21 Dec SEAF’s 33rd Fund to invest in SMEs in Macedonia
SEAF Macedonia II press release FINAL 121812
Macedonia 2025 has partnered with Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF) to launch the SEAF Macedonia II Fund, with an official agreement signed on October 22, 2012 at the Macedonia Global Investment Summit 2012 held in Ohrid, Macedonia. The fund will focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in the region, providing risk capital financing and technical support to select businesses across a range of industries.
Macedonia 2025, a group of successful entrepreneurs and executives in private business globally with strong Macedonian roots, will be the anchor investor in the Fund, together with SEAF itself. The Fund, SEAF Macedonia II, will target a fund size of USD $15 million. The Fund will make risk capital investments across a range of sectors, focusing on healthcare, technology, energy, agribusiness, and retail. SEAF, a global fund manager with over 20 years of experience, will manage the fund and will be a secondary investor.
“This is the first Fund of its kind”, said Mike Zafirovski, President of Macedonia 2025, “where the Diaspora is in the driving seat and the leading investor that put emphasis on the fatherland and the region.” As this will be a partnership amongst a Fund manager and Diaspora, Mr. Zafirovski commented on the unique structure of successful businessmen not only investing, but making their knowledge available on an as needed basis to Macedonian businesses: “Our Board of Directors is thrilled by the idea of providing assistance to SEAF in development of business leaders and successful businesses in Macedonia and also to enable them with access to our global business network.”
Mr. Hubertus van der Vaart, Executive Chairman of SEAF, believes the country is ready for a fresh source of capital: ““Macedonia has seen strong growth since 1995, is an outstanding country in the region, and we expect a better future for the country.” Mr. van der Vaart noted that SEAF’s first fund in the country, SEAF Macedonia I, was successfully launched in 1995 and closed with positive results for its portfolio companies.
- Macedonia 2025, a 501(c)(3) charity organization, works to position Macedonia as a preferred destination for foreign direct investment, promote transparency within government and corporate practices, and inspire future business leaders in Macedonia. http://www.macedonia2025.com
- SEAF is an SEC registered investment adviser to international private equity funds through which it has invested growth capital and provided business support to growth-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in frontier and emerging markets for over two decades. With assets under management (AUM) of USD 435 million, SEAF’s funds identify and support promising entrepreneurs while seeking to provide attractive returns to its investors. SEAF manages its funds through a network of 22 offices around the world, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
It should be noted that this material is not and should not be construed to be an offering of, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interest in any fund operated by SEAF. Any such offering or solicitation can only be made via the delivery of an offering memorandum. It should be noted that investments in SEAF funds are subject to significant risks, including the risk of total loss. Risk factors contained in the funds’ offering memoranda should be carefully reviewed. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns. All performance reflects the reinvestment of dividends and other investment income. All information regarding portfolio and geographic exposures are subject to change.