Geographies
Kakuma Refugee Camp | Photo credit: Dominic Chavez / International Finance Corp.
Refugee Lens Investing | September 28, 2022
Displaced East Africans remake camps into testbeds for refugee-lens investing
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 28 – A settlement camp in a remote area of northwest Kenya is abuzz with economic activity – and a signal of the …
Photo by MDIF.
Democracy and Peace | September 28, 2022
Nearly a dozen independent news organizations in Nigeria get support from Media Development Investment Fund
ImpactAlpha, September 28 — Last year’s youth-led uprising against police brutality spurred Nigeria’s biggest anti-government protests in a generation. MDIF launched a three-year …
Photo credit: Kenyan EV maker Equator Mobility, a Maris portfolio companie
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 27, 2022
Maris raises $12 million from Proparco for climate resilience in Africa
ImpactAlpha, September 28 – Maris invests in renewables energy, agriculture and forestry, as well as gold mining, real estate and services. French development finance …
Signals | September 27, 2022
U.K. impact investing nears £8 billion on strong growth
ImpactAlpha, September 27 – The pound is tanking and U.K. energy prices are skyrocketing, but here’s something to be chuffed about: Impact investments in …
Climate Finance | September 27, 2022
AXA’s €500 million initiative to invest in reforestation and land conservation
ImpactAlpha, September 27 – AXA has launched a €500 million ($482 million) Natural Capital Strategy that will make equity investments and offer project financing …
Gender Smart | September 26, 2022
How women-led funds in South Africa are unlocking capital for women and small businesses
ImpactAlpha, September 26 – Gender-lens investing is no longer a niche or little-known strategy. Still, too little capital is making it into the hands …
Image by standret on Freepik
Women Rising | September 26, 2022
African Women Impact Fund secures initial $60 million for gender-lens investments
ImpactAlpha, September 26 — South Africa’s Standard Bank Group and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa are looking to raise $1 billion …
Photo credit: The Good Roll
Climate Finance | September 21, 2022
How The Good Roll and Wangara Green Ventures are saving trees and creating green jobs in Ghana
ImpactAlpha, September 21 – A startup in the Netherlands is teaming up with a fund manager in Ghana to demonstrate the green, resilient, local …
Photo credit: Hero Future Energies
Clean Energy | September 21, 2022
KKR leads India’s Hero Future Energies’ $450 million raise to expand into battery storage and green hydrogen
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — New Delhi-based independent power producer Hero Future Energies was launched a decade ago by industrial equipment giant Hero Group. …
Climate Finance | September 15, 2022
Overheard at India’s ‘Impact 2022’: Climate investment tipping point
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – India is experiencing a surge of interest in climate investment and innovation, thanks to the country’s bold commitments at COP26 …
Photo by Sahyadri Farms.
Smallholder Agriculture | September 15, 2022
Sahyadri Farms raises nearly $40 million to digitalize India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, September 15 — Sahyadri Farms is a farmer-led fruit and vegetable processing and export business that works with more than 18,000 farmers …
Climate Finance | September 15, 2022
Investors in India are betting on climate tech’s financial opportunity
ImpactAlpha, September 15 – Climate finance in India surged in 2021, reaching about $20 billion in equity, green bonds and other types of capital. …
Photo by Shutterstock.
Clean Energy | September 14, 2022
Energy Impact Partners raises €390 million for its first European fund
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — Europe leads the clean energy transition and is a key market for the low-carbon transition, says Hans Kobler of …
Photo by Terawatt Infrastructure.
Green Infrastructure | September 14, 2022
TeraWatt Infrastructure rakes in more than $1 billion for EV charging for commercial fleets
ImpactAlpha, September 14 — A lack of charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles is slowing the deployment of electric trucks. San Francisco-based TeraWatt Infrastructure …
Photo by Tesseract.
Clean Energy | September 13, 2022
Tesseract raises $78 million to help consumers in Europe lower energy bills
ImpactAlpha, September 13 — Russian President Vladimir Putin this week threatened to cut off energy supplies to Europe. In the U.K., millions of …
Climate Finance | September 12, 2022
God save the King – and planet
In 1952, the 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth of York stepped down from her treetop camp in Kenya’s Aberdare National Park and became Queen Elizabeth II. On …
Photo by AdobeStock.
Oceans | September 12, 2022
Ocean 14 Capital raises €100 million to advance the blue economy
ImpactAlpha, September 12 — Investing in sustainable and regenerative oceans is a multi-trillion-dollar global opportunity that could create 40 million jobs by 2030, …
Women Rising | September 12, 2022
Janngo Capital secures €34 million for its African gender-lens fund
ImpactAlpha, September 12 — Fatoumata Ba launched Janngo Capital at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 to help bridge the capital …
Photo by DOW.
Dealflow | September 9, 2022
Deal Spotlight: Clean energy financing for low- and middle-income countries
ImpactAlpha, September 9 Emerging economies are helping lead the clean energy transition by attracting private investment to larger-scale renewable energy projects, the World …
Credit: PesaChoice
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 8, 2022
CcHUB backs nine fintech startups in Rwanda
ImpactAlpha, September 8 – Nigeria and Kenya-based startup accelerator and angel investor network CcHUB is supporting a cohort of early-stage fintech startups in …
Climate Finance | September 8, 2022
British International Investment lends $25 million for clean energy in Nepal
ImpactAlpha, September 8 – U.K. development agency British International Investment made a $25 million loan to NMB Bank to boost the bank’s renewable energy …
Photo by Shutterstock.
Clean Energy | September 7, 2022
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners raises €3 billion for energy transition fund
ImpactAlpha, September 7 — The Danish fund received commitments from 65 institutional investors, including global pension and sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, asset …
Photo credit: PEG Africa
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 7, 2022
Bboxx expands in West Africa with acquisition of off-grid solar peer PEG Africa
ImpactAlpha, September 7 – PEG Africa launched its pay-as-you-go solar business in Ghana in 2013 and has since expanded to Senegal, Ivory Coast and …
Hyderabad, Pakistan in July.
Signals | September 1, 2022
Epic floods in Pakistan highlight gap in climate funding for emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 1 – The monsoon-season floods sweeping through Pakistan have killed more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, and created at …
EarlySalary's founders. Photo by Inc42.
Financial Inclusion | August 31, 2022
EarlySalary raises $110 million for instant-cash loans to India’s young earners
ImpactAlpha, August 31 — The Pune-based fintech company aims to provide access to credit for underserved consumers in India’s Tier 3 and 4 …
Photo by Coyuchi.
sustainability | August 31, 2022
Organic brand Coyuchi looks to raise capital from the crowd
ImpactAlpha, August 31 — Long before sustainability became a buzzword, San Francisco-based Coyuchi was selling high-end organic cotton sheets, bath towels and other …
Innovative Finance | August 30, 2022
Rockefeller Foundation taps satellites and AI to guide green infrastructure in Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 30 – The Rockefeller Foundation is backing a digital platform to aid policymakers in understanding how and where resilient infrastructure could mitigate …
Photo credit: Loopworm
Dealflow | August 25, 2022
Omnivore backs Loopworm’s network of insect farms with $3.4 million
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – Bangalore-based Loopworm works with a network of smallholder farmers to raise insects that can be converted to animal and pet …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 25, 2022
Three lessons impact investors can offer venture capitalists looking for deals in Africa
At the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan earlier this summer, a striking consensus emerged: Africa is at a new investment crossroads. Venture capital …
Photo credit: The Engine/Mantel
Climate and Clean Tech | August 24, 2022
The Engine backs Mantel’s carbon-capture technology
ImpactAlpha, August 24 – The Engine, an MIT-spinout venture fund, is known for betting on very early-stage “tough tech.” Its latest investment: Boston-based Mantel, …
Photo credit: Hoa Nang Organic
Impact Voices | August 23, 2022
Sustainable agriculture needs more investment in women at the top—not just bottom—of the pyramid
ImpactAlpha, August 23 – Agriculture is the foundation of daily life in most of the world. The food and agriculture sector provides livelihoods for …
Image credit: Microtraction
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 23, 2022
Nigeria’s Microtraction inks $15 million for second early-stage fund
ImpactAlpha, August 23 – Microtraction launched in 2017 with a Y Combinator-approach to investing in African tech startups: it cut a $25,000 check from …
Photo credit: Teranga Capital
Seeding Impact | August 22, 2022
Teranga Capital: Taking risks to build an impact ecosystem in West Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 22 – Dakar-based Teranga Capital does private equity deals. It deploys venture capital. It helps small businesses that are too early for …
Photo by Lal10.
Dealflow | August 22, 2022
Beyond Capital Ventures backs Lal10 to boost profits for India’s rural artisans
ImpactAlpha, August 22 — Global retailers like Amazon, Alibaba and Target rely on artisans in developing countries for handmade goods. But makers often …
Photo credit: Lori Systems
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 18, 2022
Lori Systems clinches investment from Google to improve the flow of goods across Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – In Africa, where infrastructure is underdeveloped and fragmented, there’s an impact case in almost every logistics deal. Companies like Twiga …
Photo credit: Project CodeX
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 17, 2022
Village Capital and Moody’s accelerate 45 startups shaping the future of work in Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 17 – Village Capital and Moody’s second Future of Work Africa accelerator is supporting 45 startups boosting education and employment prospects for …
Image credit: Uellbee
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 16, 2022
Uellbee raises $2.3 million to help Mexican consumers refinance debts
ImpactAlpha, August 16 – Mexico City-based fintech venture Uellbee wants to help consumers pay down debt and improve their savings. The company offers lower-cost …
Photo credit: TeamApt
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 15, 2022
Nigeria’s TeamApt scores backing from QED for digital banking in rural Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 15 – TeamApt is tackling financial access by enabling anyone with a mobile phone and point-of-sales machine to become a local bank …
Dealflow | August 11, 2022
Forage secures $22 million to help low-income Americans order groceries online
ImpactAlpha, August 11 – About 42 million Americans receive help paying for groceries through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as “food …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 10, 2022
India’s Jodo raises $15 million to help schools and families cover the costs of education
ImpactAlpha, August 10 – Education accounts for 15% to 20% of most Indian households’ income, and costs are going up. Bangalore-based Jodo works with …
Financial Inclusion | August 9, 2022
How Balloon Ventures is (cost-effectively) banking the “missing middle” in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 9 – Ubora Specialty Crops is the definition of a “missing middle” business that is financially served by just about no one. …
Photo credit: UNICEF Ukraine
Catalytic Capital | August 4, 2022
How UNICEF’s Bridge Fund is speeding the delivery of aid to Ukraine and other crisis zones
It took Yulia, a mother from Kharkiv, Ukraine, seven days to reach the Polish border with her one-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son. They …
Photo credit: Akorn
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 3, 2022
Morocco’s UM6P Ventures backs U.S. and Israeli food tech startups
ImpactAlpha, August 3 – UM6P Ventures, the venture investing arm of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, launched last year, supports early-stage science and tech startups …
Photo by Oui Capital.
Impact Tech | August 2, 2022
Oui Capital notches $11 million first close for its second impact tech fund
ImpactAlpha, August 2 — Olu Oyinsan left his job at a Silicon Valley Bank about five years ago to launch Lagos-based Oui to …
Elephants in the Congo Basin
Climate Finance | August 1, 2022
Can’t we just pay the Democratic Republic of Congo to keep its oil in the ground?
ImpactAlpha, August 1 – The biggest failure of nature conservation and restoration efforts “are the unrewarded provision of public goods and services,” the U.N. …