Spoken Word with Emi Mahmoud

We go beyond the hype of venture building and block buster investment deals, back to the fundamentals of what it takes to build a large successful enterprise in Africa that can outlive the founders, generate sustained returns and become global players. How are incumbents keeping up with the competition and dynamism of well funded startups? How do muti generational businesses in Africa engage long term levers of governance, ESG and sustainability? What can we learn from the often silent contributors to our economies as we build the companies of the future today? This panel will delve into these pertinent questions from a myriad of perspectives from CEOs of multi generational billion dollar family businesses, corporate venture builders, and Africa's leading PE investors.

Although Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA)— where entrepreneurs search for and acquire small, stable, cash-flow positive businesses with the intention to grow them over time—is becoming more popular, few “search funds” have been established in Africa. Indeed, there has been limited data to support the case for investing in African search funds and the benefits of this novel asset class. Still, ETA remains uniquely positioned to unlock value, find new talent, and accelerate the growth and development of SMEs—particularly family businesses—across the continent. This panel will focus on three key questions: (1) What makes Africa ripe for the growth of search funds? (2) How can the North American search fund model function on the continent? (3) What are the dynamics of operating and growing businesses under this model?

Real estate can be a vehicle to leap the African middle-class into financial prosperity. The challenges are recognizing the barriers, finding new opportunities, and enabling access. In this session, we will cover the needs for better planning, construction, and access through the lens of people involved in both the public and private spaces. We will conclude with practical guidelines for investing in affordable real estate from within and beyond the African borders at the personal and institutional level. Affordable does not mean low-quality; it means scalable and replicable for the masses. Innovators are making a difference through new construction-technologies, collaborating with government to minimize risks, and bringing unique means to connect capital for developers, buyers, and investors.