Zimbabwe Investment Fund

Providing capital and coaching to Zimbabwean entrepreneurs

For investors with...

Integrity

We place great value on personal integrity and trusted relationships.

Focus

We are risk-aware, decisive, and focused on the essential questions.

Vision

We extend ourselves ethically into underserved areas for high returns on investment and direct benefit to local entrepreneurs.

Community Spirit

Our core business purpose is to help people provide essential services affordably to their own communities and regions.

If you share these values as an investor, we may be a good fit to work together.

We seek out and develop partnerships where everyone wins.

Entrepreneurs who receive loans from the fund are supported by mentorship, coaching, and business consulting services provided free of charge by Great Sun Financial.

Investment options

The fine print

Interest is compounded every 4 weeks.
Repayment is in equal payments beginning 24 weeks after the loan is made and continuing every 4 weeks for the remainder of the term.
The borrower is Great Sun Financial Inc, incoporated in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Default risk on loans to entrepreneurs is held by Great Sun.
Great Sun has the right to early repayment in full, including principal and all interest then due.

How are these returns possible, and how could this be good for the entrepreneurs?

The financial system in Zimbabwe has not been functional for more than a decade. The economy now scrapes by mostly on a small supply of US dollars that has found its way into the country over the years. There is very little money available for transactions, and virtually none for investment. The lending infrastructure is nonexistent, except for the wealthiest. Small businesses, small farms, and solopreneurs in Zimbabwe haven’t had access to growth capital for years.

Small businesses make up the vast majority of the economy. Almost everyone has a hustle, and entrepreneurship is the only source of income for most. Many people have a well-developed business sense and can spot an opportunity, but there is not much experience when it comes to stabilizing or scaling a business to take advantage of it.

For the past fifteen years and more, no small business project that requires more than a few hundred dollars of capital has been easy or straightforward to accomplish. The only growth capital available is for street hustles where investors expect to double their money in a matter of days or weeks. Opportunities that take longer to develop or have less return simply cannot be financed. This harsh small business reality stands alongside a level of systemic corruption that leaves the government and large institutions even less able to provide services than the cash-strapped entrepreneurial sector.

The pent-up demand for investment capital is massive, and the demand for the goods and services that can be provided by businesses who have invested in their infrastructure is equally huge. In this environment, the ROI on capital projects is astronomical for the business owner who can access the capital, develop the expertise, and take advantage of the opportunities available. An entrepreneur can often generate enough new revenue from a capital project to cover the cost within months, or even within weeks. For example:

A used vehicle that costs $3,500 could enable a driver to bring in $100-150 per day after expenses, enabling a payback time of less than 30 working days.
A drilled well and equipment costing $10k will enable a farmer to bring in an additional $20-30k annually.

In these examples and so many others, loans can quickly be repaid and the benefit to the entrepreneur lasts for years or decades. Interest rates that would be completely unreasonable in other environments are a rain of blessings to entrepreneurs here. The incredible business opportunities that are available turn a high cost of capital into an easily justifiable expense from a practical business perspective, and everyone wins.