Catalyst Principal Partners

Catalyst Principal Partners is a private equity firm founded in 2009 and based in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in growth and expansion investments across medium-sized companies in Eastern Africa. The firm focuses on various sectors, including consumer goods, healthcare, retail, financial services, business services, manufacturing, and technology. Catalyst seeks to invest between $5 million and $20 million per transaction, targeting both majority and minority stakes. With a team of experienced investment professionals, Catalyst offers strategic and operational support to its portfolio companies and leverages a global network of co-investors and industry experts to enhance value and performance. The firm emphasizes adherence to international standards of integrity, governance, and social responsibility. It typically holds investments for four to six years, with exit strategies that include trade sales, financial buyers, and capital markets.

Javin K Hutchinson

Investment Manager

Wairimu Karungu

Associate

Paul Kavuma

CEO

Vaishal Shah

Managing Director

Fulton Shiundu

Investment Manager

Davinder Sikand

Executive Director

Rajal Upadhyaya

Founding Partner and Managing Director

17 past transactions

Yes Brands Foods and Beverages Plc

Private Equity Round in 2013
Yes Brands Food & Beverages PLC manufactures bottled mineral water.

Zenufa Laboratories

Merger/Acquisition in 2016
Zenufa Laboratories (T) Ltd. manufactures pharmaceutical products in Tanzania. Its products include capsules, suspensions, dry syrups, syrups, and tablets. Zenufa Laboratories (T) Ltd. was formerly known as Mimco International. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. Zenufa Laboratories (T) Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Zenufa Laboratories S.P.R.L.

Yes Brands

Private Equity Round in 2013
Yes Brands is an Ethiopian beverages business with the leading bottled water brand in the country. Yes is a bottled natural mineral water recognised for its taste, purity and quality in Ethiopia and sourced from springs at Wechecha Mountain, located in the Oromia Region.

Chai Bora

Acquisition in 2013
Chai Bora Limited is engaged in the manufacturing, blending, packaging, and marketing of tea and coffee in Tanzania. It offers herbal teas, including pure hibiscus, lemon symphony, camomile, peppermint, green, and highlands teas. The company also provides tomato, chilly, and garlic chilly sauces, as well as tomato ketchup. It sells its products online. The company was founded in 1994 and is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Britania Foods Ltd.

Merger/Acquisition in 2017
Britania Foods Ltd. produces biscuits and bakery products. The company was formerly known as Jambo Biscuits Limited and changed its name to Britania Foods Ltd. in May 2017. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Jamii Bora Bank

Private Equity Round in 2013
Jamii Bora Bank (JBB) is a household brand with a rich heritage in Kenya associated with enabling Kenyans achieve their full potential. With its roots anchored in the most ordinary neighborhoods and homes in Kenya, helping entrepreneurs grow Micro Businesses into Medium Enterprises, JBB has emerged as a premier bank dedicated to entrepreneurship and savings, with a focus on innovation and relationship banking. JBB has grown its total capital consistently over the last 5 years to stand at an impressive Kshs. 4.4 billion placing it among the top 20 highest capitalized Banks in a country with 43 banks and other multiple financial services companies. We have 26 branches and continue to open branches across the country to increase our foot print and bring our services closer to our customers. We recognize that the future is being driven by technology and we have deployed state of the art mobile and internet banking, agency banking, ATMs and card services that enable our clients transact whenever and wherever they want and from any type of device. We will continue to invest in technology as a key differentiator.

EFFCO Solutions Group

Acquisition in 2014
EFFCO SOLUTIONS TANZANIA LIMITED provides heavy haulage, logistics, and civil engineering works in the mining and road construction sectors. The company also supplies a range of equipment, including excavators, trucks, graders, dozers, rollers, cranes, and forklifts for short and long term hire purposes. It serves commercial, industrial, and private clients in Tanzania. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with additional offices in Gaborone, Botswana; Bryanston, South Africa; and Windhoek, Namibia.

Zenufa Laboratories

Acquisition in 2016
Zenufa Laboratories (T) Ltd. manufactures pharmaceutical products in Tanzania. Its products include capsules, suspensions, dry syrups, syrups, and tablets. Zenufa Laboratories (T) Ltd. was formerly known as Mimco International. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. Zenufa Laboratories (T) Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Zenufa Laboratories S.P.R.L.

Kensta Group

Private Equity Round in 2017
Kensta Group is a family-owned print and packaging company. It manages a diverse set of companies namely Transpaper and Express Automation in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda; and Vivid Printing Equipment, Fusion Inks, Zenith Rubber Rollers and Phiramid in Zambia.

Vitafoam Africa Limited/Superfoam Limited/Euroflex Limited

Merger/Acquisition in 2018
As of August 13, 2018, Vitafoam Africa Limited/Superfoam Limited/Euroflex Limited was acquired by Catalyst Principal Partners. Vitafoam Africa Limited/Superfoam Limited/Euroflex Limited represents the combined operations of Vitafoam Africa Limited, Superfoam Limited, and Euroflex Limited in their sale to Catalyst Principal Partners. Vitafoam Africa Limited/Superfoam Limited/Euroflex Limited manufactures mattresses. Vitafoam Africa Limited/Superfoam Limited/Euroflex Limited are based in Kenya.

Prime Bank Limited

Private Placement in 2019
Prime Bank Limited provides banking products and services. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Britania Foods

Acquisition in 2017
Jambo Biscuits (K) Ltd. (founded 1987) is situated on Kampala Road in the Industrial Area of Nairobi. Its key activity is manufacture of biscuits, now successfully diversified into snack food and confectionery products. Its ultra-modern manufacturing facility comprises high-tech production and packaging lines employing over 300 workers. Its brand name BRITANIA stands fo rthe mark of quality that has become synonymous with biscuits in Kenya and in many parts of the COMESA Region to which it exports.

Goodlife Pharmacy

Private Equity Round in 2014
GoodLife provides trusted pharmaceuticals and wellness products to over 600,000 customers from 19 different convenient locations across East Africa.

ChemiCotex

Private Equity Round in 2011
CHEMICOTEX is one of East Africa’s leading fast moving consumer goods companies .The company‘s largest and best know brand is Whitedent toothpaste which is used by more than 20 million Tanzanians everyday ! Whitedent is the clear market leader in Tanzania and is also available to consumers in Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa. In skin care Bannisters Glycerine is used everyday by families to protect and care for their skin. Other leading brands in the skin care portfolio include Sweetheart, U&Me and Siri creams while Bodyline and Zawaddi Zanzibar are the key petroleum Jelly and Pomade lines. ChemiCotex also has a range of hair care brands marketed under the Afro-Gel and Soft Touch brands. The company operates a food division in Tanzania selling and marketing - Chemi-Cola squashes which have been used by Tanzanian families for decades and the Simba Chef range of ingredients that consists of bi-carbonate, baking soda, vinegar, jams and pickles. Vits is our glucose energy brand available broadly in retail outlets and pharmacies. The company also operates a stand alone business to business division specializing in the provision of speciality plastics and metals. (wwww.ccilB2B.com) The company was initially founded in the late 1970s but expanded rapidly from 2000 with the merger of Chemipack and Cotex Industries to create ChemiCotex and establish a modern facility in Mbezi in Dar es Salaam. The plant has seen significant investments in the latest filling and mixing technologies to ensure our brands offer outstanding quality . The regional headquarters remain on the same site. In 2003 the company invested heavily in building its own distribution network in Tanzania and today you can see the companies vehicles taking our brands from our 12 branches and distribution centers to almost 10,000 customers every week. Internationally ChemiCotex started exports in 2009 and now has a full subsidiary in Rwanda and partner distributors who manage our brands in Kenya (2009), South Africa (2010) , Zambia (2011) and most recently Angola. 2011 saw a major investment in the company with HSBC (www.hsbc.com) Satya Capital (www.satyacapital.com) Catalyst Principal (www.catalystprincipal.com) becoming shareholders in the company with the Mac Group the original owners. This is providing additional expertise that will ensure we take Chemicotex achieve its goal of , becoming a pan African Consumer goods company providing consistently high quality, trusted by consumers and available whereever and whenever they are needed.

Mammoth Foam Africa

Acquisition in 2019
Mammoth Foam Africa formed by the merging of the three mattress manufacturers Euroflex Limited, Vitafoam Limited, and Superfoam Limited into a consolidated company.

Jamii Bora Bank

Private Equity Round in 2014
Jamii Bora Bank (JBB) is a household brand with a rich heritage in Kenya associated with enabling Kenyans achieve their full potential. With its roots anchored in the most ordinary neighborhoods and homes in Kenya, helping entrepreneurs grow Micro Businesses into Medium Enterprises, JBB has emerged as a premier bank dedicated to entrepreneurship and savings, with a focus on innovation and relationship banking. JBB has grown its total capital consistently over the last 5 years to stand at an impressive Kshs. 4.4 billion placing it among the top 20 highest capitalized Banks in a country with 43 banks and other multiple financial services companies. We have 26 branches and continue to open branches across the country to increase our foot print and bring our services closer to our customers. We recognize that the future is being driven by technology and we have deployed state of the art mobile and internet banking, agency banking, ATMs and card services that enable our clients transact whenever and wherever they want and from any type of device. We will continue to invest in technology as a key differentiator.