Financial advisory firm Mazars’ corporate finance division and Neu Capital Africa – now rebranded as Cala Capital Africa – have consolidated their capital raising advisory capabilities to establish a mid-market capital raising practice.
The firms state that, as Africa continues to attract foreign investment and international interest, this partnership will address the inefficiencies and opacity associated with investing in Africa.
The partnership will see Mazars’ corporate finance division combine its technical skills and extensive footprint – which includes capabilities to service in more than 20 African countries – with Cala Capital Africa’s more than 350 institutional investors seeking to invest in African businesses.
Cala Capital Africa CEO and founder Mark Taylor says it is increasingly working with government agencies to facilitate the responsible allocation of capital in Africa and that Mazars brings a significant continental footprint to this endeavour.
Cala Capital Africa provides capital-matching services for clients by connecting global and domestic institutional investors to corporate finance advisers seeking to raise $5-million to $50-million of growth capital for clients in Africa.
“Proof of the ongoing interest in Africa is the fact that, over the last four years, Cala Capital Africa has been retained to raise more than $400-million of capital for over 30 transactions,” he says.
All Mazars’ capital raises will be completed exclusively in partnership with Cala Capital Africa, while Cala Capital Africa will continue to work with other African corporate advisory partners to connect investors to their opportunities. As part of the transaction, Neu Capital Australia will divest its shareholding in Cala Capital Africa.
Taylor says it is the result of the support of Neu Capital Australia that the business has been able to build a strong network of institutional investors to whom they have presented a large number of high-quality deals.
“We have teamed up with Mazars on a number of capital raises recently. The firm’s professionalism and energy has led to us becoming increasingly confident that, collectively, we can build the leading capital raising practice in Africa,” he says.
Mazars South Africa co-CEO Anoop Ninan says Mazars has been impressed by Cala Capital Africa’s “unparalleled” investor network, ability to originate opportunities and the way in which they have supported the Mazars team in completing transactions.