Hospitality Experience

Maanzoni Hotels, 300 Room 3 star MICE Hotel, Machakos, June 2018 - ongoing
Maanzoni Hotels and Lodges has partnered with Inkubate Ltd to develop a quality 300 room, 3 star MICE hotel. For this assignment, we will be involved in supervising the development end to end: that is appointing the design team, supervising the design process, overseeing the tendering process, assisting with procurement and undertaking the pre and post opening activities of the hotel.

Financial Projections & Management Agreement Negotiation Support, September 2016 – Ongoing
For this client who is putting up a 250 room, USD 35 million property in Westlands, we have assisted them in developing financial projections assuming they manage the property themselves and under Hyatt management. Furthermore, they have retained us to review various management agreement drafts alongside their legal counsel but to primarily ensure that most commercial terms make sense to the owners and do not impede the smooth running of the hotel.

Amber Hotel Rebranding to Hilton Double Tree, October 2016 – ongoing

We successfully assisted Amber Hotel in negotiating a franchising agreement with Hilton for their Double Tree brand. The work has entailed reviewing Amber Hotel product against the Double Tree brand manual, developing a property improvement plan, re-organizing staffing roles and all other support work. As a result, Hilton Global brand inspectors were satisfied with the compliance steps taken by Amber Hotel and successfully flagged it as a Double Tree. The conversion is 95% complete.

Lazizi Premier Hotel rebranding as Crowne Plaza, June 2017 – ongoing
We have successfully assisted Lazizi Premier hotel at JKIA to execute an agreement in principle with Crowne Plaza pending their completion of a property improvement and compliance program. The conversion has gone on well and once Crowne Plaza inspectors from their global office are happy, they will flag the property as a Crowne Plaza.

Amber Properties Ltd 109 Room Four Star Hotel Ngong Road, May 2015 – March 2016

For this new four star 109 room hotel on Nairobi’s Ngong Road – www.amberhotel.co.ke - we provided all the relevant pre and post opening hospitality expertise including reviewing the hotel and room designs, space planning of conference rooms, restaurant and bar spaces, staffing establishment, critical path development, headhunting top management, financial projections, sales and marketing strategy, developing the hotel’s standard operating procedures and manuals, supervising training of staff and helping the developers of the hotel achieve a successful opening of the hotel.

British American Asset Management (Britam) Five Star Serviced Apartments, January 2016 – October 2016
Britam is in the process of putting up top end serviced apartments in Nairobi that will cater to diplomats, multinational expatriates, consultants and such like staff. We prepared the feasibility studies for the different apartments and after obtaining board approval, we worked with Britam supervise the design process.

Upcoming USD 35 million 210 rooms, 5 Star Glee Hotel in Runda, Nairobi, April 2016 – June 2019

For this five star hotel right on the edge of Runda, we have been appointed as project hospitality and financial advisors. Our work is to sharpen the vision and unique value proposition of the property in the market, assist the developer optimize their investment in the hotel, benchmark the features and fittings of the development to global best practices and work as part of a cohesive team to deliver the project on time and within budget.

Mount Kenya Safari Club facilities review, November 2015
For this top end property, we were contracted to be part of their strategic planning team to help the organization structure its operations for the next 5 years and pointing out areas that require urgent interventions to enable the property perform at its full potential.

Mahan Investments Iran, 5 Star Luxury Lodge Technical Assistance, March 2015 – ongoing
For this large investment group in Iran that as part of their investments boast of 2,000 MW worth of electricity generation and 55 aircraft, they have initiated the process of negotiation for a lease of a park in the tribal mountain regions of about 16,000 Ha from the government of Iran and intend to develop a series of properties to a total investment value of USD 100 million on the site. In the Europe, Middle East and Africa Regions, only Kenya and South Africa were deemed to have the profile of products the Mahan Group want to put up but they have decided to go with Kenyan based lodge/resort concepts and because of this, they have appointed Inkubate Ltd as hospitality technical consultants.

Sarova Woodburn Lodge Ltd Nakuru, Hotel Business Plan Development and Capital Raising, 2010 - 2012

For this hotel, we worked with the sponsor to refine the project concept, develop the business plan and financial projections, identifying banks to finance the project, developing all the necessary documentation, submitting the same to banks, answering queries from the banks and generally supporting the project sponsor through the debt raising process. Kenya Commercial Bank successfully made a loan out to the project for the amount that was so sort. The hotel will be managed by Sarova and is due to open its doors in quarter one of 2017.

Proposed Nyamalumbwa 5 star Lodge, Serengeti, Tanzania, April 2015 – ongoing
For this client who owns top end 5 star properties in the Maasai Mara and elsewhere, we assisted him put together a project brief that was submitted to the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) which was approved. The developer was then given the a tentative allocation of a site in the Serengeti by TANAPA and we are now assisting him put together a full project submission by supervising the creation of:
• Detailed architectural plans
• Bills of quantities
• Electrical, mechanical and structural designs
• Interior designs
• A project plan
• A business plan and financial model
• Capital raising

Feasibility Study and Financial Modeling, Mavuno Park, June 2010 – October 2010
For a proposed KES 5 billion development by Mavuno Church, Inkubate Ltd was been appointed as the Church’s financial advisor. Our mandate included collecting market data on retail, day care, offices, hotels and parking that were to be features of the development. The data collected was been used in preparing market demand cum feasibility studies which then fed financial projections that aided the leadership of Mavuno on how to proceed with the project.

Unlimited Directions Wasini Luxury Homes Management Contract advisory, October to December 2011
Unlimited Directions is a professional management firm of serviced apartments. For this upmarket property in Nairobi, we were transaction advisors to the management company in conducting due diligence, development of financial projections, selecting a legal firm to draft the management agreement and helping in the negotiations upto the successful signing of the management agreement.

Mercury Lounge Valuation, October to November 2014
For this client, we were tasked with valuing their operations that comprise of restaurant and bar operations at ABC Place and The Junction Mall with a view to capital injection by its shareholders.

Professor Omu Anzala, Kajiado Conference Hotel Pre-Feasibility Study, September to October 2012
For this client who had a 100 acre parcel of land in Kajiado (90Kms away from Nairobi), we undertook a pre-feasibility study that concluded whereas the local conference business targeted made financial sense, the proposed site was not ideal. We duly recommended that the client secures a more ideal site for execution of the project and our advise was duly accepted by the client.

Financial modelling & technical services advisory, FEP Sagana Get Away Hotel, May 2013 – June 2015
For this upcoming USD 12 million hotel, we were commissioned as financial and hospitality advisors to assist the client improve the financial returns of the project. Our work entailed reviewing architectural sketches, advising with the back of house and service elements of the hotel (such as kitchen, meeting spaces, rooms, support services etc) and supervising the project architect, interior designer and facilities engineers. Construction is ongoing and the target opening date is early 2016.

Corridor Springs Hotel Arusha, proposed lease or buy out for a hospitality investor, April to May 2012
For a reknowned hospitality investor in Kenya and Tanzania who was approached to either lease or buy out Corridor Springs Hotel in Arusha, we undertook a due diligence and site review and accordingly advised the client not to proceed with the transaction as its financial viability was weak at best

Corporate Finance Experience

Liberty Insurance Brokers Reinsurance Brokerage company feasibility study, October – November 2018
Liberty Insurance Brokers is a wholly owned subsidiary of the LAP Trust. From inception a few years ago, the brokerage has proposed due to a captive market and ability to convene other similar organizations to place their insurance through this entity. They are now desirous of establishing a reinsurance brokerage and have contracted Inkubate Ltd to develop a feasibility for consideration by the board on the formation of the proposed subsidiary.

Engineers Board of Kenya, Project Finance for Public Private Partnerships Training, August 2018
Inkubate was contracted by the Engineers Board of Kenya to enlighten its members on project finance for PPP’s. The training took the participants through the ABC’s of project finance, structuring projects, allocating risks, reviewing key covenants in project finance agreements, reviewing financial models and deciding on whether project finance is the right instrument for a particular project.

Confidential, capital raising strategy and support for an existing small scale precast concrete plant, January to March 2018
We advised a group of three entrepreneurs who had set up a small scale precast concrete plant on the outskirts of Nairobi. The plant had existed for three years and had been started with the funds of the entrepreneurs. They were looking to go to market to raise expansion capital and we concretized their capital raising strategy, developed a valuation of the business, developed a targeting strategy and assisted with the capital raising talks. In the end, the company did not proceed with the capital raising but opted to look for debt and other finance to bankroll their expansion.

Tecnofin Precast Concrete Plant Feasibility Study, January to October 2016
The investors of Tecnofin were desirous of putting up a precast concrete plant to try and lower the cost of housing for large projects. The assignment involved reviewing different precast concrete plants, development of sales projections, proposing the organization structure and compensation levels, developing a detailed financial model in MS Excel with a projected income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement and loan schedules. The board duly okayed the investment and the organization is now in the process of setting up.

Risk Solutions Ltd Insurance Brokers Valuation, October to December 2016
We were appointed as financial advisors to value Risk Solutions Ltd and assist in structuring investment into the firm from an incoming investment fund. We reviewed the firms operations and books of accounts, developed financial projections and rendered a valuation opinion of the business.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) secretariat, Financial Modelling for PPP’s training, November 2017
Inkubate was tasked with training personnel from ministries and parastatals on developing bankable financial models for PPP funding. The training included understanding the legal and economic underpinnings of PPP’s, best practices of financial modelling, introducing participants to advanced Excel functions including macros and using such knowledge to develop a practical funding model from a realistic case study including presenting the model to key decision makers.

Transaction Support to a Faith Based Organization for the intended acquisition of a 25% stake in of Kenya’s best known deposit taking microfinance organizations, September – November 2011
We supported a large faith based organization in their consideration of purchasing a 25% stake in one of Kenya’s biggest and well known deposit taking microfinance organization. The assignment involved undertaking operational and financial due diligence, supervising tax and legal consultants, preparing a financial model, valuing the business and helping the faith based organizations with all attendant transaction support matters such as managing correspondence with the lead investment bank, attending meetings and general project management duties.

Valuation, Metropol Credit Reference Bureau, August 2011 – March 2012
Inkubate was hired as valuation advisors by Metropol Credit Reference Bureau upon their being granted a license by Central Bank of Kenya. This was with a view of raising capital to invest in the business to enable the business plan be realized. As part of the valuation, we undertook a financial and operational due diligence, reviewed the strategy of the business, held discussions with management and delivered a draft valuation report which was adopted for capital raising purposes.

Valuation, Small Bank for the purchase of 75% of outstanding shares, May to July 2011
On behalf of a consortium of investors, Inkubate undertook the valuation of one of Kenya’s small banks in a bid to support them in making a sound investment decision. The transaction involved undertaking an operational and financial due diligence, preparing a valuation framework and report and assisting buyers in some aspects of the negotiations with the sellers of the bank’s shares.

Valuation and transaction mediation, proposed merger of two healthcare chains, June 2011 – June 2012
A chain of clinics and hospital were considering merging their operations. They decided to appoint a joint transaction advisor to review both of their operations, prepare valuation estimates for both and come up with a proposed share swap ratio for the merged operations. The valuation reports were accepted and the two organizations negotiated a swap ratio which guided the merger of their operations.

Financial modeling, large African telecommunications player, November 2009
For a large African telecommunications firm with committed funding in the tune of USD 30 million and seeking to raise another USD 50 million, we assisted the management team with preparing financial projections for various aspects of their operations across a number of African countries. The model incorporated various scenarios, the choices of technologies they can adopt in various markets, the impact of various pricing alternatives and capital structures being contemplated and the forecasted financial picture including debt service capacity, dividend payments amongst others.

Mobile Decisioning Solutions Afrika financial projections, business plan preparation and capital raising support, November 2010 – August 2011
Mobile Decisioning (MoDe) is a partnership between Decision Analytics Africa, RentBureau and Credit Risk Management International to realize the potential for mobile financial services in Africa by teaming up with operators under win-win business models. The firm commenced operations in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. Using financial models that we developed for them, they went on to use them to set up in various African countries and undertake rounds of financing to the tune of USD 30 million.

Valuation of large Kenyan Insurance Company, October 2009
We prepared a valuation for one of Kenya’s largest insurance company that has gross annual premiums of over USD 350 million. This was as part of a team that was given the mandate of raising equity capital for the company to enable it comply with the recent changes in the Insurance Act that mandated an increase in the paid up share capital to KES 450 million up from KES 150 million.

USD 2 million financial modeling and project appraisal support, East Africa Capital Partners
We developed from scratch a comprehensive financial model that was used by East Africa Capital Partners in appraising a funding application of USD 2 million in the banking payments technology space. Our work also involved sitting in in meetings with the entrepreneurs to answer to questions that the investment committee of EACP had and modify the model to address the same.

Central Bank Microfinance License Application, Valuation and Transaction Support, PEP Intermedius
PEP Intermedius is a provider of microfinance services in Western Kenya. PEP has been growing very rapidly using its own capital resources. The firm wished to accelerate its growth by increasing its capitalization and obtaining a microfinance deposit taking license from the Central Bank. PEP commissioned Inkubate assist it prepare its feasibility study, financial projections, a valuation and negotiate a proposed injection of 1 million Euro’s by a Dutch social enterprise fund.