Investisseurs & Partenaires

Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) is an impact investing group created by Patrice Hoppenot in 2002 and headed by Jean-Michel Severino since 2011. M. Severino previously worked as CEO of the French Development Agency (2001-2010) and as Vice-President of the World Bank for Asia (1996-2000).

I&P team comprises about twenty collaborators in Paris and in its six African offices in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Senegal.

MISSION

I&P’s goal is to support the development of responsible and profitable African SMEs. These enterprises create local added value and long-term employment, and generate important social, environmental and governance impact.

Since 2002, I&P has supported more than 50 companies, located in 15 African countries and operating in various sectors of activity. This has generated the creation or maintenance of more than 2,600 jobs, as well as annual growth rates of 24% in the investee companies.

FUNDS

I&P manages two financial vehicles: (1) IPDEV (EUR 11 million, 33 investees and 8 exits) largely focused on smaller enterprises, and (2) IPAE (EUR 54 million, 20 investees to date), catering slightly larger businesses. 

I&P is starting a new venture, IPDEV2, conceived as an incubating system able to sustainably support very small enterprises and start-ups, with investment needs between EUR 30,000 and 300,000. IPDEV2 aims to create ten local investment funds in ten African countries. 

INVESTMENT STRATEGY

I&P manages a range of financial instruments (minority equity participation, quasi-equity, loans, etc.) to invest in these companies.

I&P provides capital, technical and strategic support to meet the growth needs of its portfolio companies. The I&P team develops long term partnerships with entrepreneurs, sharing management expertise and knowledge that is useful for improving business strategy, structuring, and success.

ONGOING PROJECTS

• Publication of the handbook “Investing in Africa’s Small and Growing Businesses”, edited by I&P, the ANDE, INSEAD Business School and Ernst & Young. Its objective is to foster the development of early-stage SME investment in Africa. Find out more on the article published on VC4A