SMEs
Small firms need more than money
Botswana’s main SME lenders are shifting from single loans to whole value chains and bankability support. What that tells us about how early-stage capital should work.
October 20264 min read- Home
- What we do
- SME growth capital
Early backing for small firms with room to grow
Early investment in small Botswana firms with room to grow, and the digital tools and customers to scale them online.
Overview
Early backing for small firms
The scarce resource for a small business is rarely a cheque alone. It is a first large customer, a clean set of books and someone accountable on the other side of the table.
We take stakes in selected small and medium businesses and bring what money cannot buy on its own: access to the group’s customers, suppliers and shared services, and support with online sales and systems from the start.
What it covers
In practice
- Stakes in selected small and medium businesses
- Access to group customers, suppliers and shared services
- Online sales and systems support from the start
- Governance and reporting that make a firm bankable
How it works
Four steps from request to repayment
Tell us about your business
A short conversation about what you sell, to whom, and what you need.
We test the case
We look at the market, the owner and the numbers.
Agree terms and support
An investment, a plan and the support that goes with it.
Grow with the group
Introductions, systems and regular review as the business scales.
What we look for
What makes a strong case
- A founder who runs the business day to day
- Customers who already pay
- A clear route to growth, through our network or online
- A willingness to report openly and be governed
- Sectors where the group has knowledge: energy, IT, trade, services and learning
- Ambition to build something that lasts
In context
Why it matters now
Botswana’s main SME agencies are shifting from single loans to whole value chains and to making firms bankable, because money alone has not been enough.
Talk to us about sme growth capital
Tell us what you sell, to whom, and what you need.