Secha Capital is an FMCG and Agri fund that is focused on the ‘missing middle’, established but small businesses that need additional capital to assist them to reach next-level growth.
“We look for founder/market fit and product/market fit and recurring revenues,” explains Brendan Mullen, co-founder and Managing Director of Secha Capital. “We believe there are businesses that are too big for government grants, but too small for traditional funds, and that’s our focus.”
As a result, Secha addresses capital and management gaps of companies, and chooses its sectors based on research and surveys.
“We’re investment thesis driven,” explains Brendan, who contacted Danie because his team had been researching the fragmented packaged biltong sector in South Africa.
Essentially, Secha brings three key ingredients to the table:
- Growth capital: Often used as working capital, but can also be used to purchase machinery.
- Human capital support: Secha joins the team for a minimum of nine months and also sources an intern from a management consulting group or international MBA programme. The result is a skills transfer, a new perspective, additional bandwidth and operational support. “It’s often difficult for SMEs to attract the best and the brightest. We look at it like human capital arbitrage; bringing in a high-level person to really assist with projects and operations.”
- Channel access. This is the side of FMCG that requires the most persistence, and in many ways Brendan already has excellent contacts that the companies he invests in can leverage off. “It’s important to know buyers and be able to make the right connections and introductions in this business. That’s an invaluable level of support for entrepreneurs.”
For any entrepreneurs considering funding, it’s as important to consider what the investor brings to the table over and above capital — afterall, you are giving equity in your business away, a decision that only makes sense if the ultimate goal is growth.
Achieving growth
From Secha Capital’s perspective, the first test that Stoffelberg passed was the taste test. Brendan saw the brand in a retailer and bought it. He then did some research and found a business with a one-page website and limited marketing — which meant there was an opportunity for Secha to add value.
“We were specifically looking for businesses in this sector that owned the entire processing part of the value chain. We wanted to be price makers, not price takers.”
An additional plus point was that Danie and Oom Stoffel had already secured their Halaal, HACCP and export certifications, which proved grit.
“We realised that they are the experts in meat. One of the key things they had in place was an exceptional team. Chris Bothma, who worked on the Blue Train as a head chef, is not only Stoffelberg’s chef, but he’s in charge of production, product innovation, recipes and he manages a team of 25 at head office. He’s also a shareholder in the business. Finding the right subject experts drives growth, and was a big plus point for us. If we find a business that has product/market fit and founder/market fit, we know it’s just a case of adding some other capabilities to achieve real growth.”
What funders look for
For Brendan, there are a few key areas that he considers when making an investment. First, he regularly taps into his networks to stay abreast of what’s hot and new, and what consumers are asking for. This will often lead to an investment thesis.
Next, he looks for a large TAM (total addressable market) with adjacencies. “You ideally want a large TAM in a fragmented area, with products that tend to be grudge purchases because top alternatives are not available, as well as a team or founder who really knows the industry, what’s broken, what can be fixed, and how to get recurring customers from that solution. In addition, we want to see what new value-adds you can you bring to the table.
“Stoffelberg is re-invigorating a dormant market, while another one of our investments, nativechild, is operating in a niche growth vertical within a much larger vertical and can expand from there.
“Look for opportunities in fragmented value chains, where there are no clear brands in that specific section of the market. Find that, and you can find a slice of that value.
“I also believe in founder/sector fit. Stoffelberg wouldn’t be here today if Danie and Oom Stoffel didn’t know the different players in the value chain, couldn’t anticipate pricing and didn’t understand consumer pain points. Domain expertise is huge.
