Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF) is an investment management group that provides growth capital and business assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging and transition markets underserved by traditional sources of capital. Through our network of offices around the world, we invest in entrepreneurs to seek to build successful businesses, hoping to realize both attractive returns for our investors and a measurable development impact in local communities.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) generally occupy the space between micro-enterprises and large corporations. An often ill-defined space, definitions of what constitutes an SME vary greatly across industries, governments and financial institutions. The most commonly accepted definitions focus on the number of people a company employs or the company’s annual revenue (turnover). Using these conventional categories, the companies that SEAF invests in generally employ between 20 and 250 people and have  annual revenues of between $200,000 and $15 million; however, these ranges differ greatly for different investment vehicles, industry sectors and countries. 

SEAF’s experience is that direct investment in SMEs supports sustainable economic development. We have seen first-hand that facilitating the growth of these companies by providing access to risk capital and business assistance can empower a company to overcome the impediments to its growth and lead to its production of higher value-added products or services for both domestic and international consumers, while accelerating the development of its surrounding community. SME investment leverages promising businesses to catalyze socioeconomic growth and entrepreneurship in local communities and markets.  When done correctly and sustainably, such investment also  producessignificant returns for our investors.

SEAF South Balkan Fund is a private equity fund managed by SEAF, investing in private companies in Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Apart from financing, the fund’s core activities include providing companies with hands-on operational support and global business contacts that can accelerate their growth and profitability.

Activities
SEAF South Balkan Fund is an active equity partner in portfolio companies, providing them with the following value-added assistance:

> Improving management practices and enhancing management team capacity through new hires.
> Accessing bank loans or alternative financing vehicles.
> Introducing new technologies in daily operations.
> Creating marketing campaigns.
> Providing financial and strategic advisory services.
> Providing valuable global business contacts.
> Hiring international experts to assist portfolio companies.