Ticano Group
Ticano Group is a Botswana-based, NBFIRA-regulated non-bank financial services firm founded in 2015 that provides purchase order financing and invoice discounting to SMEs selling to creditworthy institutional buyers, alongside advisory and investment services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersGaborone, Botswana
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ticano Group does
Ticano Group is a Botswana-based, NBFIRA-regulated non-bank financial services company founded in 2015 that provides purchase order financing and invoice discounting to small and medium enterprises. Its core offering is short-term working capital that enables trading and reselling SMEs to pay suppliers in advance of receiving payment from creditworthy buyers, including government entities, councils, parastatals, large corporates, and universities. Underwriting is based on the creditworthiness of the buyer's transaction rather than the SME's balance sheet, making the product accessible to new and thinly-capitalized businesses with non-cancelable purchase orders and gross margins of at least 20%. Beyond core financing, Ticano offers SME fund management, venture capital, private equity, investment advisory, financial advisory, project advisory, project management, and deal structuring services, positioning itself as a unified finance, investment, and projects platform for growing Botswana businesses.
Ticano Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ticano Group
- Legal name
- Ticano Group
- Website
- https://ticanogroup.co.bw
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ticano Group is a Botswana-based, NBFIRA-regulated non-bank financial services firm founded in 2015 that provides purchase order financing and invoice discounting to SMEs selling to creditworthy institutional buyers, alongside advisory and investment services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ticano Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- SME Trade Finance
- NAICS
- Sales Financing (52222), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- SIC
- Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B / Invoice-Based BNPL (Trade Credit at Checkout) (FSAGAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Investment Management Advisory (RIA) (FSAEAAAB)
Keywords
Where Ticano Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gaborone
- HQ country
- Botswana
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ticano Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Purchase Order Financing: Provides short-term financing to SMEs to fulfill customer orders by paying suppliers on behalf of clients. Revenue generated through interest rates on the financing provided, with repayment made when the client receives payment from their customers.
- Invoice Discounting: Discounting of invoices to provide immediate cash flow to businesses. Revenue earned through discounting fees based on the value of invoices and creditworthiness of buyers.
- Financial Advisory Services: Advisory services including financial advisory, investment advisory, and project advisory. Revenue generated through consulting and advisory fees.
- SME Fund Management: Management of SME-focused investment funds including venture capital and private equity investments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based pricing for purchase order financing and invoice discounting services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Ticano Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ticano Group provides short-term trade financing solutions to small and medium enterprises in Botswana, primarily through Purchase Order Financing (paying suppliers on behalf of SMEs to fulfill customer orders) and Invoice Discounting (advancing cash against receivables). Credit decisions are based on the creditworthiness of the SME's buyer and the strength of the underlying transaction rather than the SME's balance sheet. The company also offers financial advisory, investment advisory, venture capital, private equity, and project advisory services.
Product overview
Ticano Group is a financial services company offering a unified platform of financing, investment, and advisory solutions for SMEs in Botswana. The core product portfolio centers on Purchase Order Financing and Invoice Discounting, complemented by a broader suite of SME Financing services including fund management and financial advisory. On the investment side, the company provides Venture Capital and Private Equity offerings alongside Investment Advisory. The projects division delivers Advisory, Management, and Deal Structuring services. All services are integrated under one roof to support growing businesses from financing through to investment and project execution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Purchase Order Financing
Quantifiable outcome
- Credit decisions based on buyer creditworthiness rather than SME balance sheet, enabling financing for new businesses
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ticano Group
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ticano Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ticano Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ticano Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Cellulant: Pan-African digital payments infrastructure provider connecting banks, mobile money, and merchants. Adjacent ecosystem participant — relevant as a potential distribution or payments integration partner for Ticano's SME lending platform.
Direct peers
- Lendable: South African alternative finance platform offering invoice discounting, purchase order finance, and asset finance to SMEs. Closely comparable product mix to Ticano and operates in the same Southern African regional context.
- Lulalend: South African online invoice discounting and working capital platform serving SMEs. Highly comparable to Ticano's invoice discounting and SME working capital offering, with similar buyer-credit-based underwriting approach in a neighboring Southern African market.
- Lidwala Capital: South African short-term working capital and supply chain finance provider for SMEs. Directly comparable to Ticano's PO financing and invoice discounting products, with a similar focus on trader/reseller businesses.
- TradeDepot: Nigerian B2B commerce platform that provides inventory financing and trade credit to small retailers buying from FMCG distributors. Highly comparable model to Ticano's PO financing — financing the buyer based on the underlying purchase order and buyer credit profile.
- SMEgo: South African fintech providing invoice discounting and supply chain finance to SMEs. Direct comparison on product set (invoice discounting, short-term working capital) and target customer profile (Botswana's southern neighbor shares comparable SME demographics).
- Grofin: Pan-African SME finance provider offering working capital and growth capital to small businesses. Comparable to Ticano in target customer (underserved SMEs) and product mix (working capital plus advisory support), though operating at a broader geographic scale.
- Business Partners International: Specialized SME finance provider across Southern Africa offering a mix of debt, equity, and advisory services to SMEs. Closely matches Ticano's blended financing-plus-advisory-plus-VC/PE model targeting owner-managed businesses.
Broad incumbents
- Funding Circle: Global online lending platform specializing in SME working capital, invoice finance, and term loans. A broader incumbent in the alternative SME finance category — useful as a scaled analog for what Ticano's platform could evolve into.
- Jumo: Pan-African digital lending platform providing working capital to SMEs and consumers across multiple markets. Broader incumbent in the African alternative lending category — comparable operating model (data-led underwriting, SME focus) but at much larger scale and across more geographies.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ticano Group social profiles
Digital presenceTicano Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Ticano Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ticano Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ticano Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ticano Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ticano Group
What does Ticano Group do?
Ticano Group provides short-term trade financing solutions to small and medium enterprises in Botswana, primarily through Purchase Order Financing (paying suppliers on behalf of SMEs to fulfill customer orders) and Invoice Discounting (advancing cash against receivables). Credit decisions are based on the creditworthiness of the SME's buyer and the strength of the underlying transaction rather than the SME's balance sheet. The company also offers financial advisory, investment advisory, venture capital, private equity, and project advisory services.
Is Ticano Group a public or private company?
Ticano Group is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Ticano Group founded?
Ticano Group was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ticano Group based?
Ticano Group is headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana, in the Africa region.
How does Ticano Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Purchase Order Financing is the primary driver. The others are invoice Discounting, financial Advisory Services and SME Fund Management.
Who are Ticano Group's main competitors?
Cellulant is listed as an others. Direct peers are Lendable, Lulalend, Lidwala Capital, TradeDepot, SMEgo, Grofin and Business Partners International. Broad incumbents are Funding Circle and Jumo.
Does Ticano Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ticano Group.
What industry is Ticano Group in?
Ticano Group's product category is SME Trade Finance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAIAC, B2B / Invoice-Based BNPL (Trade Credit at Checkout), with a secondary code of FSAEAAAB, Investment Management Advisory (RIA). Its NAICS code is 52222 and its SIC code is 6153.