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2017 is Over? Enjoy Some of Our Favorite Photos
By Laura Davis | Tue Dec 26 2017
As we stand on the brink of a new year, it’s one of our habits at RENEW to look back at the milestones we passed over the last 12 months. So with a nod towards the challenges inherent in our work and a grateful acknowledgment to our team for their dedication to being trailblazers, here are some of the highlight for RENEW in 2017.
- January – We started the year with our annual partners planning session in Colorado. It was a snowy and productive time in the mountains.
- February – We had a great Econ-Tourism Trip in Ethiopia. We also traveled to Gheralta to experience Ethiopia's ancient ruins, and conducted a private equity seminar in Mekele. If you haven’t been to Gheralta, put it on your list!
- March – We met with investors in New York City, Toronto, and Vancouver to share about impact investing and helping SMEs access finance in Ethiopia through The Exchange. The Ethiopia team also conducted a private equity seminar in Dire Dawa.
- April – We traveled to Seattle, SFO, Denver and Delaware for more meetings with investors. Phew, we spend a lot of time on planes. Several members of RENEW’s international team got their feet wet with on the ground work in Ethiopia.
- May – We started two training programs that were a long time in the making. We rolled out our first cohorts for the CFO100 and The Exec’s Program. Each ran for three months. Additionally, throughout the year, we trained around 250 companies on private equity in Addis and other cities. A new cohort for CFO100 starts in January 2018, so let us know if you are interested.
- June – We did a lot of training and portfolio management work.
- July – RENEW’s Impact Angel Network crossed the 100-member mark!
- August – We finished the CFO100 and The Exec's Program.
- September – We hosted another great group for an Econ-Tourism Trip.
- October – Was our third National Gathering! This year it was held at the Embassy of Canada in DC with special guest Marcus Samuellson.
- November – RENEW and the IAN became the most active private equity investor in Ethiopia, when we closed our 9th investment in our 8th company: Roadrunner Technologies, a partner to Deliver Addis. Go Feleg! The Ethiopia team also conducted a private equity seminar in Dire Dawa.
- December – We finished the year the way we started it, with a snowy planning session in Colorado and gearing up for a big 2018. We also celebrated with some distributions from companies and a lot of annual planning work across our portfolio.
Overall, we saw growth in our portfolio, and our companies supported more than 2,000 jobs. Throughout the year, we enjoyed connecting with members of the Impact Angel Network in Ethiopia and around the world. We are grateful to our partners in Ethiopia and the Government of Canada who make our work in Ethiopia possible, and to the inspirational entrepreneurs leading our companies.
We raise a toast to our investors, our partners, our entrepreneurs, our team…and to our vision where people see Africa as a land of opportunities (not problems). Here's to a big 2018.
Matthew Davis, Tom Scriven, Laura Davis, Tristan Pelham-Webb, Justin Reesor, Erin O’Connor, Neteesh Dohare, Prasoon Raghuwanshi, Sandy Hung, Lulit Negash, Teshager Demissie, Renata Makhoul , Yoseph Getachew, Tsegamlak Solomon
Renew Capital is an Africa-focused impact investment firm that backs innovative companies with high-growth potential. Renew Capital manages investments made on behalf of the Renew Capital Angels, a global network of angel investors, foundations and family offices who seek financial returns and sustainable social impact. For the latest on investing in Africa, subscribe and follow us at our social links below.
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