VPB attends corporate venturing symposium
Staff Writer | Wednesday June 4, 2014 16:43
Now the leading event for Global Corporate Venturing professionals and already in its fourth year, the Symposium has experienced exponential growth since its inception in 2011. The Symposium this year attracted an even more enviable list of speakers and international senior delegates.
Part of a discussion panel on “Markets to watch in sub-Saharan Africa and role of CVC in these markets”, VPB Managing Director, Anthony Siwawa, shed greater insight into the growing contribution and interest in Private Equity and Corporate Venture Capital within Botswana and the SADC region.
Commented Siwawa, “The Global Corporate Venturing Symposium has developed an incredible platform for what is now an increasingly strong and diverse industry across the continent. Being around like-minded industry professionals allows us to debate on issues pertinent to the private equity space, share key concepts, and make a concerted effort towards growing this industry. In the markets in which VPB operates, including Botswana and Namibia, there is ample room for greater understanding and growth.
Forums like this help inspire and equip us as professionals to make greater strides in that direction and understand the nuanced, unique climate that each of the sub-Saharan Africa markets offer in their own right.”
The theme for this year’s Symposium, “Pushing the frontiers of venture capital – creating a sustainable ecosystem from the Golden Age”, sought to work towards venture capital as a more stable pursuit that learns to live with its history of cyclicality. Key themes discussed included how to find a more sustainable way of doing business with such considerations as women in the workplace, the development of accelerators, and striving to create a more decent environment for communities as well as the wider world.
“In a local context, there are a great many different factors at play that see what many may find to be a surprising number of sub-Saharan Africa markets poised for success. When we look at markets such as Zambia and Mozambique, we can anticipate an impressive if not unprecedented growth in the next five to 10 years. How we position firms within the context of that journey against that economic background towards success is key to our success as a Private Equity firm,” concluded Siwawa.