FAQ

To explain what kind of relationship Kampani wishes to establish, we often use a car as a metaphor. The car is the business or cooperative, the management occupies the driver’s seat and Kampani is the passenger’s seat, next to the driver. This is a very helpful metaphor as it gets to the heart of the added value Kampani hopes to bring. The most important point is that Kampani, during the due diligence phase, wants to make sure it fully understands where this car is going. The destination has to be clear. Kampani does not get into the car to change the destination. We get into the car only if the destination is somewhere where we want to go and only if we believe the driver has the skills to take the car there. In other words, we have to believe in the strength of the business model and the management. We get into the car to help get you to your destination, quickly and safely. The metaphor also serves to contrast our intended relationship with the relationship you have with a bank or social lender. When you secure a loan from a local bank or social lender, they finance the fuel of the car, but otherwise do not care about where you are headed, nor whether you get to the destination. They also remain outside of the car. In case of a car crash, they do not get hurt. They do not care whether the car is beyond repair or not. Rather, they are apt to take the wheels off your car in case of an accident as repayment and leave you on the side of the road. Kampani chooses to take an active role of the front seat passenger, or co-pilot. We do not just want you to reach your destination, we want to help you get there, the best way possible. And when we hit bumps along the way, we do not bail. Instead, we work with you to address the challenges so we can get back on the road together. But we neither want nor seek to take over the driver’s seat. We are not equipped to be driving the car. By sitting alongside you, the driver, Kampani is able to see what is coming at the same time as you. When you arrive at a fork in the road, Kampani is there to discuss which path to take. This does not mean to instruct you to take a certain path, but rather engage in dialogue to understand the merits of each, so that you, the driver, are able to make an informed decision. Kampani lends an extra set of eyes and we have the luxury of not having to drive the car. With a slightly different perspective sitting beside you, Kampani may see a pothole in the road ahead and help guide you around it. When the car reaches an obstacle or a red light (e.g. a regulatory change), Kampani can again lend its perspective in the decision-making process of how to deal with it. This goes for all exogenous shocks, whether regulatory changes or global pandemics. As Kampani provides equity or quasi-equity, never with any collateral requirements, we only get into that seat if we are confident that the vehicle is in good shape and headed in the right direction. Kampani’s desire to sit alongside you is to help navigate the road and unknowns ahead. We do not want to steer the car, but we also do not want to sit silently in the backseat and just hope for the best. When Kampani invests, it means we have full confidence in leadership and business model. However, we also believe that we bring a unique perspective and institutional knowledge that can serve to support leadership in driving the car to the desired destination. We believe it is an asset to have a co-pilot and a second opinion, and this is the role we seek to fill.

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