Unlocking Africa Why Investing in “Boring” Companies Can Boost Employment and Economic Growth in Africa with Brendan Mullen
Episode #40 with Brendan Mullen, who is Co-founder and Managing Director at Secha Capital, a lower-market impact private equity fund in Southern Africa employing an Operator-Investor model and investing in traditional industries making the green economy, tech-enabled, and/or post-COVID transition.
Secha was founded in 2017. Its first fund invested in ten South African companies, creating 300+ jobs with an average revenue growth of 12x. Its $50M second fund scales its Operator-Investor model into Southern Africa.
What We Discuss With Brendan Mullen
- What differentiates Secha Capital from other private equity firms operating in Africa?
- You look for sectors in which South Africa can make use of local resources. Why is that?
- You concentrate on established Southern African companies in large, underserved, "boring" sectors rather than technology companies. What exactly do you mean by "boring" sectors?
- What is the significance of these boring sectors? What value do you think they add to the African economy?
- What are some of the challenges you've encountered in establishing funds dedicated to investing in African SMEs?
- And much more...
Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notes
Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Tourism in Africa Is Being Reinvented. A Bright Future for African Tourism with Yaa Ofori-Ansah? Make sure to check it out!
Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!
Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamu
Connect with Brendan Mullen on LinkedIn at BrendanMullen, and @BrendanJMullen
Discover how Verto’s solutions can help you accept payments, manage expenses, and scale with ease here