The newly appointed director of Hooge Raedt Social Venture (HRSV), the largest private investor in SME Impact Fund, visited us in Arusha on 1st October 2014. He was accompanied by Joris de Vries, HRSV representative in Tanzania, and Hidde Bakhuizen, the son of the founder of HRSV.
After being introduced to all staff, they had interesting discussions with the Managing Partners of Match Maker Group (MMG), Peniel Uliwa and Henri van der Land, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Match Maker Fund Management (MMFM), Allert Mentink.
The visitors were particularly interested in the nine Small and Medium Enterprises that were financed by SIF to date. Probing questions like ‘which SMEs are eligible’ and ‘what is the exit strategy of the Fund’ made it a very lively exchange. They were also keen to hear about the (sub-) sectors in which the Fund is active through its loans and they were very pleased to learn that the focus is based on in-depth understanding of the growth potential of the (sub-) sectors.
They appreciated the challenges SIF has been facing regarding the build up of the portfolio and were eager to know the projections based on the current experiences. They were informed that currently the fund management model is being overhauled (see news on AC meeting) and that revised projections will be shared soon.
