About

Alitheia IDF drives growth in African SMEs by leveraging gender-balanced businesses to generate high returns and impact

A Pioneering Private Equity Fund
Alitheia IDF is a pioneering private equity fund that identifies, invests in, and grows SMEs led by gender-diverse teams to achieve solid financial returns and tangible social impact for communities in Africa.

From their offices in Lagos and Johannesburg, we invest in six countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

They invest in sectors that engage a significant percentage of women, either as entrepreneurs, producers, distributors or consumers. Some of these sectors are: Agribusiness, Consumer Goods, Health, Education, Creative Industries, and Financial and Business services.

Strategy and Impact

Achieving market rate returns while supporting female entrepreneurs

Investment Thesis
“Companies with a greater share of women on their boards of directors and executive committees tend to perform better financialy... In Africa, companies in the top quartile with regards to women’s representation on executive committees outperformed industry EBIT margins by 14% on average”… - McKinsey 'Women Matter Africa' (2016)

Central to Alitheia IDF's investment strategy is the development of well-run, well-positioned, attractive businesses where value is realized through gender diversity, good governance and operational improvements.

They are the only private equity fund manager in Africa prioritizing growth stage companies which have gender diversified management teams with the vision and potential to scale regionally and drive economic and social transformation. They invest to create superior returns by leveraging on women as successful business leaders.

Impact
To deliver economic and social impact we employ a gender lens alongside their rigorous investment process. This means they seek to provide economic power to women as producers, users of essential services, and entrepreneurs.

Gender lens investing means providing economic power to women as producers, users of essential services, and entrepreneurs.

They invest in value chains that create wealth across the rural, urban and income divide.

By investing in high performing gender diverse teams they create value in African women and girls, African communities, African productivity, African value addition, and African solutions.

Team
The two principals have a combined 40 years+ track record in investing and business development in Africa.
The team has a demonstrable track record investing across Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Lesotho, as well as experience in Francophone and Eastern Africa, and beyond the continent. They have also concluded M&A deals with combined values in excess of $5 billion.