Are you looking to enhance your Business Development Services (BDS) to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in frontier markets? DGGF’s Lessons Learned, developed by the Dutch Good Growth Fund – Financing local SMEs (DGGF) and Dalberg Advisors, are here to help you design and implement effective BDS programs.
Image: © SHE Investments
What does BDS stand for?
DGGF defines BDS as value-added services provided by fund managers to their portfolio companies. These services include creating investable pipelines, de-risking investments, and offering value-adding support to portfolio companies.
How can the lessons learned help you?
The lessons learned are based on real portfolio experiences and aim to help funders and BDS managers strengthen their support to SMEs in emerging markets.
It is divided into two main parts:
| 1. Background and context | Understand the foundation and objectives of DGGF and the importance of BDS in driving economic growth and innovation in frontier markets. SMEs play a critical role in driving economic growth, employment, and innovation. Effective BDS supports SMEs and, in turn, local economies. |
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| 2. Lessons learned | Gain insights from the DGGF portfolio evaluation, including key lessons on tailoring services, cost-sharing, and efficiency levers. |
Whether you are a seasoned BDS provider or new to the field, this toolkit offers valuable resources to enhance your impact.
Join our interactive webinar
Delve deeper into these insights by joining our interactive webinar, where we will discuss the lessons learned for Business Development Support.
🗓️ Date: Wednesday June 25th, 2025
🕒 Time: 2PM
🔗 Register now via this link
More information?
The full BDS Toolkit and Guidance Booklet will follow in September. This is your chance to engage with the lessons early and start thinking about how they can inform your programs. Are you curious to learn more? Explore the lessons learned now here!