WIC Capital

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.