In Sub-Saharan Africa, companies face two persistent growth constraints: expansion capital and expertise.
Across our footprint of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Zambia and South Africa, mid-market institutions consistently encounter the same two binding constraints. Domestic banks are reluctant to underwrite restructuring risk. Sponsor capital is concentrated in early-stage or large-cap. The middle is left under-served.
Frequently, institutions are unable to secure financing for growth or restructuring. Even when capital is available, the operating expertise required to deploy it productively is not. We are precisely set to uniquely fill both gaps.
We do not deploy capital and wait. We restructure operations, recapitalise the balance sheet, and rebuild the management cadence.
What's different about our position
Viability Gap has the advantage of founders' joint capabilities in reorganising an institution's management, finances, and operations toward improved efficiency. Our combined regional experience spans three decades of restructuring sovereign portfolios, mid-market private companies, and DFI co-investments.
Three decades. Nine sovereign restructurings. USD 1.8 bn deployed.
Eight countries. Operating partners on the ground in each.
Four essential industries. Deep, not broad.
Every investment collateralised against productive assets.