Our Approach

Our Approach

Our approach is built on two foundations

1.
Innovation that changes market systems and creates new MSME growth opportunities.
2.
A strengthened impact investment ecosystem that provides finance to fuel business growth.

All businesses need to be able to access and compete in markets if they are to grow, but too many Zambian SMEs fail to achieve their full potential because they find it difficult to participate successfully in their target markets.

The Five C’s

Prospero has identified the following pre-conditions (known as the Five C’s) necessary for successful market participation and upon which all our interventions partnerships are predicated:

Capital

The financial or non-financial assets required to produce competitive products.

Capacity

The management and technical know-how and skills to use their assets to their full potential.

Connections

The physical, virtual or personal networks required to access inputs or bring products to market.

Compliance

The ability to follow the formal (e.g., regulation) and informal (e.g., customer tastes and preferences) rules of the market.

Culture

Behavioral attributes associated with running a successful business.

Prospero supports intervention partners that are ready and willing to take the risk of investing in viable and innovative business solutions that address the above Five C’s. Prospero does not pay temporarily for business services that can be provided by the market or subsidise businesses that should be operating on a commercial basis.