SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy

What SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy does

SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy is an initiative of the SANAD Technical Assistance Facility, which operates alongside the SANAD Fund for MSME — a private impact investment fund initiated by KfW Development Bank and managed by Finance in Motion Asset Management S.à r.l. The fund is structured as a Luxembourg SICAV-SIF (Société d'investissement à capital variable — Specialised Investment Fund) and operates through three sub-funds: an open-ended Debt Sub-Fund (USD 483M AUM) providing senior and subordinated debt to financial and non-financial institutions for on-lending to MSMEs; Equity Sub-Fund I (USD 21M AUM, established 2012) focused on greenfield institution building; and Equity Sub-Fund II (USD 53M AUM, established 2019) backing digital banking and fintech companies. As of Q4 2025, total AUM stands at USD 557M with cumulative investments of USD 1B since inception.

The fund addresses a documented financing gap for MSMEs in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa, where these enterprises contribute nearly two-thirds of regional GDP and roughly 75% of employment yet struggle to access formal finance. Distribution is intermediated: debt and equity tickets (USD 1M-25M for debt; USD 1M-8M+ for equity) flow to a network of 48 active partner institutions across 10 countries — banks, microfinance institutions, leasing companies, and non-bank financial institutions — which then on-lend to end-borrowers. The fund also conducts direct investments in selected verticals, notably agricultural value chains in Egypt and Morocco. Revenue mechanics are fund-based: interest income and debt service from the Debt Sub-Fund, plus equity returns through exits, dividends, and appreciation from the equity sub-funds, complemented by BMZ-funded Advisory & Capacity Building services covering digitalization, sustainability, risk management, and women's empowerment. Key shareholders include KfW, the European Commission, BMZ, FMO, OeEB, SECO, GLS Bank, Calvert Impact, ASN Bank, and several European foundations; all participate in first-loss and second-loss tranches that enable development-mission pricing.

Name

SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy

Legal name

SANAD Fund for MSME S.A., SICAV-SIF

Website

https://sanad.lu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy is an initiative of the SANAD Technical Assistance Facility supporting MSME financial inclusion in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa through capacity building, advisory, and ecosystem programs operated alongside the SANAD impact investment fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Business and Secretarial Schools (61141)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Accelerator / Incubator-Backed ETA Programs (FSANALAD)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• MSME capacity building
• Business training programs
• Financial inclusion training
• Small business advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Debt Sub-Fund Returns: Open-ended private debt fund providing senior and subordinated debt to financial and non-financial institutions. Returns generated through interest income and debt service payments from partner institutions who on-lend to MSMEs. Since inception, the Debt Sub-Fund has outperformed its returns target with cumulative losses of less than 0.01%.
2. Equity Sub-Fund Returns: Equity investments in financial institutions and fintech companies with minimum IRR benchmarks aligned with development and impact mission. Returns realized through exits, dividends, and portfolio value appreciation. ESF I (USD 21M AUM) and ESF II (USD 53M AUM) are on track to deliver projected IRRs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy is an initiative of the SANAD Technical Assistance Facility that delivers entrepreneurship education, training, and capacity-building resources to micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners, entrepreneurs, and partner institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The academy complements SANAD Fund's investment activities by strengthening the operational and managerial capabilities of investee MSMEs and partner financial institutions through structured learning programs.

Product overview

SANAD Fund for MSME is an impact investment fund providing financing and advisory services to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa. The fund operates through three main vehicles: the Debt Sub-Fund (open-ended private debt fund with USD 483M AUM), Equity Sub-Fund I (focused on financial institution building with USD 21M AUM), and Equity Sub-Fund II (supporting digital fintech innovation with USD 53M AUM). These are complemented by Advisory & Capacity Building Services and the Advancing Women Entrepreneurship accelerator program launched in 2025. The fund is managed by Finance in Motion and has surpassed USD 1 billion in cumulative investments since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy Entrepreneurship education and training initiative that supports MSME owners and partner institutions through structured learning, capacity building, and business development resources in the MENA region.

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Women in Business ArabiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline network community of 40,000 businesswomen. SANAD's Advisory & Capacity Building arm partnered with Women in Business Arabia to support the Women on Board program, which strengthens qualified women advisory board members through comprehensive training.
• Womenpreneur InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Womenpreneur Initiative for the Womenpreneur Tour, expanded to sub-Saharan Africa in 2024. Over 330 women trained in MENA and 200+ stakeholders engaged in Ghana and Kenya through workshops in fintech and agritech.
• Frankfurt School of Finance & ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSANAD partnered with Frankfurt School to conduct a market scoping mission in Syria, providing an in-depth assessment of the evolving MSME finance situation including political, regulatory, macroeconomic, and financial dynamics.
• Ezdehar (Egyptian investment firm)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEzdehar played a pivotal role in Global Corp for Financial Services' development after acquiring a 60% stake from Wadi Degla in 2018, working alongside SANAD Equity Sub-Fund I.
• Arab Tunisian Lease (ATL)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTunisian leasing company providing alternative to traditional bank lending for entrepreneurs. SANAD's investment marked the $1B cumulative milestone. ATL extends leasing to around 140 small enterprises in urban and rural areas.
• Bank of PalestinemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading MSME lender in Palestinian Territories contributing to financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. SANAD provided $10M as part of $65M consortium financing to enable the bank to extend vital financing to MSMEs.
• Palestine IjaramajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSANAD's first Islamic leasing partner and first international financial institution investment. Over USD 10 million committed since 2019. Supports MSMEs with leasing finance for equipment and fleet solutions.
• Microfund for Women (MFW)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJordan's largest non-profit microfinance institution dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs with 95% women clientele. SANAD supports with financing and advisory services for female entrepreneurs.
• Capital Agro (Egypt)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor$4.5 million investment channeled to farmers within supply chain. Supports sustainable farming practices including hydroponics, infrastructure and packhouse development to enhance agricultural outputs.
• Maisadour Maroc (Morocco)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor€3 million loan, most earmarked to support smallholder farmers. Helps increase yields, improve resource efficiency, and enable export of higher-value crops like sweet corn.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Acumen Academy: Capacity-building and leadership development arm of Acumen, a major impact investment organization. Comparable as the educational/capacity-building initiative of a global impact investment fund, similar in structure to how SANAD Academy sits within the SANAD Fund for MSME.
• BlueOrchard Finance: Leading impact investment manager specializing in financial inclusion and microfinance across emerging markets. Comparable as an impact investment peer operating in financial inclusion with debt and equity strategies targeting underserved populations, similar to SANAD Fund's strategy.
• responsAbility Investments: Swiss impact investment manager focused on financial inclusion and sustainable development across emerging markets. Comparable to SANAD Fund's broader strategy and target segments (MSME finance in emerging markets), though responsAbility operates as a commercial asset manager rather than a DFI-backed fund.

Regional players

• Injaz Al-Arab: Regional nonprofit focused on youth entrepreneurship and workforce development across MENA, partnered with Junior Achievement. Comparable to SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy's youth-and-entrepreneurship education focus, though operates as a broad K-12/university program rather than a startup accelerator.
• Mowgli Mentoring: Mentorship-driven entrepreneurship development organization operating in MENA and Africa. Comparable to SANAD Academy's capacity building and mentoring components, particularly its focus on supporting early-stage entrepreneurs through structured mentoring programs.

Direct peers

• Oasis500: Jordan-based early-stage investor and accelerator focused on MENA technology startups. Directly comparable to SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy as a regional capacity-building program for early-stage founders, with similar cross-sector startup development focus.
• Flat6Labs: MENA-focused seed-stage accelerator and early-stage venture fund with programs across multiple MENA countries. Directly comparable to SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy as a regional accelerator targeting early-stage founders, though Flat6Labs operates as an independent for-profit versus the SANAD Academy's DFI-backed capacity-building model.
• Startupbootcamp (Rafik Hariri Center / MENA programs): Global accelerator network with presence in MENA markets. Comparable as a structured cohort-based accelerator program providing mentorship and pathways to capital, though oriented toward tech ventures and operating as a commercial entity.
• Turn8 (Startup Weekend / DP World): MENA-based startup accelerator operating in multiple countries in the region. Comparable as a regional accelerator with structured cohort programs targeting early-stage founders, similar in geographic scope to the SANAD Academy's cross-regional MENA approach.

Emerging players

• WOMENA (now Multiply): MENA-focused angel investor network and gender-focused entrepreneurship platform. Comparable to SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy's specific focus on female-led startups and women entrepreneurship development across the MENA region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sanad-investment-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SANAD Entrepreneurship Academy