Geographies
Photo credit: Ejara
Innovative Finance | October 21, 2021
Cameroon’s Ejara raises $2 million for impact-focused crypto
ImpactAlpha, October 21 – Crypto is having a moment in Africa. Dozens of African fintechs promising to democratize access to cryptocurrencies across the …
Sao Paulo | Photo credit: UWA
Dealflow | October 20, 2021
Brazil’s Monashees targets $700 million for early- and growth-stage impact
ImpactAlpha, October 20 — São Paulo Monashees is looking to raise two $350 million funds to invest in Latin American tech companies addressing …
Dealflow | October 19, 2021
Sudan’s first foreign venture capital investment in 30 years: $5 million for Alsoug.com
ImpactAlpha, October 19 — Macroeconomic, political and currency risks can make investors wary of infrastructure and private equity in Africa (for context, see …
Photo credit: Construction Review.
Dealflow | October 18, 2021
Actis’ sustainable energy infrastructure fund raises $4.7 billion
ImpactAlpha, October 18 — London-based Actis has raised $19 billion since 2004 for private equity, energy and real estate investments. The new fund, …
Impact Investing | October 14, 2021
TPG’s billion-dollar bet on EVs in India
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 14 – Fresh off an initial $5.4 billion close for its first climate-focused fund, TPG is investing a chunk of those …
Copenhagen, Denmark
Smart Cities | October 14, 2021
2150 raises nearly €270 million to reimagine cities
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Europe-based 2150, launched earlier this year by Danish real estate fund manager NREP, is looking for tech companies making …
Dealflow | October 14, 2021
LeapFrog leads CarDekho’s $250 million raise for its online car marketplace in India
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Jaipur-based CarDekho partners with fintech lenders and car insurance companies to provide flexible financing for new and used cars. …
Quito, Ecuador
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 13, 2021
AXA takes a minority stake in Blue Like an Orange sustainable investment firm
ImpactAlpha, October 13 – Blue Like an Orange was launched in 2017 by former World Bank officials Bertrand Badré, Amer Baig and Suprotik …
Five Season's founders | Photo credit: Five Season.
Geographies | October 7, 2021
Five Seasons Ventures raises €180 million for European foodtech
ImpactAlpha, October 7 — Investors deployed €3 billion in European food tech ventures last year. “There are lots of companies that have raised …
Smallholder Agriculture | October 7, 2021
Tazah raises $2 million to connect Pakistan’s farmers to small food retailers
ImpactAlpha, October 7 – Tazah wants to streamline Pakistan’s $60 billion food supply chain and help farmers secure better prices by cutting out …
Photo credit: SICAM
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 5, 2021
Development Partners International closes billion-dollar Africa-focused fund
ImpactAlpha, October 5 – Development Partners International invests in growth-stage companies serving Africa’s growing consumer and middle classes. The $2.8 billion investment firm’s …
Agents of Impact | October 1, 2021
Oraan’s Halima Iqbal and Farwah Tapal: Digitizing women’s savings circles in Pakistan
ImpactAlpha, October 1 – Halima Iqbal didn’t plan to start her own fintech company when she returned to Pakistan in 2018, after years …
Photo credit: Konfio
Dealflow | September 30, 2021
Softbank funding helps make Konfio and Andela emerging market impact unicorns
ImpactAlpha, September 30 – Mexico-based Konfio and New York-based Andela both got their start seven to eight years ago with a message of …
Photo credit: ColdHubs
Dealflow | September 29, 2021
Africa Eats crowdfunds capital to strengthen Africa’s food supply chains
ImpactAlpha, September 29 – Impact accelerator program Fledge last year launched Africa Eats to back promising startups in Africa that are strengthening the …
Photo credit: Ananda Impact Ventures.
Dealflow | September 29, 2021
Ananda Impact Ventures raises €65 million for European impact tech
ImpactAlpha, September 29 — Munich, Germany-based Ananda Impact Ventures is raising its fourth fund to invest in European impact tech companies primarily in …
Photo credit: ReelFruit
Dealflow | September 28, 2021
Alitheia backs Nigerian agri-processing venture ReelFruit
ImpactAlpha, September 28 – ReelFruit sources produce from local farmers for dried fruit snacks. The Lagos-based company’s $3 million Series A round will …
Photo credit: Zola Electric
SDGs | September 27, 2021
Zola Electric raises $90 million to expand off-grid energy access
ImpactAlpha, September 27 — Amsterdam-based Zola Electric launched in 2011 as Off Grid Electric to connect millions of energy-poor households to low-cost, renewable …
PHOTO BY KEVIN FRAYER, GETTY IMAGES.
Dealflow | September 27, 2021
Ara Partners fund secures $1.1 billion to decarbonize the industrial sector
ImpactAlpha, September 27 — Ara Fund II will focus on buyouts and growth investment in companies in industrial and manufacturing, chemicals and materials, …
Lagos State, Nigeria | Photo by Shyne Bellz
Climate and Clean Tech | September 23, 2021
Africa’s eco start-ups seek to turn the tide on plastic pollution
When a problem is on your doorstep, it’s only natural to be compelled to find a solution. Over the past years, demand for …
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Clean Energy | September 23, 2021
Uganda’s gnuGrid pivots from solar data to financial data
ImpactAlpha, September 23 – Kampala-based gnuGrid launched in 2019 as a data and payments intermediary for home solar providers and microgrid operators and …
Dealflow | September 22, 2021
Blockchain music streaming service Audius raised $5 million from Nas, Katy Perry and other creators
ImpactAlpha, September 22 – Mainstream streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are notorious for stiffing the musicians who drive the platforms’ popularity. …
Image credit: Dopay
Dealflow | September 22, 2021
Dopay raises $18 million to bank Egypt’s businesses and their workers
ImpactAlpha, September 22 – London and Cairo-based Dopay strategy for financial inclusion: offer financial services to businesses – and then signs up their …
Dealflow | September 21, 2021
Three workforce tech ventures score funding to connect India’s blue collar workers with jobs
ImpactAlpha, September 21 – Workforce tech ventures aimed at blue-collar workers are leveraging mobile technology to address a supply-demand imbalance in India’s labor …
Photo credit: Poverty Action Lab.
Dealflow | September 20, 2021
Lendable backs Finclusion Group to drive financial inclusion for underserved Africans
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — Singapore’s Finclusion Group offers credit and financial services through a variety of consumer brands in Africa. It has deployed …
Photo credit: Arcadia
Dealflow | September 20, 2021
Arcadia raises $100 million to spur U.S. demand for community solar
ImpactAlpha, September 20 – Arcadia is on a mission to accelerate community solar in the U.S. The Washington, D.C.-based energy access company matches …
Dealflow | September 20, 2021
Australia’s Verve Super raises early venture financing to manage its women-centered retirement fund
ImpactAlpha, September 20 – Verve Super launched in 2018 to offer Australian women a responsibly invested “superannuation,” or retirement, fund matched to women’s …
Finback's early portfolio includes two senior care companies.
Dealflow | September 16, 2021
Jeb Bush launches Finback Investment Partners with $350 million for ‘impact aligned’ private equity
ImpactAlpha, September 16 – The former Florida governor’s new firm will focus on investing “private capital to solve public sector challenges.” It is …
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Dealflow | September 16, 2021
CrossBoundary Energy and Zoodlabs develop solar-powered internet in Sierra Leone
ImpactAlpha, September 16 – CrossBoundary Energy invests in and develops commercial and industrial solar systems across Africa. Its latest deal is a 1.2-megawatt …
Photo credit: Boost
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 15, 2021
New channel of capital for small businesses worldwide: enterprise tech startups
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – There’s no shortage of capital for global small business lending. What have blocked small businesses from access to working capital, …
Photo credit: Pezesha
Dealflow | September 14, 2021
Two African fintechs raise early rounds to connect informal businesses to capital
ImpactAlpha, September 14 – Small businesses in emerging markets are often shut out of traditional financial services because they’re deemed too risky to …
Photo credit: Solarise Africa.
Climate Finance | September 13, 2021
Solarise Africa secures $5.9 million in debt financing from Trine
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — Nairobi-based Solarise provides financing for clean energy partners in Africa to design, build and maintain commercial and industrial solar …
Photo credit: Oye Rickshaw
SDGs | September 9, 2021
Investors rally behind India’s early, active climate tech scene
ImpactAlpha, September 9 – India’s recognition of its vulnerability to climate change has spurred a set of ambitious targets to curb carbon emissions …
Addi's founders. Photo credit: Addi.
Dealflow | September 9, 2021
Addi rakes in $140 million to scale ‘buy now, pay later’ in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, September 9 — Latin America led the world in e-commerce sales growth last year, attracting investors to platforms like Nuvemshop that are …
Oceans | September 8, 2021
Trio of climate funds launch ahead of fall climate summits
ImpactAlpha, September 8 – Climate action is in the air. Three new climate-focused funds debuted this week ahead of this month’s Climate Week …
Photo credit: Ayoconnect.
Dealflow | September 7, 2021
Ayoconnect scores $10 million to advance financial inclusion in Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, September 7 — The fintech’s software platform helps banking and other partners collect data to offer more inclusive financial services for Indonesians. …
Photo credit: Agricycle.
Conservation | September 7, 2021
Agricycle raises $2.4 million to repurpose food waste from smallholder farmers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, September 7 — Obstacles to the global market mean many smallholder farmers without adequate storage throw away large portions of their crops. …
Dealflow | September 2, 2021
Achieve Partners acquires Metmox to create apprenticeships for cybersecurity
ImpactAlpha, September 2 – There will be an estimated 1.8 million unfulfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. next year. That makes the industry …
photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images
Climate Finance | September 1, 2021
Outages in Louisiana make resilience the watchword as electricity grids are rebuilt
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 1 – When Entergy Louisiana was looking to replace an aging power plant a few years ago, local citizen groups urged …
Dealflow | September 1, 2021
Logistics company RubanBridge secures early funding to bring products and jobs to rural India
ImpactAlpha, September 1 –The explosion of emerging markets e-commerce platforms and services largely benefits urban consumers. Bangalore-based RubanBridge is building an e-commerce platform …
Photo credit: ENGIE Africa.
Catalytic Capital | September 1, 2021
Energy Access Relief Fund attracts $68 million from public and private investors
ImpactAlpha, September 1 — Off-grid solar and other energy access companies, with razor-thin margins in tough markets, face a liquidity crisis. COVID-19 has …
Melbourne, Australia
Dealflow | September 1, 2021
Australia’s Giant Leap raises $15 million for second impact fund
ImpactAlpha, September 1 — The venture firm, launched in 2016, spun out of Melbourne-based Impact Investment Group in March. Its $15 million first …
Photo credit: Plentywaka
Dealflow | August 31, 2021
Plentywaka and Kai Senegal raise funds to shake up West African transport
ImpactAlpha, August 31 – Communal ride-hailing service Plentywaka helps bridge gaps in Nigerians’ daily commute with transport to and from bus stations. The …
Photo credit: IFAD.
Dealflow | August 30, 2021
Khatabook and Bazaar raise financing to digitize small businesses in India and Pakistan
ImpactAlpha, August 30 — Investors continue to swarm enterprise technology providers helping small businesses go online. Last week, Nuvemshop raised $500 million to …
Photo credit: JOLT.
Dealflow | August 30, 2021
BlackRock takes a stake in JOLT to accelerate electric vehicle adoption in Australia
ImpactAlpha, August 30 — Australia is way behind in the global electric vehicle race. Sydney-based JOLT believes it can accelerate EV adoption with …
Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 26, 2021
Can investors help Haiti build back better this time?
ImpactAlpha, August 26 — Haiti’s politicians are promising a different response. Global leaders are looking for different approaches. And millions of Haitians are …