Scaling Summits. Together.

Pemba has partnered with the founders of over 200 organisations, helping turn their strategic visions into realities. Whilst no two businesses are the same, there are common challenges founders face that Pemba can assist with.

Accelerating growth

Growing a business requires access to capital – funds to expand into new markets, to make an acquisition or to fund rapid growth. Pemba provides the finance, strategic support and access to networks of experts to accelerate sustainable business growth.

We understand the challenges and complexities that come with a growing business, such as balancing the need for more capital with personal financial risk, family and management dynamics, as well as private ownership structures.

Enabling succession

Pemba has extensive experience helping founders achieve their specific succession objectives, from freeing up a founder’s time to focus on what they are passionate about, to stepping back entirely from the day-to-day operations to a more strategic role, or full retirement.

Founders often invest their time building their business with little consideration given to succession planning. Succession planning involves making decisions about who will lead the business into the future, and who will take ownership of it. A good succession plan allows an owner to transition with ease, progress the business to the next stage whilst leaving a successful personal legacy.

Pemba works with founders to determine how best we meet their specific personal succession objectives, maximise the company’s value and achieve a successful exit for all shareholders. We ensure business owners maintain control over how and when they choose to leave the business.

Incentivising key people

Capital is crucial, but talent and people are the drivers of successful businesses. Founders understand the significance of people and consider them the lifeblood of their organisations. They are individuals who the founder has developed and invested in over many years, and often close friends or family members.

Pemba prioritises retaining and motivating these key people by offering incentivisation mechanisms, often equity participation, to ensure their interests align with the company’s success. We look to bring these key individuals into the equity structure and support their transition from employees to equity owners.

Creating a lasting legacy

Legacy holds different meanings for different founders. Pemba can assist in achieving various aspirations, such as turning your business into a market leader, international expansion, or even listing on the ASX.

When seeking investment, it’s crucial to find a partner who offers more than just an attractive price. The right transaction partner ensures an exciting future for your business, its customers, staff, and stakeholders.

Pemba understands that preserving the cultural elements that led to past success is vital for future achievements. By building upon your established foundation, we minimise investment risks.

Our goal is for you to be just as proud of your company in the future as you are today. We encourage you to speak with founders we have partnered with and view their testimonials. We have concluded over 200 investments since 1998 and are open to introducing you to any of our current or previous partners.

De-risk and share in the upside

Many founders are unaware of the available options when selling their business. They often assume that an outright sale is the only choice and overlook other possibilities.

One alternative is a partial sale, where a founder sells a portion of their business while retaining an ongoing equity stake. This allows them to unlock some of the company’s value, de-risk their personal situation, maintain a meaningful shareholding, and benefit from the accelerated growth journey. It offers an additional “pay day” upon exit as part of Pemba’s “two pay day” structure.

A partial sale can de-risk personal finances while keeping founders closely involved and in control of their business. With the support of an experienced growth investor like Pemba, owners can make bolder strategic decisions and achieve accelerated revenue and profit growth.

By partnering with Pemba, founders have the potential to achieve significant revenue and profit growth beyond what they could accomplish independently, resulting in a substantial second pay day upon the future sale of the group.

Our Support Teams.

Pemba’s internal operational teams collaborate to help founders scale their business faster.

Pemba’s operating model has been deliberately designed to help founders achieve accelerated and sustainable growth and ensure that a partnership with Pemba can be concluded efficiently and with minimal disruption to the business.

Through a series of strategy workshops run during the transaction process, Pemba’s team will work with you to help refine your strategic plan for your business. This plan will set out how you will achieve your highest priority goals, commit to a timeframe for achieving them, and set out the key growth initiatives to focus on.

  • 1 Accelerate
  • 2 Originate
  • 3 Transact

Accelerate your path to the summit

Pemba’s Accelerate team supports founders and de-risks their rapid growth journey. Pemba’s Accelerate specialists collaborate closely with founders and management teams to offer strategic and operational support, help drive value creation initiatives, including buy and build strategies and assist with exit preparation.

  • Implementing effective sales structures
  • Incentive mechanisms
  • Price optimisation
  • Capital structuring
  • Go to market strategy
  • Leadership design
  • Talent recruitment & retention
  • M&A integration
  • Technology enhancement
  • ESG
  • Branding & marketing
  • Exit Preparation

Our Accelerate Team

Originate previously unexplored terrain

Pemba’s Originate team are dedicated to establishing relationships with business owners in Pemba’s key target sectors and unlocking proprietary opportunities. Where appropriate, the Originate team can assist in sourcing proprietary bolt-on opportunities to accelerate the growth of your business.

Pemba’s specialised Originate team act as an “outsourced corporate development and M&A function” for platform partner companies lacking these capabilities. This supplementary expertise is highly valued by founders and management, serving as a significant differentiating factor when scaling their businesses.

Transact painlessly and efficiently

Pemba’s Transact team are your key points of contact during the transaction process. The Transact team ensure the transaction process is efficient and painless, enabling founders to focus on the continued growth of their business with minimal disruption.