Founded in 2001, the SEAF Sichuan SME Investment Fund (SSIF) was established to fill the shortage of growth capital available to private enterprises in the Sichuan province.
The fund was launched to help the region’s most dynamic businesses grow and with the ultimate goal of contributing to China’s economic development. Despite the fact that private enterprises in China generate an average annual employment rate of 25% compared to a declining employment rate in the state-owned and collective sectors, these companies face dramatic shortages in essential financing.
SSIF invested in promising companies based in or primarily operational in the Sichuan Province and its neighboring provinces. Historically referred to as the “Province of Abundance,” the region is both a major agricultural and industrial center of China. When Deng Xiaoping took power in 1978, Sichuan was one of the first provinces to undergo limited experimentation with free enterprise.
Through direct investment, SSIF supported the sustainable growth of small and growing businesses in China’s new and dynamic private enterprise market. SEAF is working to demonstrate the potential of a privatized economy to generate wealth while creating impressive economic and social development through the success of these companies. Targeting high-growth sectors, the fund invested in companies with dedicated managers, attractive entry multiples, and strong growth potential. SSIF counted among its investments two snack food producers, a water treatment facility, and a leading construction materials manufacturer.
