Meraki Capital

Marisa founded Meraki Capital to offer growing businesses across sub-Saharan Africa access to capital and advisory expertise that is usually reserved for the largest corporates.

Over years of raising funding across the continent, she saw how many well-run businesses struggled to raise capital. Meraki Capital was built to close that gap: an independent firm that combines bank-level structuring skill with access to local and global funding platforms.

Background

Marisa began her career in banking at Standard Bank of South Africa (2007–2013), where she worked across a number of jurisdictions, managed the preference share book and led new product development in emerging markets.

In October 2013 she joined AfrAsia Corporate Finance as Head of Specialised Finance and was appointed Managing Director in July 2015, raising funds for corporate clients in financial services, property and diversified holding groups across sub-Saharan Africa.

Marisa has been honoured by the international business community. She was presented with the ‘Women Leadership Award’ by the African Leadership Forum in Mauritius in December 2015. The Women Leadership Award is conferred on “Outstanding Women Professionals who have the vision, flair, acumen and professionalism to demonstrate excellent leadership and management skills in an organisation, making changes and achieving results”.

She is a practising Attorney and Notary of the High Court of South Africa.

Eduan is a seasoned lawyer and former investment banker with extensive transactional experience throughout sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging markets. He has acted as an advisor to pan-African businesses, serving on the boards of multinational African companies.

Tasked with the development of both Japanese and non-Japanese business in the Europe, Middle East and African region for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in respect of both debt (from vanilla to structured and limited recourse funding) and equity investments, he subsequently headed the finance portfolio at a South African consulting firm and was a director at GEM from 2010 to 2012.

Eduan has been intricately involved in setting up and managing sub-Saharan African credit funds for many years with the majority of these funds incorporated in Mauritius.

He has been involved in more than 150 major transactions in emerging markets, in origination, advisory, structuring and exit roles, with an aggregate deal size of approximately US$42bn across 29 African countries. He covers all major sectors, with transactional experience from cradle to grave. His experience also includes dealing with all aspects of insolvency from a contractual perspective, the efficacy and enforceability of specific security arrangements including multi-lender structures incorporating security SPV structures, and expertise in the insolvency implications of structured finance and related transactions.