The heart of Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit lies with the majority of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the continent. Cumulatively they are the engine behind Africa’s growth trajectory whose potential is often truncated due to lack of capital. Fortunately in recent times, microfinance and venture capital institutions have answered the call to help usher in an era of unprecedented level of entrepreneurship. By giving out loans and providing guidance to upstarts, these institutions are providing the life-blood needed for small and mid-sized companies not only to survive, but also to thrive.

The panel will feature distinguished microfinanciers and individuals in the alternative funding space that will discus the challenges for alternative funding in Africa, untapped potential and prospects for growth.

Gustavo Eiben, Head North American Investor Relations, Aureos Capital

Gustavo Eiben is the head of North America investor relations of Aureos Capital. Aureos Capital is a global emerging market private equity manager focused on transactions across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Gustavo has held different positions within private equity since 1999 and has a vast experience in the asset class. Prior to Aureos Capital, Gustavo worked with the Alternative Investments Group at J.P. Morgan Private Bank raising and investing capital in third-party private equity funds. Prior to that, he was the head of fundraising and business development at Schroeder Ventures US, before that a member of the UBS private equity placement group. Gustavo started his career in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Gustavo received an MBA degree from Thunderbird, the International Management School and a BA degree from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba.

Malcolm Pryor, CEO, South African Enterprise Development Fund

Malcolmn D. Pryor has over 35 years experience in the financial services industry. Prior to leading SAEDF, Mr. Pryor was the Chairman of Pryor, Counts and Co., a leading minority – owned investment banking and brokerage firm with offices in six cities and total underwriting of municipal and governmental securities in excess of $49 billion. Prior to establishing Pryor, Counts & Co. Mr. Pryor was an institutional Sales Representative for Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he was responsible for establishing and expanding the government and money market securities business. He subsequently became a member of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in Securities 1981 where he traded options on equity securities until 1983. Mr. Pryor is currently a Director of the Pep Boys Co., Inc. Mr. Pryor holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing and Economics from Howard University, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Mr. Pryor holds NASD licenses 7, 24 and 63.

Mary Clare Odong, Senior Consultant, and currently serves as CEO/General Manager of AccessBank Liberia, The Microfinance Bank

Mary Clare Odong, born has been working for LFS Financial Systems since 2007. She is a Senior Consultant, and currently serves as CEO/General Manager of AccessBank Liberia, The Microfinance Bank. She led the team which established the bank in Liberia. Prior to joining LFS, Ms. Odong worked as the Managing Director of an international microfinance banking institution in Ghana and prior to that as Deputy Managing Director of that same institution. At the same time, she served as a Board member of that Microfinance banking group in Sierra Leone. Before that, she managed a central bank branch of a microfinance banking institution in Albania. And before that she worked for some major German Commercial Banks and Investment Banks. Ms. Odong holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics and Business Administration and a Masters degree in International and Development Economics with a special focus on Finance. She speaks English, German, French, Spanish, Acholi, Swahili, and Luganda.

Mark Allegretti, Managing Director, Nova Capital Partners

Mark Allegretti is a Managing Director at Nova Capital Partners. With offices in New York and Johannesburg, Nova provides a full range of investment banking services to companies and governments throughout Africa and other growing markets.

With approximately 15 years of Wall Street experience, Mr. Allegretti has extensive capital structure expertise and execution skills. In addition to transaction and client management, Mr. Allegretti also oversees Nova’s sales efforts with investors. Mr. Allegretti has previously held positions at several other investment banks, including Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Chase Securities.

Mr. Allegretti has extensive experience raising capital and advising clients in multiple industries and was a key part of over 30 lead-managed deals that raised more than $20 billion in financing. After receiving his B.A. from Colgate University, Mr. Allegretti began his career with Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Enterprises, where he provided research and analysis for the investment portfolio of Mr. Ralph Wilson, owner of the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise.

Project manager for ACCION International’s Global Programs team

Melissa Lumpkin is a project manager for ACCION International’s Global Programs team, with over 10 years of experience working in the financial sector. Currently based in Washington D.C., she is responsible for managing short-term technical assistance provided to ACCION’s microfinance partners in Africa and Haiti. Her areas of expertise include institutional transformation, business planning, financial analysis and projection modeling. Ms. Lumpkin began her career in microfinance with PlaNet Finance in Paris, working on the development of its investment fund, MicroCred. In 2006 she joined ACCION as a resident advisor for PADME Benin, managing the institution’s transformation from a NGO to a regulated, share capital company.

Ms. Lumpkin holds an International M.B.A. from the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance major) from the University of Colorado.

Peter Tropper, Principal Fund Specialist, International Finance Corporation

Peter Tropper is a Principal Fund Specialist in the Private Equity Department of the International Finance Corp. (IFC), where he supervises the group's global work on funds that focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises. Prior to 2001, he was the headquarters "anchor" for the decentralized supervision work of IFC's South Asia Department. He previously served in IFC's Latin America and Caribbean Department. Tropper was also the first head of IFC's Emerging Markets Data Base unit, which has since been sold to Standard & Poor's. He joined IFC after several years as deputy director of the Northeast-Midwest Institute, which was created to promote economic development in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States. Tropper holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University, an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.