WDB Investments is an investment holding company that is wholly led and managed by women, with over 21 years in investment experience in South Africa.
The Holdings aim is to be the leading game-changer in women advancement and empowerment in South Africa. The essence of WDB is about making a social impact on women; providing them with business funding and investment opportunities.
WDB Investment Holdings
Their mandate is to make investments, and while other companies pay dividends to their investors, the majority of profits made by WDBIH through its investments are repatriated to the WDB Trust, which utilised those funds for its developmental programmes.
WDB works consistently on facilitating and creating business opportunities, and creating access to markets for black women entrepreneurs. The investment strategy is to acquire significant minority interests (10%-49%) in growth and cash generative businesses with enterprise values of over R500 million, and to have representation on the respective company boards and sub-committees to drive their strategic active participation ideology.
WDBIH seeks to make equity investments in growth businesses that generate cash, and seek market and sector-related internal rates of return. It seeks to maximise their capital return by reducing their cost of capital, through a combination of debt (including vendor and third party funding) and own equity. They seek to hold all our investments at holding company or group level.
WDB Investments Criteria
WDBIH is an active partner, adding strategic value to investments through board representation and ensuring that women empowerment and skills transfer are always prioritised.
• Specific sectors: Financial services, consumer goods and services, education, property, technology media and telecommunications, renewable energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and diversified industries.
• Robust listed and unlisted companies with: Reputable management, diversified income streams which are high-growth and/or strong cash-generative businesses committed to BEE and women empowerment & demonstrable market traction and scalability.
• Companies that achieve the required returns: WDB seeks maximum returns through conservatively managed reasonable gearing/debt (including vendor and third-party funding) and equity.
• Companies that give access to cash flows: WDB generally arrange trickle dividends and/or performance fees/management fees to secure cash flow for WDBIH.
• Targeted business Enterprise Value: Growth and cash generative businesses with enterprise values over R500 million.
WDB Invests in South Africa through…
• WDB Growth Fund
Through the WDB Growth Fund, WDBIH will invest in QSE’s and EME’s. Funding is targeted at women and youth owned businesses who require funding to assist in the operating and financial development of their businesses.
• Supplier Development programme
A supplier development programme directed by Seed Engine to accelerate entrepreneurs to grow and scale their businesses. The programme includes training, support for business development, access to market, mentoring etc. This programme runs for 12 months.
• Accelerate Her programme
WDBIH sponsors the prize money for this 90-day accelerator programme, designed to fast track the development of women-owned business, while taking into account the specific psych-social issues women face.
• Youth
WDBIH engages with various youth organisations that are involved in addressing educational, socio-economic, and self-empowerment issues within their communities. These organisations require guidance, mentorship, and financial support to pursue these projects.
• Fund
Through the Thuthuka Bursary Fund, WDBIH provides scholarships to African and Coloured students from disadvantaged communities, in pursuit of becoming Chartered Accountants.
• Oprah Winfrey School
WDBIH provides scholarships for OWLAG students furthering their studies in various universities across the country.
• WDB Trust
WDB Trust is a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO), which mobilises resources to promote an integrated poverty reduction strategy that connects poor households in South Africa to finance; a range of developmental services; enterprise opportunities; training and ancillary programmes to build productive and sustainable family and community livelihoods.
Contact DTC for more information on funding through WBD Investment Holdings.