Investors' Fair
A full-day investment event of a special kind: a unique combination of exhibitions, one-to-one business meetings and a conference. More than 500 meetings were held in Ouagadougou! Thank you all!
Thursday 21 October, from 9am to 5pm at the Kigali Convention Center, in the Auditorium Club on the 1st floor.
ALL TABLES FOR THE FAIR HAVE BEEN RESERVED. NO MORE REGISTRATIONS POSSIBLE.
What does the Investor Fair offer?
A highly efficient matchmaking platform for African, transparent MFIs and the major investors in the field of inclusive finance.
Why attend the Investor Fair?
The Investor Fair offers a unique opportunity to meet a wide variety of transparent, African MFIs and investors. It brings MFIs and the main investors in inclusive finance together to discuss business opportunities.
Both investors and MFIs will be able to optimize the time and money invested in business trips. For a full day, individual tables will all be grouped together in the same space. Participants will be able to meet business partners from different countries, all with a high potential impact for their organisations.
Who is the Fair for?
- Investors and other financial service providers interested in inclusive finance in Africa
- Small, medium and large African Microfinance Organisations, as well as banks providing financial services to low-income households.
B2match networking application: the engine behind the Investor Fair
B2match will offer MFIs the possibility of providing significant and transparent information about their organisation. This will allow investors to get a clear overview of their financial situation and of their current funding needs. Likewise, investors can present their organisation to the MFIs and share their investment priorities.
Based on this information, both investors and MFIs will be able to organise their own agendas and set up meetings with various relevant partners.
For both investors and MFIs, B2match will be accessible once they have registered for SAM.
How does it work?
The fair takes place for a day, mostly in the form of one-to-one meetings between investors and MFIs. The majority of these meetings are organised in advance through the networking application B2match.
At the fair, investors are provided with a table at which they can meet the MFIs that are most compatible with their investment priorities. This is also an opportunity to present institutions and their funding needs.
Participants are encouraged to organise the first meetings in the morning, and to keep them short, no longer than 30 minutes, to be able to meet the largest possible amount of relevant organisations.
The afternoon is generally devoted to free appointments between MFIs and investors or to further develop discussions started in the morning.
Finally, investors that sponsor the fair will be able to present their institutions and their mission to the public on stage.
What are the advantages for MFIs?
SAM is the largest event for microfinance professionals in Africa. This is a unique opportunity to showcase your work and to present your financial needs to improve your services and develop your institution.
For this reason, we strongly recommend that every MFI interested in participating in the fair complete their profile on B2match once they are registered for SAM.
What are the advantages for investors?
Investors have a unique opportunity to meet African MFIs from different countries and regions at once. In addition, these short, pre-organised meetings enable a first contact, which often leads to long-term, fruitful, joint ventures.
Participants' reviews from the 2019 Investor Fair
At the last SAM in 2019 in Ouagadougou, no less than 550 speed-dating sessions took place between 24 investors and 125 microfinance institutions from 27 different countries!
“The Investor Fair was the best part of the SAM because I was able to interact with investors, while immediately sharing experiences with other MFIs. It gave me the opportunity to meet investors and make several preliminary proposals for funding. It was surely worth the investment!”
Altemius Millinga, Managing Director of Yetu Microfinance Bank in Tanzania
“The Investor Fair is an efficient and useful arena where we can meet, match and discuss the big picture (and sometimes a few details), all in the time span of 20-minute meetings.”
Christian Ramm, Investment Director for the Nordic Microfinance Initiative
“I was pleased to find a wide range of MFIs, diverse in terms of anglophone versus francophone as well as a good continuum from larger, more mature institutions to smaller, younger institutions, including institutions with a very specific developmental impact.”
Ed Higenbottam, Managing Director of Verdant Capital
Interested in sponsoring the Investor Fair?
The sponsorship package for the Investor Fair is €6,000.
It includes the following advantages:
- 1 free stand at the Investor Fair
- 1 free registration for the whole SAM week
- Acknowledgment as sponsor during the opening of the Investor Fair
- 1 full-page advertisement in the SAM Agenda (ad to be provided by sponsor)
- Sponsor’s logo on all written communication materials related to the fair and on the SAM website
- Priority for choosing the MFIs with which the sponsor wishes to arrange a meeting
Interested in sponsoring? Please contact us: Elisa Dolci - e.dolci@ada-microfinance.lu