GDC Access to Finance Accelerator
Join our eight-week accelerator programme to enhance your last mile distribution company’s investment readiness – and access financing opportunities.
The expert-led training will focus on debt-financing investment readiness for 15 representatives from GDC member companies.
Delivered on a weekly basis between May and July, it will encompass six two-hour training modules with a two week break in the middle.
During the two week break companies will be expected to finalise all homework and prepare data and financials.
Training objectives
The programme has four key objectives:
1. Enable companies to confidently engage in investor introductory calls, financial screening, and due diligence
2. Ensure companies understand key financial metrics and have a plan to address weaknesses
3. Help companies organise all required financial documentation for seamless investor engagement
4. Prepare companies to negotiate and structure debt transactions effectively
Course modules
Block 1: Get Debt-Ready
Module 1: Understanding Debt Investment & Investor Expectations
- Overview of debt financing vs. equity financing
- Key metrics investors look for (D/E ratio, profitability, growth, margins)
- What success looks like in the investment process
Module 2: Assessing Your Financial Health
- Understanding financial statements: P&L, balance sheet, cash flow
- Diagnosing financial strengths and weaknesses (including D/E ratio)
- Calculating unit economics for different products, for growth and profitability
- Identifying and fixing red flags (high overhead costs, weak margins, loan servicing gaps)
- What financial documents investors require (audited financials, management accounts, etc.)
- Setting up strong internal accounting systems
Module 3: Business Model & Scalability for Debt Financing
- Ensuring your business model supports debt repayment
- Cash flow forecasting and stress testing your business
- Planning for scale and demonstrating future financial stability
- Addressing weaknesses: restructuring costs, improving gross profit
- Preparing performance improvement roadmaps investors expect
Block 2: Debt Mastery
Module 4: Investor & Lender Engagement Strategies
- Understanding the investors relevant to your company (Superpower Africa, Charm Impact, Sima, and local banks)
- Understanding foreign exchange risk
- Using grants for de-risking and financial close effectively
- Positioning your company for different debt options
- Best practices for outreach and relationship-building with lenders
Module 5: Pitching & Preparing for the Investor Intro Call
- Crafting your investment story
- Answering key financial and operational questions confidently
- Building credibility through transparency and preparedness
- Simulated investor calls & feedback sessions
Module 6: Due Diligence & Negotiating Debt Deals: What to Expect
- The deeper financial and legal checks
- Common due diligence pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Organising a due diligence-ready data room
- Understanding loan terms, repayment structures, and covenants
- Evaluating offers and negotiating favourable terms
- Closing the training with a clear roadmap to funding
Eligibility
To be eligible for this programme, your company should:
- Be a GDC member that sells clean energy products to last-mile customers
- Have annual revenue between $25K – $500K
- Be able to provide up-to-date management accounts for 2023, 2024 and 2025 (year-to-date)
- Ideally you will also be able to provide audited accounts for 2023 and 2024
- Be able to commit to all virtual sessions
If selected, you will be required to submit up-to-date management accounts and audited accounts (if available) to confirm participation.
How to register
To register for the GDC Access to Finance Accelerator please complete our online form.
The deadline for applications is midnight EAT, 8 April 2025.
This activity is supported by GET.invest, a European programme which aims to mobilise investment in decentralised renewable energy, supported by the European Union, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria.
Photo credit: Image by Freepik