Investisseurs & Partenaires (“I&P”) and Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship (“Miller Center”) have entered into a strategic partnership designed to strengthen capacity-building for entrepreneurs across African countries.
I&P and Miller Center both champion the growth of entrepreneurs through acceleration and incubation programs, imparting business skills to entrepreneurs through targeted training, networking, and mentoring opportunities. Through this partnership, mentoring and training will be extended to I&P’s extensive portfolio of over 200 African entrepreneurs.
Two drivers of change in African entrepreneurship
I&P has over twenty years of experience successfully investing in and supporting African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the early-stage spectrum, having financed nearly 300 SMEs through various programs, including sector-specific incubation initiatives and commercial private equity funding. I&P stands as a leader in French-speaking African countries. These nations typically draw the smallest share of capital flows and often feature substantial informal economic sectors, making the impact of SMEs crucial for economic growth and development. I&P enhances its initiatives with an entrepreneur network called the African Club of Entrepreneurs, gathering more than 100 entrepreneurs across Africa.
Miller Center is a global leader in the social entrepreneurship movement, with a special focus on emerging markets, including multiple African countries. Since 2003, Miller Center has accelerated more than 1,400 social enterprises across 100 countries, primarily from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Located at Santa Clara University, Miller Center’s world-class programs blend tailored curriculum with guidance from executive mentors from Silicon Valley’s West Coast ecosystem.
Collaborating for entrepreneurial empowerment: a strategic alliance between I&P and Miller Center
The partnership falls under Miller Center’s Community Partners Program. This program enables Miller Center and its partners to share technical knowledge and training resources, grow the pipeline of investment-ready enterprises, and expand access to Miller Center’s accelerator programs and global network of social enterprise leaders.
Under this newly forged partnership, both I&P and Miller Center will amplify the number and quality of social enterprises in their respective programs, enhancing entrepreneur skillsets and raising awareness of their impact and programs. The collaboration offers a unique opportunity for heightened exposure of African entrepreneurs, providing them access to mentorship programs and networks in Silicon Valley and around the world.
“This partnership provides the opportunity to combine the mentoring and capacity building of Miller Center to the highly resilient entrepreneurs supported by I&P” said I&P’s co-CEOs, Jeremy Hajdenberg and Sebastien Boye.
“We’re looking forward to collaborating with I&P to grow our collective impact, support more entrepreneurs, and expand Miller Center’s reach in French-speaking Africa,” said Miller Center Executive Director Brigit Helms.
About Investisseurs et Partenaires (I&P)
Investisseurs & Partenaires is an impact investment group dedicated to African Small and Medium Enterprises, with ten African offices in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Uganda. Since its creation in 2002, I&P has invested and provided support for more than 250 companies, located in some 20 African countries, and operating in various sectors of activity. I&P provides capital, technical and strategic support to meet the growth needs of its portfolio companies.
Contacts: Eugenia Adofo (e.adofo@ietp.com), Clemence Bourrin (c.bourrin@ietp.com)
About Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
For over 25 years, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship has been a leader in the global social enterprise movement. With an emphasis on climate resilience and women’s economic power, it accelerates social entrepreneurship to end poverty and protect the planet, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Located at Santa Clara University, it fuses the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the university’s heritage of social justice, community engagement, and global impact. Miller Center has served more than 1,400 social entrepreneurs based in over 100 countries that are impacting hundreds of millions of lives.
Contact: Rhonda Brauer (rhonda@rbrauerconsult.com)
