Launch Africa Ventures Invests In Africa’s First On-Demand Expertise Platform

Africa’s leading VC firm, Launch Africa, has invested in Homecoming Revolution’s new on-demand expertise platform, Insights by Experts.

Homecoming Revolution, a pan-African executive search firm, launched its new platform at a colourful stakeholder ceremony held at Sankara Hotel, Nairobi. Dubbed Insights By Experts, the platform helps global investors and companies access independent talent on-demand, from a vetted community of experienced African experts across a wide range of African countries and sectors.

Janade du Plessis, Fund Manager at Launch Africa said, “Over the past two decades, Homecoming Revolution has built deep relationships across the continent with some of the leading corporates and sector specialists, and are now bringing it all together on the Insights By Experts platform.”

The launch has been spurred by a soaring number of investors and companies who want to scale in Africa but are constrained by a lack of quick and relevant “on the ground” knowledge. Insights by Experts offers a rich repository of African experts curated by Homecoming Revolution, which has been in operation since 2003. The senior and experienced African experts can offer up-to-date, on-the-ground insights, advice, and opinions. The experts can be engaged for a range of needs including one-on-one chats, contracts or projects, coaching and mentoring, introductions, board positions, and more.

“It is a real privilege to create a platform that shares deep African expertise with the world.  Our hope is that it will foster significant economic growth on the continent. Thank you to our incredible team, experts, and investors who have made this idea come to life”, said Angel Jones, CEO, Homecoming Revolution.

The experts will be useful during value identification (deal origination) and value validation (due diligence) which includes customer perception, founder references, competitor snapshots, technical assessments, customer problems and needs, market perceptions, and high-level risks. The experts’ services also come in handy during value acceleration (performance improvement), which includes governance, pricing validation, human resources consulting, go-to-market intelligence, partnerships and distributors’ procurement, as well as obvious quick wins.

“It has been great working with the Homecoming Revolution team and I congratulate them on their new expertise platform, Insights by Experts.  Now it will be easy to pick the brains of a vast number of different experts across Africa,” said Leonard Kimutai Tonui, Strategy Director at Coca Cola Beverages Africa in Kenya.

A key process that entails significant input from experts is value integration (aggressive growth), which includes exploration of new business lines, acquisition considerations, regulatory risks of regional growth, technical endorsements, and board seats. Finally, the experts will be needed during market value optimisation before exit, including independent business plan validation, long-term improvement plans, and sale price maximisation.

“For the PE and VC industry, we are continually in search of talent to work with for market insights as we grow our companies, or for senior team members for our portfolio companies. I think this platform is quite unique and could be of enormous help to our members”, said Eva Warigia, Executive Director of the East Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.

The platform can be accessed either through self-service or assistance from the organisation. Self-service is a six-step process that begins with a search across many countries, industries, and disciplines. The client then sends the expert a consultation request with key questions and meeting date suggestions. The client receives the expert’s response and confirms the consultation date, which is then followed by a calendar invite with a video link from the expert. The client then chats with the expert and gains proprietary knowledge. Eventually, the client rates the expert and the experience.

Should the customer require specific assistance, then the platform provides an easy way to brief the recruitment team directly.  These expert packages can be tailored according to budget, time delivery, and outputs; be it once-off chats or a deeper engagement. There are hundreds of experts currently loaded onto the platform and thousands of other experts in Homecoming Revolution’s unique database.

“We looking forward to using the platform in our own business, for our portfolio companies and our corporate partners,” continues Jandade du Plessis, Fund Manager at Launch Africa Ventures.