ABOUT US

Since the late 90s, our partners at Craft Capital have become increasingly aware that across sub-Saharan Africa, small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have very few financing options with which to purchase earth moving equipment.

With this in mind, we launched Craft Capital – a private equity fund that offers non-traditional, creative financing options for SMEs in the resource, agriculture and infrastructure sectors.

We service SMEs in Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and DRC, and our help doesn’t end with financing, but stretches to after sales service, risk mitigation, help with winning tenders and even finding specific equipment to meet each of our clients’ unique needs.

At Craft Capital, we understand that building an SME from the ground up takes extra help – help that strictly traditional institutions can’t always give, help that can come from us.

OUR MISSION

Small to medium-sized businesses are the lifeblood of African economies, but when it comes to financing, they are underserved. That’s where we can help. At Craft Capital, we’ve set out to provide SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa with creative, non-traditional equipment financing options that go considerably beyond what traditional banks and institutions currently offer. By doing this, we’ll not only help grow African businesses, but also boost African economies.

OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Luigi Stravino, Diarmuid Smyth, Lord Jim Oneill, Gonta Kashio, Paul Carreiro, Daniel Nüdling

LUIGI STRAVINO

Luigi brings with him not only first hand knowledge of, and experience in, almost every central and sub-central African country, but also 20 years in the global trade of earth moving equipment, as well as experience in risk, credit, financing and recovery. As one of the Craft Capital founders and partners, he is responsible for operations, sales, marketing and finance.

DIARMUID SMYTH

For 20 years, Diarmuid has been helping businesses, and specifically start-ups, scale for growth across international markets and multiple cultures. This sets him up as the key Craft Capital partner responsible for strategy, entrepreneurial business as well as mergers and acquisitions.

GONTA KASHIO

Gonta has 20 years of strategic and financial planning, as well as new business development, behind him. His far-reaching experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and business divestitures, puts him at the head of corporate business development, strategy, financial planning and new business development at Craft Capital.

PAUL CARREIRO

Founding member and partner of Craft Capital, Paul, built his extensive knowledge of global markets and deal structuring while gaining experience in automotive and heavy equipment, sales, and service software development. This comprehensive knowledge has him in charge of Craft Capital’s general management, finance and operations.

DANIEL NüDLING

Daniel’s detailed knowledge of structuring large-scale infrastructure deals and top-level government negotiations, globally, as well as his 20 years in the construction and finance industry, prepared him as the Craft Capital partner in charge of the portfolios: entrepreneurship and legal.