PROFILE

FOCUS
The Women Private Equity Fund 1 (WPEF) is focused on the empowerment of women in business, which includes women entrepreneurs, women employees and broad based women's groupings. As a private equity fund, WPEF is able to make equity investments which can create, facilitate or enable gender empowerment in business.

MECHANICS
WPEF seeks to acquire shareholdings of between 20% and 49% in high growth businesses operating in South Africa. We seek commercially sound investments that have the ability to generate an internal rate of return (IRR) in excess of 30% p.a.

EMPOWER & ENABLE.
Any investment transaction involving WPEF, should contribute to the economic empowerment of women.
Examples of such empowerment include the provision of risk capital to women in the business arena. This arena refers to any women owned business, any business with women in management, and businesses with a female market focus. In addition, the Fund aims to stimulate the process of gender empowerment and equality across the value chain in which businesses operate.

BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Preference is given to the economic empowerment of black women in line with the principles of Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). The Fund believes that true BEE will only be achieved where broad based groupings are introduced at an ownership level and black women are leading the troops from an executive and management position. In line with the Department of Trade & Industry’s BEE Codes of Good Practice, a WPEF investment could enhance a company’s points on their BEE scorecard for direct empowerment (ownership, voting and management).