Uganda to host start-up gala

By John Sambo
Monday, May 25, 2015

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KAMPALA, Uganda - Venture capitalists, people whose business is to financially back promising enterprises, are converging on Kampala in June at the invitation of the Uganda Investment Authority.

Uganda will host the Kampala Private Equity and Venture Capitalist Conference 2015 between June 24 and 25, 2015. This will be the first of its kind and will focus on providing alternative sources and financing for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

According to a statement, the growth and development of SMEs, is among government’s key priority areas which has been hampered by lack of affordable and appropriate finance for the investment growth and expansion of businesses. This state necessitates alternative funding solutions which should be more appropriate and more affordable than traditional funding options.

These solutions are from another section of the private sector; and they provide a win-win situation. In this case, private equity firms and venture capitalists (individual or firms) look for viable businesses in which to invest their capital and business management practices, while SMEs looking for more than capital in form of money benefit from the partnership, through access to new technology markets and better management practices.

The SME focus of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) is to strengthen the existing businesses and encourage start-ups through strategies that strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs and encourage the consumption of locally produced goods and services. One of the ways to do this is to provide alternative solutions for the funding problem, hence the upcoming Kampala Private Equity and Venture Capitalist Conference 2015.

This conference will provide a platform to enable networking with a high quality mix of venture capitalists and private equity firms so that deals can get done. Ugandan SMEs in attendance will benefit from experts and regulatory professionals who will provide an insight into the status of their businesses and possibilities on what can be done to tap into all opportunities presented by the market. We hope funding arrangements between the SMEs and PE and VC firms will be concluded during the conference.

UIA invites interested Private Equity and Venture Capitalist Firms in Africa to attend this conference and get an insight into this unexplored viable investment opportunity.

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