Unique Venture Capital

About Us
Unique Venture Capital Management Company Limited, is an SME-focused private Venture Capital investment firm established in 2004 by 5 major Nigerian banks.
We aim to:                   Provide ''smart'' private equity and business finance to SMEs.            Encourage innovative Emerging Market entrepreneurs.            Boost economic growth in UVC’s operational area. Vision: Unleashing the power of Emerging Market Entrepreneurs for positive development. Strategic Intent:   Capitalising Economic Development by harnessing the power of Venture Capital / Private Equity financing in the development of African Entrepreneurs to achieving triple bottom line enterprises, whilst creating value for our stakeholders.   The Fund UVC was primarily conceived to manage, amongst other funds, the funds set aside by its owner institutions under the Nigerian SMEEIS scheme and application of the fund is strictly in adherence to the SMEEIS guidelines. UVC realises this obligation through the “UVC SMEEIS Fund”. UVC, the company, has now moved a notch up to add on and manage other VC funds. Currently, UVC manages: A. UVC SMEEIS funds Overview Target Fund Size : N6 billion Commitments Target Investment Size                        : Up to N200 million Typical Equity Ownership                  : Up to 40% Minimum Investment Return              : 30% Geographic Focus                                 : Nigeria Sector Focus                                       : General, but excludes trading and financial services Real Sector (60%), Services (30%), Microfinance (10%) Governance Structure                          : Board of Advisory Committee comprising recognised institutional shareholders Board Investment Committee comprising the Chairmen/CEO of our investor companies Investment Types : Early stage (Start-up to first-stage) Expansion financing Acquisition and Management buy-outs Investment Criteria : Companies with captive markets and sustainable growth in per capita consumption Emerging and high growth industries Investments with Keiretsu fit to our portfolio companies Possible high export opportunities Possible multiplier-effect and SME spin-offs B. West Africa Venture Funds (WAVF)   Overview     The Fund : West Africa Venture Fund LLC Region : Liberia and Sierra Leone Term : 10 Years Fund Size : US$40million Investment Size : US$100,000 – US$500,000 Target Returns : 20 – 30% Sector Focus : : General, all commercial sectors not in the IFC/World Bank exclusion list. Governance Structure : Investment Committee comprising at least five members constituted by the General Partner Advisory Board comprising at least five members constituted by the Limited partners Core Values Professionalism Integrity Empathy Core Purpose UVC aims to be the frontrunner in the provision of Venture Capital to small and medium–sized enterprises in West Africa by leveraging on the strong heritage of our owner institutions to deploy an on-ground local experience-based strategy, building a world class team and operating within the highest professional and ethical standards to deliver attractive triple bottom line returns to our clients and investors.  http://www.uvcmc.com/our_company.htm

Investing in Africa: Hitting Highs and Lows on a Rapidly Developing Continent

"Let’s get one thing straight, some of the entrepreneurs I’ve encountered in Africa are among the best I’ve ever met. The fantastic DIY attitude and incredible amount of motivation are driving the developing continent faster than ever before. I’m intrigued by homegrown startups like BRCK, which is creating a router that can run without electricity, and Kopo Kopo, which is removing friction for SMEs in adopting mobile payments.

Unsurprisingly, IDC predicts investments in African tech will increase this year, with both public and private spending in the sector rising. 2014 holds the potential for African companies to continue along the road of rapid growth, yet there’s one element African entrepreneurs think is holding them back — funding...."

 http://venturebeat.com/2014/06/19/investing-in-africa-hitting-highs-and-lows-on-a-rapidly-developing-continent/?utm_content=buffer49e9e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Keet van Zyl Interview - Sources of financial support for entrepreneurs

"Keet van Zyl from Knife Capital discusses viable sources of financial support for entrepreneurs. Knife Capital is an independent third party fund manager focusing on high growth, high impact technology-enabled businesses from South Africa and other frontier economies across Sub-Saharan Africa...."

 http://iono.fm/e/85969