Serengeti SME Fund

A US$100MM Serengeti SME Fund, which is expected to close in 2011, will initially invest in Ghana, and gradually expand to other West African markets as part of a West African-focused play.

Maendeleo Ventures, LLC was the lead on a USTDA funded technical assistance project for the Ghana Association of Leasing Companies (GALCO) and is currently acting as a financial advisor to the Ghana Leasing Company (GLC).

Working in West Africa through our partners, Serengeti Capital, Maendeleo Ventures is also currently assisting the USAID funded West African Trade Hub in evaluating and raising capital for its small to medium sized export ready companies. In this capacity, Maendeleo Ventures is meeting with and analyzing export businesses in West Africa and becoming familiar with industries like cashew, shea, palm oil, agriculture, textiles and high-end handicrafts.

Our work in Ghana has opened up significant investment opportunities to the second-fastest growing market in the world and a significant opportunity for investment into financial services, consumer goods, heavy machinery and infrastructure development, agriculture and non-traditional export oriented business

The principals of Serengeti have over 40 years of combined operational, advisory and principal investment experience, and our vision is to create value by investing in change - change created by industry trends, economic cycles or specific company circumstances. We expect to provide creative capital, structured appropriately for each investment opportunity

Salsabil Ventures

Salsabil Ventures is the branch of Maendeleo that focuses on information technology and e-business platforms. An idea lab, Salsabil develops technology solutions for the Middle East and nearby markets (there are +4 billion people in a seven hour flight radius from Doha). A large and progressive online youth population combined with the general vacuum of content and platforms in the region makes the information space in the Middle East extremely attractive. Currently, Salsabil only takes "little bets" on new platforms and technologies, which allows us to test the market, build experience, and hone skills that will aide our other branches of business at minimal cost.

Salsabil's strategic partners include Propeller Ventures, a top North American design firm and IloveQatar.net.

The first "little bet" Salsabil launched is the popular, hyper-local site Doha Delivery, a vertical search website targeted at Doha, Qatar’s vibrant restaurant delivery services. You can track Doha Delivery's growth and changes by following the Doha Delivery Blog or following Doha Delivery on Twitter.

Salsabil has one more platform close to launch and two more in development.

Future projects will better compliment our primary mission and focus on information sharing and social impact.

 

Maendeleo Agric

Maendeleo Agric

Large land investments have been the typical vehicle for agricultural investment. We are offering a different take on agricultural investment. Agriculture and the future of Agriculture is as a knowledge industry and it needs to be treated as such. The mere presence of land, does not guarantee good yields or returns. Greenhouse technology and controlled environment agriculture techniques can produce higher yields on less land and with less inputs and minimal environmental impact. In addition, small greenhouses can be leased to small land holders and provide a ladder for small farmers to climb out of poverty.

Maendeleo Agric (Qatar) LLC is a controlled environment agriculture company that provides sustainable Agriculture solutions at prices afforable to almost any farmer.

We aim to bring affordable greenhouse technology to emerging markets by establishing model farms that produce high-end horticulture and also retail the technology to local farmers. The technology comes from Eisenberg Agri (Beijing) Company or “EAC”. MVQ has an exclusive agreement with EAC where MVQ acts as the global marketing and sales arm for EAC. EAC split from the Eisenberg Group in 2005 and since has been primarily Chinese owned and operated. Thus we are able to bring “Hi Tech, Low Cost” agric techniques and technology to the Middle East and the rest of the world at Chinese prices.

Also, the beauty of Agriculture is that markets are not zero sum games.

If our model farms grow more and sell more, it doesn't necessarily diminish the share of "competing" farms (or large, traditional, politically powerful plantations) but more likely serves to enlarge the overall market and bring scale to bear on transport and distribution problems. Similarly, by targeting the right markets, we marginalize risk from "cannibalizing" the economics of our own farms' production by retailing technologies to "competing" farmers.

More production + higher quality + lower production volatility = more demand + more sustained demand + lower price volatility.

Everyone wins.

Maendeleo Rail

Revolutionizing Rail

A Holistic Strategy for Getting Rail Back on Track

Small to medium sized railroads, especially those in emerging markets, are dealt a poor hand. Operating a profitable railroad is difficult enough given the heavy sunk costs, but industry suppliers and consultants make it worse. Suppliers and consultants have built their industry around Class I freight in North America and subsidized high-speed passenger in the EU and the far east. The market for smaller railroads, especially those in emerging markets, has been ignored.

Maendeleo Rail provides operational solutions for small to medium sized railroads.

Small railroads are at an operational disadvantage from the very beginning. Supplier costs are targeted at large, subsidized railroads making any hope for a competitive return on investment a dream. In addition to the excessive up-front costs demanded by suppliers, most operational equipment is designed for the high human capital, benign environs of Europe and Japan. Emerging market railroads often face the challenges and the high costs of trying to maintain this equipment with less human capital, in harsher weather environments and where theft of wayside equipment is not a probability but an inevitability.

Our advantage is built around the Strategic Railroading™ concept which takes a business perspective first and foremost. This  means we can provide realistic and cost efficient solutions to any problem from financial management to the theft of wayside infrastructure. Maendeleo Rail's managing partners have over 80+ years experience as senior management to some of the largest railroad operations in the world and provide practical insights and operating practices that are based a combination of experience and innovation. Our managing partners are also globally recognized safety experts and thus safety and reliability of operations are our core values. Lastly our extensive mathematical modeling capabilities means we can demonstrate ways to increase capacity and reduce maintenance costs without even touching a locomotive.

To read more download our Strategic Railroading whitepaper.