The Founder Files Unlocking Growth for SMEs - Dov Girnun and Daniel Moritz, Merchant Capital SA
Merchant Capital is South Africa's leading non-bank alternative lender for SMEs. In this episode, we discover how they grew from zero to 10 billion rand in loans for their clients over the past 12 years. You'll learn how they initially financed this venture, scaled the business through partnerships, invested in hiring the country's top CTO, and successfully navigated a culture shift. We also get insights into their innovative business model and product, explore the challenges they faced, and discuss hiring and culture strategies you can apply to your own business.
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This episode is brought to you by Metavolve.
Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/
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00:00 Introduction 03:39 What is Merchant Capital? 09:59 Loan Financing or Equity-Based Financing? 16:59 Mitigating the Default Risk 19:55 The Vision of Creating Sustainable Businesses 26:18 Founding Story 38:56 Using Merchant Capital Funding Properly 46:49 Brought To You By Metavolve 48:12 Where Does Merchant Capital Get Their Money From? 59:59 Dealing with Corporate Partners and Small Business Customers At The Same Time 01:03:37 Hiring A Great Leadership Team 01:15:04 Building, Protecting and Strengthening Culture 01:28:34 The Future of Merchant Capital 01:32:41 Would You Have Done Anything Differently? 1:35:40 Daniel’s Biggest Learnings From The Journey