Small and Medium-Size enterprises (SMEs) create most of the jobs in any economy, and they also play a critical role in providing goods and services to low-income communities. But there are very few sources of financing to help SMEs scale. Interest in SME funds is growing, however, so finding successful models is critical. Shell Foundation has piloted and is now scaling just such a successful model. In this and succeeding posts, we ask Shell Foundation’s Kurt Hoffman to explain the model, its impacts, and the potential for scaling. We’d welcome comments from others about the Shell Foundation model, their experience with other models, and other suggestions about catalyzing SME development in BOP markets.