Madagascar

Established in Madagascar since 2013, AerialMetric is a company operating aircraft and drones for the delivery of medical goods in landlocked areas of Madagascar, for organic larvicide spraying and for topography.

It also has a cargo aircraft production and maintenance operation, based in Antananarivo, and an R&D center in Maroantsetra in northern Madagascar.  Today, its customers are mainly international NGOs. Eventually, AerialMetric plans to become the benchmark operator of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in French-speaking Africa.

"In this country of almost 600,000 km2, with 28 million inhabitants and a dozen national roads that are more or less passable depending on the season (barely more than a French department), the question of territorial accessibility is a crucial public health issue." Find out more: an article published by Le Monde on AerialMetric

Entrepreneurs

CEO of AerialMetric since January 2021, aeronautical engineer and holder of an MBA from INSEAD in 2006, Pierre-Loup Lesage's career in Madagascar began in 2009 when he was appointed Regional Coordinator for Madagascar and Niger for the William J. Clinton Foundation. He then joined PSI (Population Services International) as Country Representative and then Senior Country Representative between 2012 and 2020.

Stéphane Bihr (Chief of Technology Officer) is a French process engineer (ENSIC) who also studied at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a trained drone pilot (DGAC license) and the principal founder of AerialMetric. He has an intimate knowledge of Madagascar, having spent over 23 years in different parts of the red island. Stéphane is an expert in the design and conception of aerial imagery solutions and large UAVs (manned aircraft, multicopters and VTOLs).

Agnes Hiere (Chief Financial Officer): After developing technical skills in the financial industry (JPMorgan), Agnes strengthened her managerial skills in developing contexts, leading programs and organizations focused on strengthening health systems, rural socio-economics, agriculture and urban development (UN system, INGOs). Agnes Hiere is also founder and president of Golden Brick Road. Agnes holds an MBA, two masters degrees in law and public affairs, and a bachelor's degree in political science.

Partnership with I&P

AerialMetric is supported by I&P through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund. The funds raised are intended for :

• Strengthening AerialMetric's presence in Madagascar;
• Exploration of two other countries in French-speaking Africa, with a view to an effective presence in 2025;
• Strengthening of position in penetrated countries;
• Focus on research and development (R&D) to improve drone flight technology and ergonomics.

Expected impact

• Access to healthcare for people living in remote rural areas of Madagascar and future host countries;  
• Fight against malaria;  
• Reduction of carbon emissions linked to the transport of medical equipment and medicines;  
• Creation of local jobs for young people in an innovative sector, opening up opportunities for technical and specific professions (piloting, engineering) with decent salaries.

Laiterie Maminiaina, based in Antsirabe since its creation in 2009, is run by Serge Randriamahefasoa, a Malagasy entrepreneur with strong roots in the dairy triangle, his native region.

Number 1 for cheese in Madagascar, Laiterie Maminiaina currently works with 750 breeders, employs around 50 people in its factory, and distributes its products through a network of 8 sales outlets in the capital and Antsirabe.

The entrepreneur's ambition is to raise his profile in the dairy products market and join forces with an international player in dairy or agri-food processing.

Partnership with Miarakap

The company is financed by Miarakap, I&P's partner in Madagascar.

The funds raised will enable the company to double its supply capacity, with the number of partner farmers rising to 3,000 (i.e. +15,000 people affected) by 2027. 

The partnership with Miarakap will also enable the dairy to acquire new machinery and set up infrastructure in line with international standards. Laiterie Maminiaina will be able to diversify its products to meet consumer demand.

Miarakap positions itself as the entrepreneur's strategic partner, not only in the field of finance, but also in other important aspects of the business (marketing, human resources, production, etc.), and provides the entrepreneur with a useful external vision to help him make the best decisions.

Visit Miarakap's website to read more

OKALOU, a company specializing in events and entertainment, was founded by a Malagasy couple, Andy and Seheno Rasoanarivo in 2012. 

The company employs 38 staff and works part-time with over 150 people. 

OKALOU manages children's playgrounds in shopping centers, and also operates the Antanimena Skate Park in Antananarivo. 

In the space of 10 years, the company has established its reputation in the sector by organizing major innovative and entertaining annual events (LOKORACE, MAZAVAL'RUN), and by creating and developing its own playgrounds.

Partnership with Miarakap

The company is financed by Miarakap, I&P's partner in Madagascar.

Miarakap's investment will enable OKALOU to launch its project to create a multi-purpose venue, capable of hosting corporate and private events; to create a sales, marketing and communications division; to set up new services within the Antanimena Skate Park, but above all to structure and formalize the company.

Visit Miarakap's website to read more

Created in 2009 by Marie Stephanie Aina Raharijaona, Stephaina Beauty is a chain of beauty parlors that offers a very complete range of cosmetic treatments, with a focus on nail care.

In 2021, more than 28,000 visits to the 4 Stephaina beauty parlors were recorded. A fifth salon should open in 2022 in the city of Majunga.

The entrepreneur

Stephaina was created by Stéphanie Raharijaona, who grew up in Antananarivo and followed a specialized training in nail prosthesis in Paris in parallel with her studies in interior design.

She opened her first salon in 2009, and had the capacity to finance herself already shortly after its opening. Stéphanie Raharijaona returned to France in 2015 to work as an executive assistant at UNESCO while managing her salon remotely.

She decided to return to Madagascar in July 2019, to both deploy the Stephaina salon brand and maximize its social impact through the professional training of young people: a mission that is at the heart of her vision and Stephaina's development model.

Partnership with Miarakap

Miarakap is committed to working with Stephaina to support them in:

⇒ The organizational structuring of the company
⇒ The development of the notoriety
⇒ The opening of 2 new salons per year
⇒ The launch of a range of Stephaina Beauty brand products marketed in the main salons

Expected impacts

Stephaina's main impact is on the social aspect via the creation of formal jobs, largely for young people who have left the school system or are marginalized. Thanks to a mentoring system within the salons, these young people without diplomas have the opportunity to be trained in the beauty industry and to be integrated into the workforce. With 10 salons open by 2026, Stephaina could create and/or maintain 230 jobs.

About Miarakap

Miarakap is the first impact investment company dedicated to financing and supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and high-potential start-ups in Madagascar.

Miarakap takes minority stakes in the capital of companies with high growth potential, for unit amounts ranging from 100 million to 1 billion Ariary, and provides strategic, managerial and technical support to its investments. As a player in impact investing, Miarakap's mission is to maximize its economic, social and environmental impact through its investments and to contribute to Madagascar's development.

Learn more abour Miarakap

Created in 2012, HERi Madagascar is a company that specializes in the distribution and financing of solar energy solutions in rural areas of Madagascar.

HERi is a socially committed company that acts on the sustainable economic and social development of rural populations in Madagascar by distributing innovative products and services through a network of energy kiosks managed by women entrepreneurs.

HERi's activity consist of:

• A network of kiosks and distribution points managed by franchised women entrepreneurs who develop the activity of renting solar lamps to populations without electricity in rural areas;
• A network of Microfinance Institutions that offer a credit purchase of HERi products to their clients;
• A PAY-As-You-Go (PAYGo) financing model for people living in peri-urban and rural areas.

HERi is the exclusive representative in Madagascar of two suppliers of solar-powered lighting systems for domestic use: Fosera and d.light. The company currently owns about 100 kiosks and rents an average of 26,000 solar lamps per day.

The entrepreneurs

Samy CHALIER holds an MBA from IE Business School and has 12 years of experience in international management. He has been supervising the restructuring and growth of HERi since 2016.

Ando RANDRIAMALALAHARISON holds a master's degree in finance and is an alumnus of AFD's Lead Campus program. She was an auditor in an accounting firm for 3 years before joining HERi in 2015 where she was first an internal auditor and then Administrative and Financial Director. Since 2017, Ando has been HERi's Deputy Managing Director.

Partnership with I&P

Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) has committed to HERi in order to:

• Develop a model for purchasing solar lighting systems on credit and at an affordable price for households through Pay-as-you-go;
• Enable energy inclusion for many families through a door-to-door approach;
• Fight climate change by providing clean, quality energy to the user;
• Create jobs in the most remote areas of Madagascar through its network of agents and franchisees.

Expected impacts

The company's mission is to bring a better quality of life to the population of rural Madagascar by providing an affordable way to access clean energy essential to their daily activities.

HERi's expansion into the less developed island's regions will create jobs, which is a pillar of development and a source of income for households.

It will allow households to switch to quality, clean and safe energy and away from traditional light sources such as candles and oil lamps commonly used by the rural population.

Learn more about HERi

Malakass is a young company whose mission is to contribute to the development of the cassava farming industry in the Atsimo-Andrefana region of Madagascar, thanks to the installation of a standard factory, allowing the transformation of cassava into high quality, bio and fair trade certified flour. The product is intended for both the local and international markets, in particular the major European importers, who are in demand for this high value-added product, which is gluten-free and used in both bakery and pastry-making.Malakass is a young company whose mission is to contribute to the development of the cassava farming industry in the Atsimo-Andrefana region of Madagascar, thanks to the installation of a standard factory, allowing the transformation of cassava into high quality, bio and fair trade certified flour.

The product is intended for both the local and international markets, in particular the major European importers, who are in demand for this high value-added product, which is gluten-free and used in both bakery and pastry-making.

The entrepreneur

Malakass is led by Houssen MEBOBALY, a graduate of INSEEC after a dozen years of study in France. After starting his career at BNP Paribas, he returned to Madagascar in 2019 to start his own business.

Struck by the under-valued potential of the cassava industry in his native region, while cassava flour consumption is rapidly increasing in Europe, he decided to add value by transforming it into high quality flour.

Partnership with I&P

I&P committed alongside with Malakass to:

• Fund the acquisition of the production line and the supply vans
• Fund the construction of the plant
• Fund the working capital requirements and ensure a minimum cash flow for the company during its first two years
• Support the company in structuring the supply through the research of subsidies, the implementation of certifications, training and support for producers ...
• Provide strategic and operational support

Read More : Press release

Created in 2018 by a talented young Malagasy entrepreneur, Sayna is a startup specialized in digital training and outsourcing of IT projects, carried out by African developers via a micro-tasking platform.

Sayna intends to address a twofold problem: the lack of training in the digital sector in Africa, and the gap between the supply of digital talent and the growing demand of companies in the context of their digital transformation.

Sayna offers digital skills training and provides solutions that allow the students to enter the job market. To date, Sayna has trained nearly 200 students.

Today, Sayna aims to develop a tech startup model based on two pillars:

⇒ A paying online training platform for learners that allows them to follow, evaluate and validate their learning, but also to have access to company IT projects corresponding to the learning they have validated during their training.

⇒ A "microtasking" platform that allows companies to outsource their IT projects more efficiently, which are divided into distributed micro-tasks and assigned to freelance developers registered on the platform.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The promoter of the project, Matina Razafimahefa, is a young Malagasy entrepreneur of 23 years old, winner of several awards. At 20 years old, she decided to stop her studies to devote herself fully to the deployment of the project and has surrounded herself with advisors and experienced business angels.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P ACCELERATION TECHNOLOGIES AND MIARAKAP

Sayna is financed and supported by I&P Acceleration Technologies, a €2.5 million program aimed at financing and supporting fifteen digital start-ups in Sub-Saharan Africa, supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) through the Digital Africa initiative.

As such, Sayna benefits from a €100,000 repayable advance from the I&P Acceleration Technologies program to :

⇒— Finalize and launch the micro tasking platform

—⇒ Roll out the training programs in partnership with a leading player in Bootcamp training, Holberton (Silicon Valley)

⇒ Train 200 students by the end of 2021

NEXT STEPS AND EXPECTED IMPACTS

Sayna's ambition is to :

—• Enable 8,000 people in Africa to enter the digital industry through its training and have more than 3,500 people working on its micro task platform.

•— Meet the IT needs of 300 SMEs and start-ups in the French-speaking world.

—• Complete a Series A fundraising of approximately €3 million in 2022 to accelerate growth and finance a pan-African expansion in West Africa.

Jiro-Ve is a pioneering company in rural electrification in Madagascar, launched in 2014.

Jiro-Ve has come up with an innovative, inclusive micro franchise model to provide affordable and healthy lighting for marginalized communities. Its business model allows the company to rent out a rechargeable LED light for a price that is cheaper than candles or kerosene. For 250 Ariary per day (≈ 0,06 €) people get a fully charged light delivered to their doorstep, both incities and remote rural areas of Madagascar.

Jiro-Ve hires local entrepreneurs and uses existing networks, supporting and developing entrepreneurship.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Jiro Ve is managed by Rik Stamhuis, an entrepreneur of Dutch origin located in Madagascar since 2012.  He holds 48% of the company's capital.

Rik is a driven and energetic leader with years of experience working for social enterprises. Before founding Jiro-Ve, Rik worked in Kenya trying to find innovative ways of distributing renewable energy.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Thanks to funding from the program I&P Acceleration Technologies, Jiro-Ve plans to expand its activity, initially in Madagascar by distributing the new kits in larger quantities and targeting more regions.

The company aims to extend its offer to other regions of Africa later on.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

⇒ Jiro-Ve aims to eliminate poverty by helping local entrepreneurs to have a better income.

⇒ Jiro-Ve's model allows the most disadvantaged consumers to access a source of energy that is less polluting, less dangerous and less expensive than petroleum lamps.

⇒ According to the studies carried out by the company, each lamp used would avoid the emission of 0.37 tons of CO2 per year.

⇒ This energy source also has a positive impact on the health and well-being of users, by reducing the toxic fumes emitted by the candles and kerosene lamps that most target customers currently use.

About I&P Acceleration Technologies

Launched in 2019 with the support of the French Development Agency through its iniative Digital Africa, I&P Acceleration Technologies is a €2.5 million program that aims to finance and support some fifteen digital startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Western Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar. Click here to read more →

About Miarakap

Miarakap is the first impact fund dedicated to the financing and support SMEs and start-ups in Madagascar. Managed by Emmanuel Cotsoyannis, Miarakap is the fourth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of its program I&P Development 2. The network currently includes impact funds specialized in SME-financing in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), in Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital). Click here to visit Miarakap's website →

SmartPredict is a SaaS platform using artificial intelligence for predictive analytics that helps companies in the deployment of their projects. There are multiple uses in all sectors: consumer forecasts (industry), product recommendations (marketing), default predictions (banking and insurance), etc. With their latest tool, RetailForecastor, the company enables retail companies to predict their sales and optimize their activities by avoiding over- or underproduction.

SmartPredict has been developed since 2018 by Malagasy developers and data scientists and has required one million lines of code to date.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

SmartPredict is led by Ranto ANDRIAMBOLOLONA, a Malagasy entrepreneur in his 40s with a passion for artificial intelligence since his studies.

Graduated from ISPM (Institut Supérieur Polytechnique de Madagascar) and the University of Marne La Vallée, he has more than 10 years of experience in the ICT sector in Paris (Axway, PriceMinister, etc.). He came back to Madagascar to launch HaiRun and SmartPredict, driven by the conviction that Malagasy developers and datascientists have the skills to match those of European companies.

He quickly demonstrated his ability to lead young, ambitious and growing companies. His first company HaiRun grew from 6 to 100 employees in the space of two years and raised €250,000 through its partnership with the impact investing fund Miarakap.

Partnership with I&P and Miarakap

Miarakap has committed itself alongside the promoter in the structuring of the young company, the launch of SmartPredict and the future fundraising efforts it aims to achieve.

Thanks to the partnership between the French Development Agency (AFD), Investisseurs et Partenaires (I&P), and Miarakap within the framework of the program I&P Accélération Technologies, SmartPredict benefits from a funding notably dedicated to Research & Development, as well as commercialization.

Expected Impacts

⇒ Promoting a Malagasy company that performs in the technological and innovative sector of artificial intelligence

⇒ Creation of qualified and well-paid jobs for Malagasy developers and "data scientists", whose retention in Madagascar is a challenge.

About I&P Acceleration Technologies

Launched in 2019 with the support of the French Development Agency through its iniative Digital Africa, I&P Acceleration Technologies is a €2.5 million program that aims to finance and support some fifteen digital startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Western Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar. Cick here to read more →

About Miarakap

Miarakap is the first impact fund dedicated to the financing and support SMEs and start-ups in Madagascar. Managed by Emmanuel Cotsoyannis, Miarakap is the fourth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of its program I&P Development 2. The network currently includes impact funds specialized in SME-financing in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), in Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital). Click here to visit Miarakap's website →

Founded in 2006 by the Malagasy promoter Malala Rabenoro, SOAFIARY is specialized in the sourcing, processing and commercialization of cereals (maize, rice) and leguminous plants (beans, cape peas, lentils, soybeans) on local and international markets. The company employs nearly 200 people, including 88% women.

Backed by a good reputation in this sector, the company begins to diversify its activities in 2017. SOAFIARY has set up a feed mill unit and has also launched the SOADIO project, a contract farming project run in collaboration with the diocese of the Vakinankaratra region, located in the highlands of Madagascar. The company trains the farmers and provides them with the agricultural equipment and inputs needed to operate the 4,100 hectares of land owned by the Diocese, and then buys the entire production. This project is a response to the challenges of traceability and product quality.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

The company was founded by Malala Rabenoro. With a background in marketing, Malala previously worked for an Microfinance Institution (MFI) where she gained more than 15 years of experience in administrative and personnel management. She left her position in 2011 to dedicate herself fully to SOAFIARY, where she manages the marketing, procurement and investor relations aspects of the business.

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

Soafiary is supported by the fund I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2). The partnership aims to:

⇒ Reviving the company's historical activity

⇒ Improving the quality management system

⇒ Supporting the company in the certification and standardization process (HACCP and Bio)

⇒ Developing the feed mill unit

⇒ Developing the SOADIO project

⇒ Strengthening corporate governance, Participating in management capacity building

⇒ Advising and supporting the company in its relations with investors and strategic third parties

EXPECTED IMPACTS

⇒ Promoting a committed female promoter

⇒ Creating jobs for a disadvantaged population with low education levels

⇒ Providing support to employees on literacy and hygiene-related issues

⇒ Supporting farmers through the SOADIO project

• Inclusion of small producers in the value chain
• Improving the living conditions of small producers