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LeapFrog Investments

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LeapFrog Investments
Company typePrivate
IndustryPrivate equity, Financial services,[1] Alternative investments[2]
Founded2007
FoundersAndrew Kuper (Founder and CEO), Jim Roth[3](Co-founder and Partner)
Areas served
Africa and Asia
ServicesInvestments, Technical and Management Support
Websitewww.leapfroginvest.com

LeapFrog Investments is a private investment firm that invests in high-growth financial services and healthcare companies in emerging markets. The firm's investments have an annual growth rate of more than 40% and its companies reach approximately 130 million consumers,[4] primarily in Africa and Asia.[5]

Details

LeapFrog has attracted over $1 billion from global investors since inception, including funds from investors such as Prudential Financial,[2] Swiss Re,[6] JP Morgan, TIAA-CREF[7] and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's Omidyar Network.[8][9][10]

LeapFrog was founded in January 2007 by Andrew Kuper and officially launched in 2008 by former US President Bill Clinton who endorsed the firm for opening new frontiers for alternative investments.[11][12]

According to The Economist, LeapFrog is a well-established impact investing firm.[13] The firm has invested in companies such as BIMA, a financial technology business that provides services including mobile insurance to 20 million low income customers in Asia, Africa and Latin America,[14][15] India's Mahindra Insurance Brokers, a leading Indian insurance broker and part of Mahindra Group, and Kenyan retail pharmacy chain Goodlife.[11]

LeapFrog owns significant stakes in companies in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia and India.[16] It raised its first fund of $135 million in 2009 to invest in insurance and related financial services companies.[17] In September 2013, LeapFrog Investments launched its second fund, raising $204 million USD initially, and in 2014 it announced the fund was oversubscribed at $400 million USD.[5] Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government’s development finance institution, committed to invest up to $200 million USD in December 2015, the largest investment commitment historically by OPIC to any impact fund manager.[18] In January 2016, Prudential Financial invested $350 million USD with the firm.[8]

LeapFrog has offices in Mauritius, Singapore, South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom.[8] The firm was named Africa Firm of the Year in 2016 by Private Equity International.[19] In 2017, LeapFrog was ranked fifth on Fortune magazine's 2017 Change the World list.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Tina (6 June 2012). "The Microinsurance Revolution". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b Clark, Simon (22 January 2016). "Prudential Financial to Invest $350 Million in African Insurers". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. ^ Bahree, Megha (8 September 2011). "Shriram, LeapFrog Jump Into Microinsurance". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. ^ Review, Asia Insurance. "An emerging markets story- Reaching the next 1bn by 2030". Asia Insurance Review. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  5. ^ a b Cranston, Stephen (24 October 2013). "Leapfrog Investments raises second fund". Financial Mail. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  6. ^ Ehis Okpamen (October 8, 2014). "Leapfrog sells minority stake in local insurer to Swiss Re". Ventures Africa. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  7. ^ Jessica Pothering (December 30, 2014). "This Investment Firm Is Insuring Families' Rise Out of Poverty". Entrepreneur. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "LeapFrog Investments Snags $500 million from Prudential for Fintech in Africa". Australian Financial Review. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  9. ^ Saldinger, Adva (18 December 2015). "Impact investing firm breaks a billion". Devex Impact. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  10. ^ Sirimanna, Bandula. "Soros presence seen boosting more foreign investment". Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b Will Smale (January 23, 2017). "Why Bill Clinton helped a 33-year-old build a $1bn firm". BBC. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  12. ^ Chassany, Anne-Sylvaine (8 September 2014). "LeapFrog Attracts $400 million with Chance to do Good". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  13. ^ ""Impact investing" inches from niche to mainstream". The Economist. January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  14. ^ Jonathan Shapiro (27 May 2016). "The good capitalist - lunch with LeapFrog's Andy Kuper". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  15. ^ Luke Graham (September 15, 2016). "Emerging markets can satisfy demand for ethical investing, says strategist". CNBC. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  16. ^ Renee Bonorchis (26 February 2015). "LeapFrog Buys $25 Million Stake in AFB Mauritius in Fourth Deal". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  17. ^ Kannan, Shilpa (29 September 2011). "Could impact investing help India's poor?". BBC. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  18. ^ "US Govt's OPIC commits $200 million in LeapFrog Investments". Business Standard. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Private Equity International Awards 2016". Private Equity International. 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Fortune Change the World 5 LeapFrog Investments". Fortune. 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
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