA states, “AIH Capital’s experienced team, commitment to gender financial inclusion and pipeline of investments attracted potential investors both locally and internationally. They exemplify the expanded opportunities when women fund managers are part of deal discussions.
Boggenpoel and Mabaso-Koyana know Africa’s economic future will be strengthened by supporting and establishing more Black women-owned businesses. AIH Capital is committed to its communities, ensuring that through its broad-based ownership structure, many Black women and their families can benefit.
“Too many South African-based businesses are getting overlooked, many of which are Black women-owned. They’re unable to secure investors because they’re perceived to be ineffective, despite strong experience of the team members,” Mabaso-Koyana explains.
“We’ve been highly successful finding investors who want to grow financial inclusivity in South Africa through responsible investment of an ESG framework that achieves positive returns,” explains Boggenpoel.
As of June 30, 2022, AIH Capital, in partnership with its parent company African Women Chartered Accountants Investment Holdings Group (AIH) fundraised $25 million USD (R400M) committed capital and secured 21.3% shareholding in Futuregrowth Asset Management, one of the leading asset management groups in South Africa.
The deal with Futuregrowth will provide opportunities for AIH Capital and its parent company AIH to bring their vision of uplifting and impacting women through investment opportunities and secure more financial inclusivity. Futuregrowth also recently launched a High Growth Development Equity Fund of $35 million USD (R600M) targeting early-stage business that will have a strong developmental impact.
AIH Capital, as their women partner, are helping them to identify early-stage businesses through a gender lens. Like AIH Capital, the start-ups will be run and owned by women.
To date, AIH Capital has raised 50% of its targeted $50 million USD (R800M) and is on track to raise the remainder of the funds. AIH Capital is a generalist fund investing across sectors. For more information about fund opportunities, investment criteria, and fund strategies, visit http://www.awcainvest.co.za/aih-capital.
About AIH Capital
AIH Capital is the fund manager of AIH Fund I, a generalist private equity fund. At AIH Capital, the majority of the issued share capital of AIH Capital is held by AWCA Investment Holdings, a 100% Black women-owned company.
The principal investment objective of AIH Fund I is to make equity-related investments in companies that are primarily mid-sized and privately held. These portfolio companies will be in various sectors, and exhibit quality operations and management, with attractive growth and return prospects. We drive women’s empowerment through our investments.
AIH Capital has built a portfolio of solid investments, which include ReefTankers, Atlas Panel Beaters, Hollard, Foskor and recently added Bidvest Protea Coin, Global Credit Agency and Futuregrowth Asset Managers.
Jesmane Boggenpoel
AIH Capital
‘Disclaimer - The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’