Mission Statement
We make targeted investments to establish and grow high-potential, entrepreneurial companies in strategic industries across Southern Africa.
Introduction
Mukana Global is building world-class businesses in a diversified and sustainable fashion – all from African soil. We are motivated by the premise that, for too long, stakeholders of various shapes and sizes have not fully participated in our planet's rapid progress. The world of the private equity dealmaker and that of the social entrepreneur often do not mix. There is still a massive disconnect between the importance of women in the traditional labor force and their underrepresentation in commercial ventures. As we face the challenges of our time, all of this can change. With a clear vision, we have drawn from the best elements of investment practice, entrepreneurship, and progressive governance to bring you something truly different.
Armed with a unique cultural fluency, Mukana is creating strong, lasting enterprises in the world’s few remaining “emerging markets.” This is not just another investment idea from Wall Street. Nor is it another local venture with questionable practices. We have serious homegrown talent, building serious homegrown companies that understand how to combine “best practices” with “doing business in Africa”.
Reconciling the two is not easy. But we are trying.
Mukana is young, dynamic, and very different. We are trying to fix complex problems and generate profit in the process. You will see this reflected in our business models. Mukana companies tackle difficult projects, including those that no one has touched before. The team’s diversity of origins, ages, and professional backgrounds is a formidable asset. To date, we have not met another group operating in Africa with quite the same breadth of resources.
We could use your help.
If you are looking for the last pockets of growth on Earth, if you have something to contribute, or if you simply want to make a difference, please connect with us. We have not turned down a meeting yet.
Armed with a unique cultural fluency, Mukana is creating strong, lasting enterprises in the world’s few remaining “emerging markets.” This is not just another investment idea from Wall Street. Nor is it another local venture with questionable practices. We have serious homegrown talent, building serious homegrown companies that understand how to combine “best practices” with “doing business in Africa”.
Reconciling the two is not easy. But we are trying.
Mukana is young, dynamic, and very different. We are trying to fix complex problems and generate profit in the process. You will see this reflected in our business models. Mukana companies tackle difficult projects, including those that no one has touched before. The team’s diversity of origins, ages, and professional backgrounds is a formidable asset. To date, we have not met another group operating in Africa with quite the same breadth of resources.
We could use your help.
If you are looking for the last pockets of growth on Earth, if you have something to contribute, or if you simply want to make a difference, please connect with us. We have not turned down a meeting yet.
Our History
Mukana Global was born out of a shared vision for next-generation investments in Africa. Its affiliate, The Vavaki Group started as a private equity-style management vehicle operating in Zimbabwe and the Southern African region. There was a quick realization, however, that if you want to do something right, you need to do it yourself. This is just as true in Africa as elsewhere on the planet.
Rather than invest in existing businesses (which Vavaki still does), Mukana’s aim was to tackle specific opportunities by building teams from scratch, from the ground up. This is almost never done in Africa and rarely done in private equity. It therefore required a whole new approach. Seed-financed by FPXA Holdings AG and drawing upon Vavaki’s early experiences, the Mukana brand was created.
It means “chance” or “opportunity” in the Shona language.
The idea was to identify market dislocations or projects, for which we would be able to assemble a first-class team. The focus was never on the easiest or most obvious opportunities. Instead, Mukana gravitated towards macro-scalable projects, many of which happen to be uphill battles. These are challenging ventures but, if they work, truly ground-breaking.
After years of exploration, Mukana was fortunate enough to find a vast, diverse pool of talent to run its companies. In some cases, we met the people first, and they introduced us to an idea. In other cases, we identified a market opportunity first and then spent months assembling the right team. We are still unsure as to whether it was through hard work or luck that we stumbled upon so many remarkable individuals. It was clear, however, that we could not let the talent go to waste.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference on this scale. We chose to leave the confines of the status quo in order to invest in high-growth African ventures.
We are still on the look-out for new ideas and we are constantly looking to expand our team.
Rather than invest in existing businesses (which Vavaki still does), Mukana’s aim was to tackle specific opportunities by building teams from scratch, from the ground up. This is almost never done in Africa and rarely done in private equity. It therefore required a whole new approach. Seed-financed by FPXA Holdings AG and drawing upon Vavaki’s early experiences, the Mukana brand was created.
It means “chance” or “opportunity” in the Shona language.
The idea was to identify market dislocations or projects, for which we would be able to assemble a first-class team. The focus was never on the easiest or most obvious opportunities. Instead, Mukana gravitated towards macro-scalable projects, many of which happen to be uphill battles. These are challenging ventures but, if they work, truly ground-breaking.
After years of exploration, Mukana was fortunate enough to find a vast, diverse pool of talent to run its companies. In some cases, we met the people first, and they introduced us to an idea. In other cases, we identified a market opportunity first and then spent months assembling the right team. We are still unsure as to whether it was through hard work or luck that we stumbled upon so many remarkable individuals. It was clear, however, that we could not let the talent go to waste.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference on this scale. We chose to leave the confines of the status quo in order to invest in high-growth African ventures.
We are still on the look-out for new ideas and we are constantly looking to expand our team.
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Mukana | Global
a next generation partnership of African companies
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