In many economies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to about a third of GDP and about 80 percent of employment. And even in countries with considerable natural resource wealth, most entrepreneurship and business opportunities flow from sectors where SMEs are most prevalent (such as agribusiness, services, and manufacturing). For decades, limited access to finance has hindered growth of SMEs globally. But with an expanding middle class and increasingly active capital markets across many regions, new opportunities are opening for financing job growth and entrepreneurship. IFC-Milken Institute Alumni from Kenya, Uganda, and Pakistan will investigate what types of capital market reforms and innovative funding structures the Middle East and Africa could leverage to better meet the needs of small companies while fostering economic diversification.