British International Investment

Sawari Ventures North Africa Fund I Cooperatief U.A.

EgyptTunisiaNorth AfricaCommunications & IT servicesConsumer - EducationConsumer - HealthConsumer - other servicesFinancial services

Sawari Ventures is venture capital fund manager based in Cairo,investing in knowledge and innovation-based technology companies across North Africa.

This investment was made when British International Investment was named CDC Group.

Our investment

Description of the investment.

This investment is part of our strategy to: (i) support local entrepreneurial ecosystems in our markets in order to build new businesses which create jobs, and; (ii) provide us access to early-stage companies that have the potential to create transformational impact at scale.

Sawari Ventures aims to catalyse Egypt's venture capital market. The fund will support the growth of innovative and scalable companies, improving access to economic opportunities and providing essential goods & services to businesses and consumers in Egypt.

Expected impact

Expected impact of investments made between 2012 and 2018. From 2019 onwards, we have published a fuller set of impact information, assessing each investment against six dimensions of impact.

Venture capital in Africa remains underfunded. By identifying, backing and helping the growth of innovative and scalable companies, Sawari Ventures Fund I is helping support a key element of a healthy and dynamic capital market which in turn supports economic growth, entrepreneurship and job creation.

Reporting and Complaints Mechanism

The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism allows anyone outside BII to report alleged breaches of the business integrity or environmental and social provisions of BII’s Policy on Responsible Investing. This includes breaches made by BII, a BII investee, or a portfolio company of a fund in which BII has invested. The Reporting and Complaints Mechanism Rules are available here. Reports and complaints can be submitted by email to reportsandcomplaints@bii.co.uk or by mail. See more details on our Reporting and Complaints Mechanism here.

For any other general enquiries contact us at enquiries@bii.co.uk

  • Key facts
    Last updated

    When the last quarterly update of the website database occurred.
    :
    June 2024
    Project number

    An identifier number shared by investments in the same project.
    :
    D2961
    Status

    The current status of the investment (green flag for active and red flag for exited).
    :
    Active
    Region

    The geographical region where the country is located. We currently invest in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and the Caribbean. In 2023, BII’s investment mandate was extended allowing it to invest in regional funds linked to Ukraine, with the majority of activity expected to begin post-war. Investments outside these regions were made prior to 2012 under previous investment mandates.
    :
    North Africa
    Sector

    We prioritise those sectors that facilitate development and need our capital the most. Our priority sectors contribute towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals. They range from investing in the power infrastructure that will provide people with better access to electricity, to investing in financial institutions that direct capital to the individuals and businesses that need it the most.

    :
    Communications & IT services, Consumer - Education, Consumer - Health, Consumer - other services, Financial services

    We provide capital in the following ways: directly – through direct equity, direct debt, guarantees and other non-intermediated financial instruments; and indirectly – principally through investment funds.

    For direct investments and fund investments, this is the date BII committed capital to the investments. This is typically the date on which legal agreements are signed by all parties.

    For the portfolio companies of our fund investments, this is the date (either the month or the quarter) on which the fund committed capital to the portfolio company.

    For direct equity investments, this is the date at which British International Investment exited the investment.

    For debt investments, this is the date at which the final debt repayment was made.

    For funds, this is the date at which the fund was terminated.

    For underlying fund investments, this is the date at which the fund manager exited the investment.

    The total amount committed, per financial instrument, per investment, on the date BII becomes subject to a binding legal obligation to provide funding or assume a contingent liability. This information is provided in US dollars.

    For direct investments, this is the amount that BII has committed to the business or project. For fund investments, this is the amount BII has committed to the fund.

    The currency in which the investment was made.
    Investment type :
    Fund
    Start date :
    November 2018
    Amount :
    $12m
    Currency of investment :
    USD
    Fund Manager:
    Sawari Ventures
    Domicile

    The company or investment fund’s place of incorporation.
    :
    Netherlands

    Download as PDF

    Click here to read our data guidance

Investments made by this fund into companies:

For further information about these companies, visit https://sawariventures.com/

Investment name Country Region Sector Start date Status
ADVA – First Systems for Integrated Applications Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services April 2022 Active
Almentor Holdings Egypt North Africa Consumer - Education December 2019 Active
Axis Pay BV Egypt North Africa Financial services July 2021 Active
Blnk B.V. Egypt North Africa Consumer - other services February 2022 Active
Brantu Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services June 2020 Active
Docspert Health Limited Egypt North Africa Consumer - Health December 2022 Active
Elves Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services February 2020 Active
Empoweromics Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services March 2021 Exited
Expandcart Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services September 2020 Active
Fatura Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services November 2020 Exited
Flat6Labs Cairo (FAC) Egypt North Africa Financial services November 2020 Active
Flat6Labs Tunis (Anava) Tunisia North Africa Financial services November 2020 Active
Fulfillment Bridge Tunisia North Africa Consumer - other services November 2021 Active
GoodsMart Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services May 2020 Active
Kashier Payments Holding Egypt North Africa Financial services November 2021 Active
MoneyFellows Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services February 2020 Active
Pearl Semiconductors Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services May 2021 Active
Proteinea Inc. Egypt North Africa Consumer - Health April 2022 Active
SiWare/Neospectra Egypt North Africa Consumer - Health September 2020 Active
Smart Transport Services and Applications Egypt North Africa Communications & IT services March 2019 Active

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