C4D PARTNERS
We believe that fair economic development contributes to economic inclusion and the improvement of people´s perspectives in underserved communities. With our investments we aim for risk-adjusted market rate financial returns together with social returns for underserved communities.
Capital 4 Development Partners B.V. (C4D Partners) is an Impact Fund Manager structured as a private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. C4D Partners is the Fund Manager of the Capital 4 Development Asia Fund (C4D Asia Fund). We have local team in our focus countries, India, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The Fund Manager is registered with the Dutch Financial Authorities regulator (AFM) as an Alternative Investment Fund Manager or AIFM. The Fund Manager is exempt from the obligation to obtain a license to manage investment institutions and to offer participation rights in investment institutions on the basis of article 2:66a of the Dutch Act on Financial Supervision (Wft).
OUR JOURNEY
The team of C4D Partners has been working together since 2012. Starting with two employees and a lot of bold ideas, the team has grown to a balanced group of about 14 investment professionals working in country teams based in The Netherlands, India, Philippines and Indonesia.
C4D Partners started initially as an Impact Fund Manager that was focused on SME financing in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Starting in 2013 we have invested about USD 15 million in over 30 SMEs worldwide in a period of 3 years. This intense period gave us the opportunity and the learning curve on what it takes to be effective in financing SMEs in multiple countries and sectors in often in challenging conditions.
Our experiences in these initial years, provided us with the insights and learnings to develop the investment strategy for a new SME Fund. We combined years of hands on investment expertise in SME investing with the experience we gained in practice that SMEs do have the power to grow inclusive economies, into a solid investment strategy for the C4D Asia Fund. The strategy for the C4D Asia Fund is able to deliver both lasting impact and a risk-adjusted market rate return for investors.
Our team is convinced that building inclusive economies, where the wellbeing of people and taking care of the environment go hand in hand with economic principles, is a good strategy to improve the lives of underserved communities, reduce poverty and inequalities and preserve our planet for future generations. This way we can contribute with our work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
PORTFOLIO SUPPORT PROGRAM
We know how SMEs are challenged to upscale their growing and inclusive businesses, and reach financial sustainability, which limits their positive social-economic impact at the same time. C4D Partners addresses these stumbling blocks, by offering Business Development Support (BDS) to help SMEs to scale up, improve their performance rates, increase their positive social-economic impact, and decrease investment risks at the same time.
Through our Portfolio Support Program, investees will receive focused support, such as coaching, small financial contributions for specific (technical) assistance, access to additional local and international networks, knowledge and expertise and links to strategic partners. To provide these services we seek partnerships with international as well as local organisations, advisory agencies, business training centres, network hubs, etc. The support is paid for from a separate Facility, the C4D Investee Support Foundation.
Each year, we bring our portfolio companies together for training, peer-to-peer networking and to discuss specific support needs.
OUR TEAM
We have learned that being close to our clients is important. Therefore we have built teams of experienced investment professionals in all countries where we invest. The local operational structures allow us to identify promising investment opportunities and make solid assessments of those that take into account the so relevant ‘local’ aspects of a deal. During the investment phase, our local investment teams provide support to our portfolio companies and help them to achieve their business goals. With our regional experience, network, organizational set up and reputation we are well positioned to achieve our impact goals through working with local SMEs.
Sowmya Arunkumar
Principal
Bangalore, India
"Impact investing is the change engine the world has been waiting for."
Arvind Agarwal
Co-Founder, CEO
Bangalore, India
"There is risk in everything, how we mitigate it, is how we are differentiated."
Marcel Neutel
Co-Founder, Partner
Jakarta, Indonesia
"Investing money is easy, creating value is where it gets exciting."
HOW WE WORK
We are hands on investment professionals. We work closely with the entrepreneurs that we believe in and finance. We are keen to build trustworthy relationships with our portfolio companies that last and will ensure a cooperative partnership, also in challenging times.
