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About us

Our Story

Zidicircle was founded by Fridah Ntarangwi, a Kenyan turned diasporan in Europe. Her personal journey highlights the obstacles diasporans encounter when establishing businesses. Local business incubators did not align with her specific needs or the communities she aspired to impact, and fundraising proved to be a formidable challenge. Motivated by these experiences, she resolved to Zidicircle with the aim of providing diverse entrepreneurs and investors with comprehensive resources, incubation support, coaching, and streamlined access to funding.

Since 2016, Zidicircle has continuously worked with development partners, private sector, governments, diaspora organisations and diasporans themselves to participate in entrepreneurship and investment activities in their host and home countries. Zidi was started in the netherlands and has since supported diaspora entrepreneurs and investors in Europe and Africa and hopes to expand into other markets. Zidi’s diaspora programmes run across europe coordinated from our head office in Amsterdam-The Netherlands and our regional offices in Brussels-Belgium and Hamburg-Germany. We work with ecosystem SME supporters across Africa to identify high performing green SME’s and match them to our trained Diaspora Angel investors and entrepreneurs. Activities are coordinated from our regional offices in Morocco, Ghana and Kenya

Vision

We aspire to become the foremost global leader in fostering diaspora entrepreneurship and advancing the capacity-building for angel investments, serving as the premier gateway for angel investors

Mission

We facilitate diaspora-led development in host and home countries in two ways:

  • By supporting and training high potential entrepreneurs and investors through group and self-paced courses, incubation and investment channels
  • By pooling diaspora angel investments into SME’s through our member and technology driven platform

Why a focus on the diaspora?

We define diasporans as migrants or descendants of migrants, whose identity and sense of belonging are attached to a home country, but who live outside of it (host country).

Diasporans play an integral role in supporting the economies of both their home and host countries, contributing through labor, skills transfer, financial capital, and enriching cultural diversity. Remarkably, diasporans contribute significantly to global remittances, playing a pivotal role in sustaining economies across borders. According to recent statistics, diaspora remittances reached an estimated $831 billion in 2022, highlighting the immense financial influence of diasporan communities worldwide. However, first and second-generation diasporans, particularly those from visible, ethnic and linguistic minority communities, grapple with significant challenges when initiating businesses or investing in both their home and host countries.
Our experience has illuminated the following key challenges:

  • Limited Access to Traditional Capital:

    Diasporans often face hurdles in accessing traditional capital due to factors such as a limited credit history, lack of collateral, and exclusion from mainstream financial systems. This restriction hampers their ability to secure necessary funds for investments and entrepreneurship.

  • Disparities in Educational and Employment Opportunities:

    Disparities in educational and employment opportunities can impact disposable income, creating obstacles to realizing full investment potential. This challenge further underscores the need for tailored support and opportunities for pooled investment opportunities.

  • Cultural and Regulatory Complexities:

    Navigating cultural and regulatory complexities poses significant hurdles for diasporans seeking to engage in entrepreneurship or investments in their home and host countries. Overcoming these challenges requires specialized knowledge and support.

  • Challenges in Finding Incubators:

    Locating incubators adapted to the unique needs of diasporans is a challenge. This includes navigating cultural nuances and gaining access to tailored support services, hindering the effective development of their business ideas.

  • Limited Transformation of Remittances:

    Despite their significant volume, remittances predominantly retain a personal nature, presenting a challenge in channeling them into sustained long-term investments. The inherent difficulty lies in transforming these transfers from personal support and investments into avenues for broader economic development.

How Zidi Addresses These Challenges

Entrepreneurship Training Service Offer

Zidi addresses barriers to entrepreneurship and investment by providing comprehensive training services. Through self-paced and group training, we empower diasporans with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate entrepreneurial and investment ecosystems. Our investment matchmaking services connect aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors and investors who understand and appreciate their potential, facilitating fundraising opportunities and valuable networks that break through exclusionary practices.

Zidi Angel Investor training Offer

For those willing to offer an alternative source of capital, there is a lack of know-how to navigate the angel investment ecosystems- many diaspora often ask, where do I start? How will I do it and who can I trust? Our diaspora angel investment fellowship offers a learning opportunity for first time diaspora angel investors

Investing Approach: Zidi Coop Investment Vehicle

To address limited access to traditional capital and a general lack of investment infrastructure, Zidi introduces the Coop Investment Vehicle. This innovative platform enables diasporans to pool their resources, overcoming financial constraints and empowering even those with smaller denominations of investments to make a substantial impact. By leveraging the power of pooling, Zidi transforms the investment landscape, providing an accessible and inclusive platform for diasporans to invest in SMEs in their home and host countries.

United in Purpose, Diverse in Talents - Meet the Dynamic Minds
Behind Zidicircle, Building Success!

ZidiCircle Team

Fridah Ntarangwi

Founder and Managing Partner

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Nurhidayah Hassan

Programmes Manager

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Toon Buddingh

Programmes Director

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Amran Chamlal

Community & Engagement

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Charles Marangu

Business Development Manager

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Asme Idrissy

SME Matching Coordinator & Morocco Lead

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ZidiCircle Coop Team

Katharina Diehl

Nawfal Chentouf

Alfred Atta

Abdelmalak Tagouma

Yassine Zouak

Amran Chamlal

Our three
pillars

Learn.

This pillar rests on our commitment to educating our community with the aim of catalyzing diaspora-led entrepreneurship and angel investing via the Zidicircle School, our bespoke training arm.

 

Through the Zidicircle School:

We provide tailor-made country-specific or regional-based capacity building for diaspora entrepreneurs to help them unlock markets, partnerships and investments.

 

We provide the only diaspora-focused angel investing training tailored to aspiring diaspora angels, bridging the gap between SMEs and diaspora-based investors.

 

Find out more.

Connect.

This pillar rests on our commitment to fostering a vibrant and supportive community of entrepreneurs and investors a like through in-person and online community meet-ups.

 

Join one of our investing circles, investor meet-ups or community events to stay up-to-date on investment trends and opportunities on the continent.

 

Join the Circle

Invest.

This pillar rests on our commitment to pooling and catalyzing diaspora venture investments through our technology-driven investment channel: The Zidicircle Coop.

 

Join the Zidicircle Coop, our bespoke investment marketplace, and invest in the most promising SMEs. Better, you can do it collectively with other Zidi Angels to amplify your impact.

 

Join the Coop

They trust & amplify our work ↓

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Address: Staalmeesterslaan 214 Amsterdam

contact@zidicircle.com

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