Version 1.0 – Questions and Answers
What is Sonvela Social Impact Investing?
This new model by Sonvela allows you to invest in young Cabo Verdean (tech) entrepreneurs with us. By working together with the founders to establish a profitable company, we can pay you back and you'll also be able to enjoy a piece of the profits.
The project aims to combine the ideals of a charity and the efficiency of entrepreneurship.
Who is it for?
The project was created to provide young Cabo Verdean entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow and create more jobs. It's a chance for people who have always wanted to contribute to the country's development, and to do it in a new way. Have you always wanted to invest in Cabo Verde? Do you also think we need to move on from traditional charities? Then this might be the opportunity for you to get involved.
Why now?
I'm convinced that now is the time to focus on the future of our country. A future which will be dominated by technology. Other than in the fishing industry, commerce or tourism, there still is a chance for Cabo Verdeans world wide to get involved in a 'sector' that probably is going to determine how our country will look.
In case we don't act fast I'm afraid we might see a foreign takeover when it comes to technology as well, which will leave young Cabo Verdeans with even less opportunity than they have today.
Do I always get my money back?
No, there is no way to guarantee that. There is the risk that the companies we choose to invest in don't become profitable. In that case you can't get the money you invested back. The project is designed in a way that the choosen companies have a high probability of succeeding. But there are no guarentees.
I am working on the option of loans, where you do have the guarentee of getting back your investment, along with yield.
How do you increase the odds of success?
I am personally going to work with the entrepreneurs we invest in. Besides the financial transaction, we'll be building a relationship for the long term. That relationship started with an interview with a few potential partners. After multiple follow up conversations, discussing various topics, I'll decide if we invest or not. When working together, we'll have a few sessions to go through certain business problems in order to determine what the business need to eventually become profitable.
Do I receive updates?
Yes. You'll receive quarterly updates with which we'll inform you about everything that's happening within the businesses that Sonvela supports. You'll know which entrepreneur gets funded, what the conditions of the partnership are, and the expectations. We are also going to inform investors immediately when something importants happens.
How does it work?
The minimum investment is set at € 100. You can also choose to pay that over the course of 4 months. If you prefer to participate every quarter, the minimum is € 50 each quarter, making a total of € 200. You have the option to invest on a monthly or quarterly basis for an unlimited amount of time. The higher your investment, the more impact it can make.
By spreading your investment I hope to open the doors to more people. Another advantage of it is that you can watch how things develop as time goes by. Establishing this trust is such an important issue for the project, because I'm looking to build a long term relationship with investors as well.
Why do you deserve our trust?
For the last 10 years, I've been working on behalf of Sonvela with (social) projects that I feel contribute to a better society. In al these years I've participated financially in the sponsoring of various projects, and it will not be any different this time. I'll be the first one to invest my own money.
Sonvela has been such a big part of my life that I can commit my future to it without have any doubts if it's the right thing. These are the projects that Sonvela has supported:
- Projeto Juvenile (Nho Djunga) / Juvenile day care project
- Xplicação de Ari / Homework classes by Ari
- Escola de Arte Monte Sossego (Cova) / Art school Monte Sossego (Cova)
- Escola de Futebol Zona Libertada / Soccer school Zona Libertada
- Projeto Sonvela Arte / Sonvela Arte project
What is the mission and vision?
Mission
To help solve Cabo Verde's biggest problems. I've developed a 20-year plan to get there.
Here’s what I want to build in/for Cape Verde in the coming years:
- Angel investor syndicate
- Startup generator/incubator
- Fund for micro and small businesses
- University and company of the future for innovation and disruption
Vision
We believe that technology can help us to improve health care, education and housing significantly. Problems such as unemployment and social inequality can also be addresses thanks to a combination of technology and a generation of super talented young entrepreneurs.
We feel that now is the time for the diaspora to act, before it's too late. We can either lead this technichal revolution, or watch from the sidelines while others provide solutions which will only be available to Cabo Verdeans as consumers.
Sonvela Social Impact Investing:
We invest in our people. They are building the future of Cabo Verde.
Read more here:
Tech is the new Tourism
