<h1 style="text-align:center;">Sesame: A Tiny Seed Has Great Potential in Ethiopia's Economy</h1>&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-left image_resized" style="width:32.94%;"><img src="/uploads/photo_sesame_0_7f156b2c73.jpg"></figure>In less than a decade, Ethiopia jumped from being a minor producer of sesame to one of the top five sesame producers in the world. At the same time, the international demand for sesame continues to increase every year. The world’s traded sesame seeds recently surpassed one million tons per year, valued at roughly $850 million. In the last 15 years, the world's trade in sesame has increased by nearly 80%. Sesame seeds are Ethiopia’s 2nd largest cash export crop behind coffee, and largest in terms of weight. The near-organic production practices enhance Ethiopia’s global reputation for producing high quality sesame.Ethiopia possesses favorable agro-climatic conditions for sesame production, as well as abundant land for agricultural activities. This makes the country one of the top raw sesame seed exporters in the world, supplying 14% of the global market for raw seeds. These seeds are then processed abroad. The domestic processing capacity in Ethiopia is currently quite limited, presenting a significant opportunity for investment. Currently Ethiopia is losing out on the opportunity to increase sesame revenues by mainly exporting seeds raw. Therefore, developing hulling facilities and other value addition facilities will position the country to grow its sesame market and better establish its international market position.Some target consuming markets of sesame such as the U.S. and Mexico primarily demand hulled sesame, which leaves Ethiopian sesame exporters unable to meet the requirements. RENEW is currently looking at existing sesame exporters and processors to identify investment opportunities. Such investments would help close the gap in revenue per ton between Ethiopian sesame and the global average in these hulled-sesame purchasing markets.Contact us at <a href="mailto:renew@renewcapital.com">renew@renewcapital.com</a> or follow us on Twitter @RENEWLLC to find out more.

A glimpse into Ethiopia's growing sesame market.

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Sesame: A Tiny Seed Has Great Potential in Ethiopia's Economy

<h1 style="text-align:center;">RENEW Builds Ethiopia Financial Industry Experts</h1>We are excited to announce that RENEW’s analysts, <a href="https://renewcapital.com/team/berkessa-behailu">Berkessa Behailu</a>, <a href="https://renewcapital.com/team/lulit-negash">Lulit Negash</a> and <a href="https://renewcapital.com/team/bethlehem-bogale">Bethlehem Bogale</a>, have completed the CFA Institute’s Claritas Program and are now official Claritas investment certificate holders.According to the CFA Institute’s website, the Claritas Program “covers the essentials of finance, ethics, and investment roles, providing a clear understanding of the global investment industry.”* The program entails approximately 100 hours of self-guided studying and prep work before taking a two-hour certificate exam, all within a six month time period.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/dsc_0707_2_11496aed22.jpg"></figure>I discussed the exam experience with Berkessa, Betty and Lulit recently:1) What was your motivation for registering for the Claritas Program and taking the investment certification exam? Berke: I've worked in the investment and consulting world for about six years now. My background is in business administration. Though I went through the basic trainings of market research and investment analysis, my skills are mostly developed through on the job experience. I wanted to assess if how I look at markets and analyze investments is in accordance with best practices used in more developed markets. Registering for Claritas program was the easiest way to assess my skills. Lulit: My motivation was to know more about the investment world and compare what is happening in the world with Ethiopia and how RENEW operates. Betty: I registered for the program because I wanted to understand more about the investment industry.2) Do you feel that you gained new knowledge from your prep work, and how is it applicable to your job at RENEW? Berke: Yes. In addition to being a refresher for the courses I took in college on financial analysis, Claritas has taught me new concepts about investment management, risk assessment, quantitative analysis and valuation. This directly relates to my job at RENEW as an analyst. It has enabled me to be more focused, detailed oriented and analytic in the analysis process, and evaluate investment opportunities more rigorously. I’ve added new tools and instruments in my assessment and can use additional ratios and indicators. Furthermore, even though it’s not yet applicable in Ethiopia, I’ve gained new knowledge of how the securities market functions, including the different players and their roles. It was quite interesting. Lulit: I have gained a good understanding of what investors look at while evaluating deals and what companies that are seeking investment should be doing in order to be successful. My work at RENEW is mainly focused on the portfolio companies, specifically growing the companies to generate returns for investors. So my studies supported how important it is for investment firms to help companies excel and generate positive returns for their investors. Betty: Yes, I did gain new knowledge. The prep work helped me to better understand the standard way of reporting to investors and have a deeper knowledge of the ethical standards I need to uphold as an investment analyst.3) What was the most difficult part in studying for the exam? Was it the self-guided studying or any of the industry concepts? And, how did you overcome those challenges? Berke: Overall, it wasn’t that difficult. But learning about investment structures and markets, which are not yet developed in Ethiopia was a little confusing. But, exploring real-life examples and reading news articles and stories concerning the lessons showed me their practicality. I watch TV shows like Shark Tank and Suits; such shows help me to understand how the lessons in Claritas can be applied in real-life scenarios. Also, it’s been a few years since university, where I had to study for and take exams, so disciplining myself to concentrate and study for hours was a challenge. I was able to adapt after struggling for a while. In addition, I was loaded with work because we were going through a closing process for one of our recent investments. So, I took a few days off from work before my exam, and reviewed my studies and took mock exams. I’m happy it worked out well. Lulit: I didn't face major challenges in my studies, but it has taught me how to better manage my time between work and studying; it’s about being disciplined. Since most of the exam subjects were related to investing, I was able to relate the concepts and compare them with what we are doing at RENEW. So, working in the investment industry helped me get a clear understanding of the subject matter. Betty: Since I was already operating as a professional in the investment industry, there wasn't much challenge with the prep work. The studying was pretty much self-guided and the mock exams helped me in managing my time.4) How do you plan to use your deeper understanding of financial industry essentials in the future? Berke: I’ve already made a few developments in the way I build financial models, assess investment risks and calculate business valuations. I hope to continually improve my analysis skills and help our investors make well-informed investment decisions. Taking the Claritas program exam has taken me one step closer to achieving this goal. Lulit: I am very interested to know more about the investment industry now that I’ve had this exposure. I plan to continuously read investment reports, take courses and also implement what I have learned in my work to see it in action. Betty: I plan to use my knowledge by making sure we don't run into any conflicts of interest, while managing the clients and reporting financial statements in a standardized way.We are incredibly proud of Berkessa, Betty and Lulit, the future of Ethiopia’s finance industry. They all worked diligently for their Claritas Program certificates, and they are already implementing their hard earned knowledge everyday at RENEW.If you are interested in joining a team that strives to be their best selves and brings a diverse set of skills to the table, then be sure to reach out and inquire about three job openings in our Ethiopia office: junior project manager, junior analyst and counsel.**<a href="https://www.cfainstitute.org/programs/claritas/Pages/index.aspx">CFA Institute: Claritas Program</a>

A Q&A session with RENEW’s analysts on their recent accomplishments with the Claritas Program.

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RENEW Builds Ethiopia Financial Industry Experts

<h1 style="text-align:center;">The Africa Beat</h1>Over the past few weeks, several articles have been published about impacting investing, investing in Africa and investing in Ethiopia. Here are a few of our favorite recent stories on these topics:<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/desktop7_914634394d.jpg"></figure>IMPACT INVESTINGCNN Money: Millennials are dreamers and doers - they not only seek to make the world a better place, but also pursue activities that positively impact the world around them, be it philanthropy or value-based investments. It should come as no surprise then that in a recent U.S. Trust survey of individuals with $3M or more in assets, “93% of Millennials believe social impact is key to their investing decisions.” And while Baby Boomers are a bit slower to hop on the impact investing bandwagon, 51% of responders believe impact investing is where they should allocate their portfolios. <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/26/investing/millennial-impact-investing/">Read More</a>.INVEST IN AFRICACFA Institute: Bob Geldof was the keynote speaker for the CFA Institute’s 69th Annual Conference, which took place in Montréal, Canada this year. During his keynote address, he challenged attendees to stop ignoring the continent that is full of innovation and is poised for massive economic growth. “There is only one place left on Earth where growth can start from almost zero! Why don’t you do it?” Many incite geo-political instability as the reason, which has been recently created by terrorists groups operating from the Middle East. But, what would happen if the West invested in those economies, and created jobs and opportunities for the Africans who fight for such groups? <a href="https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2016/05/16/bob-geldof-the-promise-of-africa/">Read More</a>.INVEST IN ETHIOPIAAfrican Business: Over the past several months, we’ve seen several negative headlines regarding Ethiopia’s drought and political protests among indigenous minorities, which has made several among the finance community ask whether the country is still sure ground for investment? Sophisticated investors from countries such as China, the United States and Europe believe “yes.” And, as they say, the proof is in the pudding - foreign direct investment into Ethiopia has “risen from about $200m in 2005 to $2.2bn in 2015, now equating to 3.6% of Ethiopia’s GDP.” Private equity groups, such as KKR and Black Rhino Group, along with multi-national corporations, like Coca-Cola and Unilever, see the vast opportunities and resources Ethiopia has to offer. <a href="http://africanbusinessmagazine.com/sectors/finance/ethiopia-still-sure-ground-investment/">Read More</a>.

RENEW takes a look at recent headlines concerning impact investing, investing in Africa and Ethiopia.

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The Africa Beat

<h1 style="text-align:center;">UHNW Millennials and Impact Investing</h1>The impact investing movement is gaining popularity across generations, and none more so than with millennials (individuals who were born in the early 1980s to 1995). Impact investing combines the best attributes of philanthropy and traditional investing. It operates under the philosophy of “doing well, by doing good”, wherein investors seek a double bottom line - financials returns and positive social impact.&nbsp;Impact investing covers a broad spectrum of financial offerings, from Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) screened securities, to donor-advised-funds, to angel investing. While the current impact investing market is growing - with more than one out of every six dollars under professional management in the U.S. invested according to sustainable, responsible and impact investing strategies - this number is expected to exponentially increase in the near future.*We are on the verge of history’s largest transfer of wealth between generations. According to Boston College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, an estimated $59 trillion will be transferred generationally in the U.S. between 2007 and 2061.** As younger generations take control of this wealth, impact investing will continue to grow in prominence, as suggested by the recent publication of several millennial-focused financial studies and reports.Proving Worth, one such study conducted by OppenheimerFunds, focused on answering several core questions concerning the world's (soon-to-be) wealthiest generation: 1) what ultra-high net worth (UHNW) millennials value most, 2) how wealthy millennials influence family decisions, and 3) what UHNW millennials want from a financial advisor.WHAT UHNW MILLENNIALS VALUE MOSTMillennials are dreamers and doers - they not only seek to make the world a better place, but also pursue activities that positively impact the world around them, be it philanthropy or value-based investments. It should come as no surprise then that “ninety-six percent of UHNW millennials who participated in the [OppenheimerFunds] study were interested, or very interested, in philanthropy. A respective 70% and 64% were interested, or very interested, in socially responsible investing (SRI) and impact investing.”***So, what do millennials value most when evaluating the impact of their philanthropic or investing efforts? According to Proving Worth, rather than focusing on the “feel good” factors, millennials are instead results-driven and look to the long-term. “When assessing different approaches, 96% of participants identified long-term returns as important/very important, while a respective 95% and 91% ranked accountability and sustainability as important/very important.”***As for millennials’ preferred areas of interest for impact investing, it comes down to basic human rights: education, gender equality, economic justice, water and the environment. Now, in terms of deciding which of the aforementioned areas to pursue, it seems that family and parents still have a considerable influence.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:99.22%;"><img src="/uploads/millennial_blog_7bc91fb94c.jpg"><figcaption>Millennials from the Impact Angel Network</figcaption></figure>MILLENNIALS &amp; THEIR FAMILIESMillennials, both from the Proving Worth study and RENEW’s own Impact Angel Network, have noted the influence of parents and grandparents in shaping their viewpoints on the importance of preserving wealth and creating a positive legacy. Impact investing has therefore become a natural segue from the traditional charity of older generations, by combining the family values instilled in millennials at a young age with what they in turn value most - results and sustainability.That being said, millennials are not yet making the key decisions regarding their family’s wealth and investment strategies. While 59% are a committee or board member for their family’s wealth management, “only 18% of the study’s respondents make strategic decisions for their family’s overall wealth management.”*** The reason? Millennials lead extremely active lives that are typically centered on their careers. They are more likely to pursue their own interests before becoming heavily involved the family finances. It won’t be long though until millennials are running the portfolios of today, wherein we will see a dramatic shift towards impact investing.MILLENNIALS &amp; THEIR ADVISORSMillennials are some of the world’s most technologically driven individuals. So, when looking for sources of information on impact investing, many would naturally assume they would turn to social media or the Internet. Instead, topping the list of the most trusted sources of information are family, research, professional colleagues, business contacts, and advisors. According to the Proving Worth study UHNW millennials view advisors as “a source of knowledge and advice”, especially when a personal relationship has been established and the advisor demonstrates an understanding of their family and wealth goals.***The flip side to this coin is that the study also revealed “there is a considerable disconnect between the services millennials want from their advisors and the offerings that are currently available.”*** Millennials are looking for advisors who focus on wealth transfer and deal generation. They are not interested in cookie cutter financial solutions. Rather, as expressed by several participants in the study, millennials seek customized and high-touch financial solutions, a framework within which they can test out their ideas, and a partner that helps educate and develop said frameworks. Financial advisors and wealth management firms of today will need to quickly evolve in order to retain the assets of families that will soon be run by this next generation.RENEW recommends millennials work with their families and with their wealth managers to create an impact investment plan that all generations are part of building. Follow this <a href="../2014/part-3-impact-investing-transferring-wealth-wisdom-and-values-between-generations.html">LINK</a> for guided steps on how to get the process started.<hr><a href="http://www.ussif.org/sribasics">*U.S. SIF: SRI Basics</a> <a href="http://blogs.barrons.com/penta/2016/01/15/a-rising-tide-of-impact-investing/">**Barron's: A Rising Tide of Impact Investing</a>. <a href="https://www.oppenheimerfunds.com/private-banks/doc/Proving_Worth_The_Values_of_Affluent_Millennials_in_North_America.pdf?dig_asset_metrics=done">***OppenheimerFunds: Proving Worth: The Values of Affluent Millennials in North America</a>.

Expansive OppenheimerFunds study reveals what matters most to millennial investors.

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UHNW Millennials and Impact Investing

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Ethiopia and the Entrepreneurial Dream</h1><figure class="image image-style-align-left image_resized" style="width:37.99%;"><img src="/uploads/sadura_temp_logo_0_dea9ed0c09.png"></figure>The latest installment in our Q&amp;A series with the employees of RENEW’s portfolio companies takes a closer look at the entrepreneur who is behind the Impact Angel Network’s sixth investment in East Africa - an Ethiopian food and beverage company.Isaias Lemma was born in Addis Ababa and has lived in this city for almost his entire life, except for a brief interlude in London during his college years. Isaias sat down with me to talk about how his experiences and education to date have inspired him to pursue his dreams of running his own business in Ethiopia.When you were a child, what did you dream of doing for work or as a career, and how did this influence your decision to become an entrepreneur? As a child, I was always guided to follow the conventional career routes (like doctor, engineer, etc.) However, I was always fascinated by the entrepreneurial history of my grandfather and the transformation of my parents (particularly my mother) from professionals to business people. The accomplishments gained from creating a business from inception to fruition, the creation of job opportunities at different ranges and the freedom to make my own decisions are the main reasons I wanted to pursue entrepreneurship.What education and/or training have you received to date, and how has it helped you with your career? I have an MBA and have taken several entrepreneurial and management courses. My education has helped me to view business in a structural and conceptual method and that my business needs to be developed through a standardized system. Some of my trainings have also helped me understand my stakeholders and my environment more intimately.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:99.68%;"><img src="/uploads/sadura_qa_2015_0_82895d31cd.jpg"></figure>Could you provide the background story of your family’s company - The Twins PLC? The Twins PLC started as a small business and has grown into a medium-sized business consortium in Ethiopia. It started with a small children’s shop and had expanded into the supermarket business, import and distribution, and now has a paper production factory. Our steady growth in the business environment has helped us become a successful production and distribution business here in Ethiopia, with a significant market share in our selected business sectors.As an entrepreneur, what inspired you to go out and create an entirely new business venture? It is evident that Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa and that growth is creating a society with increasing disposable income. The manufacturing business environment here is at an infant stage and most products are imported. Thus, I am constantly inspired to create quality products that add value to raw materials available here and reduce the dependency on imported goods. Additionally, I believe through a new venture we can create jobs for the youth and directly contribute to the growth of the nation.What is your new Ethiopian Food and Beverage Company trying to achieve at the local, regional and international levels? My new business venture will focus on the production of food and beverage products. We will aspire to produce superior products for the local market, with potential growth in the East African region. Gradually, we would like our new business venture to become the leading fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) products company in Ethiopia and Africa.What will your new role be at the Ethiopian Food and Beverage Company? And, what life experiences have prepared you to take on this new role? I will be the General Manager of the company and will be managing the overall business, and guiding the company to achieve its goals and objectives. Since this project was one of my ambitions, I believe I have the passion, drive and experience to achieve the success I had envisioned.Why do you feel that the Ethiopian Food and Beverage Company will be a successful business venture? My family’s prior experience at The Twins PLC in importing related products, our current experience in the manufacturing process, our efficient distribution network, our close relationship with large and small local distributors and strategy to produce superior products gives me the confidence that our business venture will be successful.What do you hope to accomplish in partnering with RENEW LLC and working with members of the Impact Angel Network (IAN)? By partnering with RENEW LLC and the IAN, we hope to gradually grow our business and accomplish our goal of becoming one of the leading FMCG producing companies in Ethiopia. We also seek to vertically integrate into the supply chain to source our own raw materials through local farms, diversify into other products beyond the food and beverage industry sector, achieve major market share with our products, and export our products to neighboring African countries. With our experience in the local business environment and IAN’s support we believe we will accomplish these goals.

RENEW continues our Q&A series by speaking with the entrepreneur behind the IAN’s sixth investment.

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Ethiopia and the Entrepreneurial Dream

<h1 style="text-align:center;">The Best of 2016</h1>The RENEW team wishes you all a happy New Year! As 2017 is newly minted and we look to the future, the RENEW team would like to take a moment and reflect on some of our favorite (and most popular) thought-content pieces of 2016:The Rise of Private Equity in East Africa: This is an analysis of the current state and future state of private equity in the East Africa region, as well as the country of Ethiopia. This content piece examines the regional trends from the previous seven years, looks at the prospects of growth in private equity investment in Ethiopia, and explains how the rise of the global impact investor plays an integral role in this investment.Never Forget Africa: RENEW experienced some exciting growth this year by expanding our team, including Justin Reesor, our Operations Manager. In his introductory blog, Justin tells the story of his journey to RENEW, which started as a promise he made to himself during a college cross-cultural trip to South Africa to ‘Never Forget Africa’. Read Justin’s inspiring blog, and don't forget to check out <a href="../2016/going-against-grain.html">Tristan Pelham-Webb</a> or <a href="../2016/africa-final-frontier.html">Prasoon Raghuwanshi’s</a> equally compelling personal stories as well.10 Things You Should Know About Ethiopia's Business Environment: The World Bank published its 2015 Enterprise Survey on Ethiopia, which outlines some very interesting information about the biggest obstacles private sector companies face in Ethiopia. The RENEW team compiled 10 key takeaways, focusing our analysis on the outliers – indicators that differed significantly in Ethiopia compared to the general region of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Some of the findings may come as a surprise so be sure to <a href="/newsroom/10-things-you-should-know-about-ethiopias-business-environment">read more</a>.Member of the IAN Visit Ethiopia: 2016 kicked off with an exciting start! In mid-February, RENEW hosted an Econ-Tourism Trip for members of the Impact Angel Network from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. The group met with many Ethiopian entrepreneurs, from both RENEW’s portfolio and investment pipeline, and visited a number of businesses in and around Addis Ababa. Read more about their experience and consider joining us this upcoming February 2017 for our annual Econ-Tourism trip!UHNW Millennials and Impact Investing: Impact investing is gaining popularity across all generations, and none more so than with millennials, who are expected to inherit some $59 trillion in the coming decades. In this content piece, the RENEW team takes a closer look at what UHNW millennials value most, as well as the interactions between millennials, their parents and their advisors.Read more or tune into RENEW's Investing On The Frontier podcast on millennials.<figure class="image image-style-align-right"><img src="/uploads/2016_feb_econ_tourism_bd05a0e087.jpg"></figure>

The RENEW team reflects on our favorite and most popular content pieces from 2016.

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The Best of 2016

<h1 style="text-align:center;">RENEW Speaks at Posner Center Business Leaders’ Event in Denver</h1><figure class="image image-style-align-left image_resized" style="width:40.07%;"><img src="/uploads/posner_logo_2_fa8185fdf9.png"></figure>Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the <a href="http://posnercenter.org/">Posner Center for International Development’s</a> annual Business Leaders’ event in Denver, Colorado. The event highlighted activities of Posner Center tenants and international companies working together to pursue both business goals and development objectives.I was honored to join keynote speaker, Kelly Brough, CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, in commending the Colorado-based businesses and NGOs in attendance to continue their already vibrant collaborations in the international arena to realize business growth and social impact. Developing countries, such as those on the African continent in which RENEW operates, present unique opportunities for such collaboration. These countries possess new markets, new supply chains, and opportunities for technology transfers, strategic acquisitions and equity investments.Ethiopia is an example of one market that is seeing significant growth and attracting the attention of NGOs, businesses and investors alike. Ethiopian companies in RENEW’s portfolio are responding to the growing demands of the country’s more than 95 million people and an ever increasing middle class. These dynamics are contributing to Ethiopia being consistently ranked among the top 10 fastest growing economies in the world.International businesses and investors are looking to Ethiopia for its significant agricultural potential, particularly in areas of coffee, sesame, honey, cut flowers, livestock, and cotton, among others. But, there are clear needs for technology transfers, value chain improvements and outside expertise to unlock this potential. Attractive returns on investments can be realized by responding to these needs. Companies like Samsung, Dow, Heineken, Coca Cola, H&amp;M, WalMart, GE, among many others, as well as RENEW’s Impact Angel Network (IAN), are making or actively considering these opportunities to benefit from and help contribute to Ethiopia’s growth.Collaboration is often key to these investments, as companies seek to navigate an unfamiliar regulatory environment and tailor products and services to local consumer preferences and needs. During my conversation at Posner last week, I highlighted several examples of such collaboration between U.S. businesses and Ethiopian companies, including those in the Impact Angel Network <a href="../../marketplace/portfolio.html">portfolio</a>. These partnerships are providing access to new markets and knowledge transfers, which benefits both companies – the Ethiopian portfolio company and the U.S,-based partner.Frontier markets, like Ethiopia, are still volatile, so it is important to have appropriate hedging strategies in place (talk to your investment adviser, if you are considering investment opportunities in these markets). There are challenges to investing and doing business that warrant patience. In some instances, an effective strategy may be to enter a frontier market with a local partner and, in a more limited way, initially to allow for adaptation to the local context while building a company that operates to international standards. This is one reason why RENEW and the Impact Angel Network focus their investments on small and mid-size companies: invest in smaller companies and provide them the capital, networks and mentoring they need to scale. In this way, a small investment can now provide significant upside potential and exposure to an exciting part of the world economy.RENEW thanks the Posner Center for International Development for inviting us to participate in its annual Business Leaders’ event. The Posner Center is a Denver, Colorado-based shared work space and community of innovators whose mission is to grow lasting solutions to global poverty.<hr>RENEW is an impact investing firm working in Ethiopia through its partnership with USAID activities. It has been facilitating impact investments in East Africa and Asia since 2008. RENEW manages the Impact Angel Network, one of the largest U.S. based angel networks for Africa. &nbsp;

Partner Tom Scriven discusses impact investment and business opportunities in frontier markets.

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RENEW Speaks at Posner Center Business Leaders’ Event in Denver

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:52.3%;"><img src="/uploads/etat_feb_26_to_mar_4_2012_069_1_dbba254f5c.jpg"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">10 Things You Should Know About Ethiopia’s Business Environment</h1>The World Bank recently published its <a href="http://www.enterprisesurveys.org/data/exploreeconomies/2015/Ethiopia">2015 Enterprise Survey</a> on Ethiopia, which outlines some very interesting information about the biggest obstacles private sector companies face in Ethiopia. The survey summarizes “key factual indicators at the country and regional levels” for twelve business environment categories, including: corruption, crime, finance, firm characteristics, gender, informality, infrastructure, innovation and technology, performance, regulations and taxes, trade and workforce.*The RENEW team compiled 10 takeaways. We mainly focused our analysis on the outliers – indicators that were significantly&nbsp;different in Ethiopia as compared with the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region as a whole.1. Access to finance is the number one obstacle for Ethiopian firms: The World Bank asked 848 companies in Ethiopia to rank the most prevalent obstacles that they face while doing business in Ethiopia. From the list of 15 common obstacles presented, access to finance was identified as number one. This comes as no surprise. Ethiopia’s current financial services sector, like that in many developing economies, is simply not equipped to provide adequate financing options for growing small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which in turn creates a “missing middle” in the country’s economy. The good news is that companies like RENEW and the Impact Angel Network are stepping in to help <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2016/01/13/impact-investor-in-ethiopia-fills-financing-gap/#64f4de8e50b3">fill this financing gap</a> through private equity investments.2. Customs and foreign exchange are constraining growth: While it takes on average 19.2 days to clear import from customs, about 3 days longer than the SSA region’s average, the proportion of inputs and/or supplies that are of domestic origin are significantly higher than SSA - 82.5% versus 66.1%. This may be a result of forex issues and protectionist trade policies.3. Regulations and taxes are not as bad as we think: RENEW was surprised to find that, although the amount of time senior management spends dealing with the requirements of government regulations in Ethiopia is higher than that of SSA (11.9% versus 7.6%), the remaining indicators are all lower. Examples include the number of days it takes to acquire an operating license (5.4 versus 19.1), number of visits required to meet with tax officials (1.6 versus 2.2), the percentage of firms identifying tax rates as a major constraint (22.8% versus 33.2%).4. Productivity is low but growth is high: While capacity utilization and labor productivity are lower in Ethiopia than the SSA region, real sales and labor growth rates are higher. We see this as a good sign, since productivity can be can be improved with stronger management systems and training, along with investments in better technology and capital goods; both of which RENEW and the IAN address through our investments and portfolio management.5. International certifications could be a source of competitive advantage: Ethiopian firms are not doing well with gaining international quality certifications as compared to the SSA region: 4.3% versus 14.7%. This is another area where foreign investors assist Ethiopian companies in achieving the next level of business and economic development.6. Firms need more electricity and faster access to the grid: Generator use is much higher in Ethiopia than SSA (48.9% versus 26.5%), which is to be expected given that the country is quickly industrializing but in need of more power. In fact, electricity was listed as the second highest obstacle that firms face in Ethiopia. It takes companies 194.3 days to obtain an electrical connection upon application, versus the 33.0 days for the rest of SSA. On a positive note, roads are better in Ethiopia, which shows in the survey’s last indicator: percentage of firms identifying transportation as a major constraint is 8.3% versus 22.8% for the SSA region.7. Firms need to hire more women executives – especially CFOs(RENEW’s opinion): One indicator that stuck out to us is that only 4.5% of firms in Ethiopia have a female top manager. And while the country did better in other gender indicators than SSA, RENEW’s takeaway from the entire Gender section of the survey is that we, as outside investors, need to encourage Ethiopian companies to hire qualified women into senior management positions.8. Ethiopia’s business environment is still closed: The proportion of private domestic ownership in a firm versus the private foreign ownership in a firm (95.9% versus 3.8%) shows that RENEW and the IAN are part of a very small percentage of foreign investors doing business in Ethiopia. Private equity investment is still very much an unknown concept to business owners, an issue that RENEW sets out to address in each of the <a href="../2015/why-are-angel-investors-important.html">trainings</a> we provide on financing options to entrepreneurs, banks and government employees.9. Firms could leverage foreign investors as a source of capital: If you have a free moment, this is the section of the survey to spend some time on. To RENEW, all of the indicators point to a "financial anemia" of sorts. The main indicators that stood out to us concern how and where investments come from: 83.3% of investments were financed internally, versus 7.8% financed by banks, 0.3% financed by supplier credit, or 0.8% financed by equity of stock sales. Only 16.4% of firms in Ethiopia use banks for working capital loans, in comparison to the 21.8% of companies in SSA.10. Yes, there's corruption; but not as bad as some: While it is evident that corruption still occurs in Ethiopia, the survey’s indicators demonstrate that Ethiopia is doing better than the SSA region as a whole.Overall, we are encouraged by these survey results and remain bullish on Ethiopia.*<a href="http://www.enterprisesurveys.org/data/exploreeconomies/2015/Ethiopia">World Bank 2015 Enterprise Survey on Ethiopia</a>

RENEW analyzes the World Bank’s recent survey on Ethiopian enterprise and finds some surprises.

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10 Things You Should Know About Ethiopia’s Business Environment

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Term Sheets - Just What the Heck Are They?</h1>Investing On The Frontier’s host, Matt Davis, speaks with RENEW’s own legal guru and General Counsel, Tom Scriven, in the podcast’s latest episode.After relating some quick updates on key Ethiopian economic indicators (exchange rates, inflation rates, coffee prices, etc.), Matt and Tom set out to decode and provide clarity on term sheets, and why they are such an important part of the investment process – for both investors and entrepreneurs.Tom gives some great insight on the significance of going to terms, the typical outline of a term sheet and defines several key terms that are commonly found in a term sheets that every investor should know.Novice and sophisticated impact angel investors alike will find value in this informative discussion, so be sure to tune in to this month’s episode of Investing On The Frontier!&nbsp;&nbsp;

Investing On The Frontier podcast invites RENEW’s Tom Scriven to discuss all things term sheets.

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