Gola Capital

What Gola Capital does

Gola Capital is a private Guinean investment company headquartered in Kipé II, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry, founded in 2024 as a joint venture between MBM Capital and Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P). It is positioned as the first impact investment fund dedicated to start-ups and high-potential SMEs in Guinea, structured to channel long-term growth capital and capacity-building support to businesses that lack access to traditional bank financing. The fund operates three core products: a Capital Investment product combining minority equity with unsecured long-term shareholder loans (tickets of 1–10 billion GNF, 4–7 year horizon); a Seed Funding product deployed under the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program (50–500 million GNF, financed by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa); and the I&P Acceleration FARM vehicle backed by Proparco (€4M, 89–891 million GNF) focused on agricultural SMEs across six African countries. As an I&P network affiliate, Gola Capital plugs Guinean entrepreneurs into a pan-African ecosystem that includes sister funds in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Senegal, and Madagascar.

The business model is impact-investment style: Gola Capital deploys capital into portfolio SMEs in exchange for minority equity stakes and shareholder loans, with returns tied to enterprise performance rather than fixed management fees. The go-to-market is direct and inbound — entrepreneurs submit business plans, CVs, and financial statements to [email protected] via the company website, and the 8-person investment team (1 Managing Director, 1 Senior Investment Manager, 1 Market Analyst, 1 Seed Project Officer, 1 Accountant) reviews applications over a 2–6 week window. The current portfolio of four disclosed companies spans cosmetics (Luxcosmetiks, brand Star), cocoa processing (Demal Expertises, brand Zeïna Cacao), edtech (Magoe Technologie, Magoé Education platform), and fruit processing (Fatou & Kadija Entreprise, brand Jedengui), with each partnership combining capital injection with technical assistance, governance upgrades, and capacity-building support. There is no proprietary technology platform at the fund level; the value proposition is financial structuring, donor-backed capital, and access to the I&P pan-African network.

Name

Gola Capital

Legal name

Gola Capital

Website

https://golacapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gola Capital is a Conakry-based impact investment fund founded in 2024 that provides minority equity, shareholder loans, and capacity-building support to Guinean start-ups and SMEs, operating as the Guinea node of the I&P pan-African investment network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investment & Private Equity

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investment & Development Investment Funds (BPADACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

Keywords

• Impact investment fund
• SME equity financing
• Venture capital Africa
• Seed funding Sahel
• Startup financing Guinea

Headquarters

HQ city

Conakry

HQ country

Guinea

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Capital Investment Returns: Gola Capital generates returns through minority equity investments and long-term unsecured shareholder loans. The fund takes minority stakes in SMEs and earns returns proportional to company performance. Investment tickets range from 1-10 billion GNF per company with investment periods of 4-7 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gola Capital is Guinea's first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting start-ups and high-potential small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The fund provides minority equity investments combined with long-term unsecured shareholder loans (tickets of 1–10 billion GNF) for high-potential SMEs, as well as seed funding (50–500 million GNF) through the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program and dedicated agricultural SME financing (89–891 million GNF) via the I&P Acceleration FARM program. Alongside capital, Gola Capital offers tailored coaching, technical assistance, and access to a pan-African investor network.

Product overview

Gola Capital is an investment fund offering financial products and support services for Guinean SMEs and start-ups. Its core offerings include Capital Investment (equity investment of GNF 1-10 billion for high-potential SMEs) and Seed Funding through partner programs (I&P Acceleration in Sahel providing GNF 50-500 million, and I&P Acceleration FARM providing 89-891 million GNF for agricultural SMEs). The fund also provides portfolio companies including Magoé Education (education technology platform with Magoé Mon école ERP and Magoé Révision e-learning), Luxcosmetiks (cosmetic industry producing Star brand perfumes and body care), Demal Expertises (cocoa transformation producing Zeïna Cacao chocolate products), and Fatou & Kadija Entreprise (fruit processing producing Jedengui brand juices).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capital Investment for High-Potential SMEs Equity investment taking a minority shareholding, combined with an unsecured long-term shareholder loan remunerated in proportion to the company's performance. Targets high-potential SMEs in Guinea with investment tickets between 1 and 10 billion GNF and an investment period of 4–7 years.
• Seed Funding — I&P Acceleration in Sahel Seed and acceleration financing for start-ups and small companies, with ticket sizes between 50 million and 500 million GNF. Part of the I&P Acceleration in Sahel program covering 13 Sahel countries.
• I&P Acceleration FARM — Agricultural SME Financing Financing and support program dedicated to start-ups and small businesses in the agricultural sector, with tickets between 89.05 million and 891 million GNF. Targets agricultural SMEs across multiple African countries.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• African Club of EntrepreneursminorOthersPan-African association offering high-value services to entrepreneurs. Portfolio companies of Gola Capital have access to this network.
• Comoé CapitalminorOthersPart of the pan-African I&P network of investment companies in Côte d'Ivoire. Gola Capital collaborates within this network to build common skills and initiatives.
• Sinergi BurkinaminorOthersPart of the pan-African I&P network of investment companies in Burkina Faso.
• Sinergi (Niger)minorOthersPart of the pan-African I&P network of investment companies in Niger.
• Zira CapitalminorOthersPart of the pan-African I&P network of investment companies in Mali.
• Teranga CapitalminorOthersPart of the pan-African I&P network of investment companies in Senegal.
• MiarakapminorOthersPart of the pan-African I&P network of investment companies in Madagascar.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Teranga Capital: Senegalese impact investment fund, sister vehicle in the I&P network. Directly comparable as an early-stage African SME/impact investor providing equity and technical assistance to local entrepreneurs with similar ticket sizes and geographies.
• Miarakap: Madagascar-based impact investment fund in the I&P network. Directly comparable as a regional African SME impact investor operating in a frontier market with similar ticket sizes and capacity-building support.
• Sinergi Burkina: Burkina Faso-based impact investment fund in the I&P network. Directly comparable as a Sahelian SME impact investor using the same I&P Acceleration framework and similar ticket structures.
• Sinergi Niger: Niger-based impact investment fund in the I&P network, sharing the same Pan-African investment playbook. Directly comparable in vehicle structure, ticket size, and target SME segment.
• Zira Capital: Mali-based impact investment fund and I&P network member. Directly comparable as a Sahelian SME impact investor deploying equity and technical assistance to early-stage local businesses.
• Injaro Investments: West Africa-focused (Ghana) impact investment fund providing equity and quasi-equity to SMEs. Comparable as a regional African SME impact investor with similar ticket sizes and capacity-building services.
• Comoé Capital: Côte d'Ivoire-based impact investment fund, also an I&P network member. Directly comparable as a West African SME impact investor with similar minority equity + technical assistance model and ticket-size range.

Broad incumbents

• Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P): Pan-African impact investment pioneer and co-founder/co-parent of Gola Capital. The parent network and program designer for the I&P Acceleration in Sahel and FARM programs that Gola Capital deploys.

Emerging players

• Novastar Ventures: East Africa-focused impact venture fund backing early-stage businesses serving low-income consumers. Comparable in mission (African impact investing in SMEs) and target stage, though operating in a different geography.

Regional players

• MBM Capital: Guinean financial-services firm (private equity, financial derivatives) and co-founder of Gola Capital. Comparable as a Guinea-based investment vehicle, but with a broader focus on financial engineering rather than SME impact investing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gola-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Gola Capital