SEAF

SEAF is a global impact private equity manager founded in 1989 as the CARE Small Business Assistance Corporation. The firm provides growth capital to small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging and transition markets, deploying capital alongside business assistance and operational support intended to strengthen portfolio company operations. Its stated purpose is to improve lives and communities through entrepreneurs and small businesses, combining financial returns with measurable economic and social impact.

Investment activity is organised around a global network of funds spanning Central and Eastern Europe, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. The mandate covers growth-stage capital rather than venture seed investment: SEAF backs growth-oriented companies seeking to expand and consolidate operations in markets it describes as underserved. Alongside capital, the firm runs entrepreneur development programs and provides business assistance directly to investee companies.

Two further lines of work accompany the investment platform: operational support services delivered to portfolio companies, and initiatives focused on women's economic empowerment and gender equality as part of SEAF's social impact remit. The firm measures impact as well as returns, and positions its model as the combination of investment capital with entrepreneurial support in markets where growth finance and management capacity are both constrained.