East Africa Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) recently hosted the EAVCA Industry Awards 2019. The winners were announced at the East Africa Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) Annual Gala Dinner and Industry Awards night held on Friday, 29 November 2019.
The event recognizes the best in Private Equity and Venture Capital in East Africa and is now in its second year. The awards are based on a peer review system where the member firms, in the region, are invited to vote for the best in category through an online platform.
Among the winners on the night included Sheel Gill (the former Head of Deal Advisory and Strategy, KPMG East Africa) who received the East Africa Leadership Award and Martha Osier (Director, Adenia Partners), the Woman Investor Award.
The private equity and venture capital space in East Africa has grown in recent years and the region continues to attract investment from both PE and VC investor. The recorded average rate of return from investments is estimated at between 17% and 23%. The total number of private equity funds across the region has increased to over 130 from 97 recorded in 2017/2018. On the other hand, EAVCA’s membership grew by 22 over this past year.
Here are the EAVCA Industry Awards 2019 winners;
1. East Africa Leadership Award
Sheel Gill
2. Woman Investor Award
Martha Osier
3. Legal Advisor Award
ALN Kenya | Anjarwalla & Khanna (A&K)
4. Financial Advisor Award
I&M Burbidge Capital & EY
5. Exit Award
AHL Venture Partners (Twiga Foods)
6. Impact Investment Firm Award
DOB Equity (Mr Green Africa, Moringa School, CropNuts, Jibu, NEI)
7. Large Cap Deal Award (above $50M)
AfricInvest/Catalyst Principal Partners (Prime Bank)
8. Mid Cap Deal Award (between $10M – $50M)
Adenia Partners (Quick Mart / Tumaini)
9. Small Cap Deal Award (upto $10M)
Chandaria Capital (Savannah Brands) & Creadev International (Twiga Foods)
EAVCA also presented the Special Recognition Award to Ayisi Makatiani for his tireless support and commitment to the association’s goals in building the local industry. He played a part in EAVCA’s founding as well as serving as its Chairperson from 2017 – 2019.
The East Africa Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) is a business association that represents the voice of private investors in East Africa. The association was formed in 2013 by seven founding private equity funds. They included: Abraaj Capital, Acumen Fund, AfricInvest, Centum, Catalyst Principal Partners, Fanisi Capital, and TBL Mirror Fund. Today, EAVCA has a membership of 80 entities comprising: development finance institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, and intermediary advisory firms. The association represents approximately USD 4.1billion in funds under management, looking at investments in scalable enterprises within the Eastern Africa region.