Turning rigour into an engine of growth
Lasting performance cannot be decreed, it is built. In West Africa, the quality of governance is the first lever of value creation for high-potential SMEs and industrial SMEs.
- Minimum amount for a request, that is €2m or USD 2.13m
- 1.3bn FCFA
- Our investment area
- 19 countries
- Equity, quasi-equity, mezzanine debt
- 3 instruments
- Offices in Lomé and Abidjan
- Since 1995
As a committed private equity investor, Cauris Management does not only provide financial resources: it professionalises the company, clarifies its decision-making bodies and installs a steering discipline that translates, in concrete terms, into stronger profitability.
These conditions are the ones the funding gateway checks automatically before any review.
The two kinds of transaction we review
Cauris Management works on two kinds of transaction. The gateway asks you to name yours on the very first screen: here is how it tells them apart.
- Growth capitalFor an SME or industrial SME with several closed financial years: financing equipment, a subsidiary, an acquisition or a new offer. Equity or quasi-equity, a minority stake and a seat on the board.
- Venture capitalFor a newly created company whose offer answers an identified demand: we come in before any financial track record, as a minority shareholder alongside the founders.
Professionalising the company through structured governance
Strengthening governance means, first of all, giving the company clear and legitimate decision-making bodies. Setting up an active board, specialist committees and reliable reporting processes turns an organisation centred on its chief executive into an institution able to last. This structuring secures decision-making, eases delegation and prepares the company for its key stages: external growth, opening its capital or an ownership transfer.
For family groups, the exercise is particularly structuring. It separates family wealth from operational management, sets down the rules between shareholders and installs governance able to withstand generational transitions.
goals
- 01A shared roadmap
- 02Shared success indicators
- 03Incentive mechanisms
Aligning the interests of executives and shareholders
Performance rests on a shared conviction: executives and shareholders must pursue the same long-term goals. Strategic support aims precisely at that alignment, by setting a shared roadmap, shared success indicators and incentive mechanisms that reward real value creation.
This alignment reduces information asymmetries, strengthens trust between the parties and frees the executive’s entrepreneurial energy. Far from curbing initiative, well-designed governance channels it towards the priorities that matter.
Steering by key indicators to make better decisions
Modern governance rests on data. Rigorous tracking of key indicators (operating margin, working capital requirement, cash position, customer satisfaction) turns intuition into informed decisions. This close steering makes it possible to anticipate risks, arbitrate faster and allocate resources where they have the greatest effect.
- Visibility
See clearly
Clear dashboards give an honest reading of the company’s health.
- Responsiveness
Correct early
Gaps are spotted early, allowing measured course corrections.
- Credibility
Inspire confidence
Reliable reporting reassures investors, development banks and partners.
From governance to overall performance
Strategic rigour is not an administrative constraint: it is a direct investment in performance. By structuring decision-making bodies, aligning interests and tracking key indicators closely, the company gains in operational efficiency and sees its profitability strengthen. Modern governance then becomes a tangible engine of lasting value creation.
It is this conviction that guides our support for high-potential companies in West Africa: making the quality of governance the foundation of measured, profitable and lasting growth.
Companies backed by our funds
12 companies See the whole portfolio
The four conditions checked before any review
These conditions are checked before any human review. Knowing them saves filling in five screens for nothing.
- Amount1.3bn FCFA
The floor for a request. Anything below is set aside before any review. Equivalents: €2m, USD 2.13m, XAF 1.3bn.
- Area19 countries
The eight states of the WAEMU area, West Africa and Central Africa. A head office outside that list is set aside.
- Nature2 transactions
Growth capital, venture capital. You name yours.
- Instrument3 forms
Equity, quasi-equity, mezzanine debt.
Structuring your governance to take a step up
Do you run a growing SME or group? Let us talk about your project and the value creation levers suited to your company.