WIC Capital

Overview

Established in March 2019 by the Women's Investment Club (WIC) Senegal, WIC Capital is the first investment fund in the Francophone West African region dedicated exclusively to women-led enterprises. The fund brings together both local and international institutional and individual investors to invest in women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. WIC Capital invests through a mix of equity and quasi-equity in companies from all sectors that are founded by women, at least 50% owned or run by women, or have a managerial team that is predominantly female. The fund's mission is to unlock the full potential of women-led businesses in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire by providing tailored financing, technical assistance, and business support. This approach offers a platform for collaboration between local private and public sector actors to shape the gender-lens investing landscape in the region. WIC Capital also established WIC Académie, an initiative designed to provide women-led SMEs with the tools necessary to achieve significant and sustainable growth. WIC Académie offers pre- and post-investment support, working with a large group of women-led businesses and capitalizing on the expertise of WIC members, technical partnerships with local and international organizations, and external expertise to provide high-caliber coaching and technical assistance to African women entrepreneurs. WIC Capital has gained the confidence of institutional and individual investors with whom it co-invests via syndicates governed by a shareholders' agreement, allowing for risk sharing and mobilization of local capital. The fund's impact targets include developing a pool of high-performing women-focused businesses, creating 1,750 direct jobs, increasing the participation of women in private sector growth, financing 11 small and growing businesses, making syndicate and angel investing models a common financing mechanism, and generating $25 million in total annual revenue sales for the small and growing businesses funded. The fund's portfolio includes companies in sectors such as agriculture, energy, food and beverages, international trade, IT - digital, communication and marketing, financial services, strategy and advisory, consumer goods, cosmetics, distribution, e-commerce, industrial, and specialized personal services.