INFRONT and Inside Capital Partners

With its young population and fast-growing economy, South-East Africa has an abundance of opportunities. Inside Capital Partners (Inside), a private equity fund with a team of locals and offices on the ground, is helping realize the region’s economic potential by investing in projects that will create good jobs in socially and environmentally responsible ventures.

The mentorship

Attracting new investors is crucial to achieving Inside’s business objectives. While the firm has expertise in pitching its fund to European investors, which have traditionally been the largest players in Africa, it was looking to also tap the enormous potential of the North American market. The INFRONT mentorship program, which brings together seasoned professionals with venture capital/private equity managers, connected Inside with Murray McCaig, Managing Partner at ArcTern Ventures, a cleantech fund based in Toronto. Over the course of the six-month program, Inside was given access to resources, expertise and contacts from both Murray and the INFRONT management staff. Murray spent three days with Inside partners Jérôme Lagesse and Nassima Sadar at their offices in Port-Louis, Mauritius, together reviewing Inside’s strategy for engaging North American investors.

The outcome

Murray brought a vital North American perspective, helping Jérôme and Nassima map out the landscape of potential investors and identified motivating factors that would encourage them to allocate funds to a region. Murray provided specific suggestions to refocus Inside’s marketing materials to reflect these motivations, emphasizing the social, developmental and environmental benefits of its deal pipeline. Following the mentorship, Inside reconfigured its pitching strategy for North American investors and refined its marketing materials. Murray has continued to support Inside on an informal basis, using his profile and contacts in North America to introduce potential investors to Inside.