Tunisian American Search Fund (TASF)
Company Name: Tunisian American Search Fund (TASF)
Sector: SME Financing
TAEF Investment Type: Equity
Website: www.taefund.org/
The TAEF’s Search Fund model was designed to address two major issues:
- The need for founders looking to sell, transition, or succeed in their business,
- The ambition of talented entrepreneurs seeking acquisition opportunities to manage and grow companies.
A Search Fund provides an exit option to business owners (family-owned or with diversified ownership) by offering a buyout mechanism (up to 100% ownership) and establishing new governance and management to ensure succession in the company’s leadership. The Search Fund model is based on:
- Selecting a “searching” entrepreneur driven by acquisition and post-acquisition management,
- Providing financial and non-financial support to the selected entrepreneur during the search phase,
- Financing the buyout operation (up to 100% or through a club deal) if validated.
This model aligns the motivations of “entrepreneur searchers,” SME founders, and investors, enabling investors to access growth opportunities by supporting entrepreneurs in their search and investing in high-potential companies during their transition phase.
For its first Search Fund, TAEF partnered with an entrepreneur inspired by this dynamic model—a talented, experienced manager—to adapt this investment approach to the Tunisian context. Originally associated with H. Irving Grousbeck, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business who introduced the concept in 1984, this collaboration led to the creation of TASF, the first Search Fund in Tunisia, and ultimately to the acquisition of Propann.
TASF I-Initiative led by Slah Kooli
Slah Kooli – 1st Tunisian Entrepreneur Searcher
Slah KOOLI has over 21 years of experience as a senior executive in managing, transforming and growing businesses. Prior to TASF, Mr. KOOLI contributed to the success of large and complex companies in the food industry as Managing Director. Most recently, he held the position of CEO of a grain group in Tunisia.
Mr. KOOLI graduated from Ecole Centrale de Paris in 1985. He also holds a postgraduate degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris. Mr. KOOLI is responsible for creating investments, structuring transactions, executing acquisitions and managing the acquired company. He is currently CEO of PROPANN.
TASF – First search fund in Tunisia
Both TAEF and Slah Kooli were convinced that Tunisian SMEs face a real challenge in identifying futures for their companies beyond the current owner/managers. In 2017, TAEF sponsored Slah Kooli in Tunisia’s first search fund (TASF) as he sought to find a company facing this succession challenge and with opportunities for growth based on his skills and experience. After a two-year search period and consideration of hundreds of companies, TASF successfully acquired Propann, a family-owned manufacturing company. The acquisition was financed by an investment from TAEF and a leveraged buy-out financed by the leading private bank in Tunisia.
Today, Slah Kooli is CEO of Propann. Propann operations are benefitting directly from Slah Kooli’s applied experience in management, marketing, building international relationships and operations.
Sector of activity: Building Materials: Melamine manufacture
TAEF INVESTMENT TYPE: Equity
Company website: https://propann.com/
Propann is a manufacturer of high quality TFL Thermo-fused melamine wood panels for furniture, decoration, and interior design projects.
Entered into production in 2014, the production plant is located in the industrial zone of Djebel Ouest (Zaghouan) in northern Tunisia and covers an area of 2 hectares.
Based on the success of the TASF pilot, TAEF launched in 2020 TASF II and III.
Our objective is to be able to contribute to the development of this innovative and impacting investment mechanism in Tunisia by proposing our support for the setting up and financing of other Search Funds launched by other entrepreneurs.
TASF I-Initiative led by Slah Kooli
Slah Kooli – 1st Tunisian Entrepreneur Searcher
Slah KOOLI has over 21 years of experience as a senior executive in managing, transforming and growing businesses. Prior to TASF, Mr. KOOLI contributed to the success of large and complex companies in the food industry as Managing Director. Most recently, he held the position of CEO of a grain group in Tunisia.
He is chairman of the board of directors of Enda Inter Arabe (microfinance institution). Mr. KOOLI graduated from Ecole Centrale de Paris in 1985. He also holds a postgraduate degree from Ecole Centrale de Paris. Mr. KOOLI is responsible for creating investments, structuring transactions, executing acquisitions and managing the acquired company. He is currently CEO of PROPANN.
TASF II-Initiative led by Hedi Ben Tanfous
Hedi Ben Tanfous – 2nd Tunisian Entrepreneur Searcher
Hedi Ben Tanfous has over 20 years’ experience in business creation & development, strategy qualification and operations leadership in highly competitive environments. He has shown excellence, dedication and commitment.
He graduated from Ecole Telecom Paris in 1998 and developed a valuable knowledge in Executive Program and Project Management. He worked indeed as a General Program Manager in a multinational telecommunication company for several years and as a senior advisor for strategic consulting in technology. Most recently, he served as a founder-CEO of a hotel in Tunisia.
TASF III-Initiative led by Khalil Talbi
Khalil Talbi – 3rd Tunisian Entrepreneur Searcher
In more than 12 years’ experience in Tunisia and France, Khalil Talbi has been exposed to diverse business environments and succeeded to build a proven track record of company management and business development.
Khalil has a double degree in Finance and Marketing from HEC Paris and IHEC Carthage. He worked indeed as strategy and management consultant in multinational companies then as a CEO of an industrial company in Tunisia. Most recently, he served as a Strategy & Business Development Director and Business Unit general manager in a textile Industry/Retail Tunisian group.