Geographies
Inventa co-founders, from left, Fernando Carrasco, Marcos Salama and Laura Camargo | Inventa.
Dealflow | January 25, 2022
Inventa scores $20 million to connect small Brazilian retailers with global suppliers
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — São Paulo-based Inventa, launched last year, has built a digital marketplace for Brazilian small businesses to purchase inventory. Inventa …
Photo credit: Innovationsoftheworld.com
Financial Inclusion | January 25, 2022
Finclusion Group raises $20 million to become a credit-first neobank
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — Singapore-based fintech Finclusion Group, which offers credit and financial services through consumer brands in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and …
Photo courtesy of Prashanth Vishwanathan, Flickr.
Green Infrastructure | January 25, 2022
Green infrastructure fund raises $741 million for renewable energy and efficiency in India
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — The Green Growth Equity Fund will be managed by Mumbai-based EverSource Capital, a joint venture between Indian private equity …
Alberta Tar Sands | Photo credit: Russ Heinl
Institutional Impact | January 24, 2022
O Canada, how do your pension plans get high ESG scores when you’re up to your neck in tar-sands oil?
When in doubt, publish a list. It’s a media truism. The trick works for not-for-profits too. New America, a Washington D.C. think tank, …
Water | January 20, 2022
How pre-construction financing is building a pipeline of water projects in Kenya
ImpactAlpha, January 20 – Water and sanitation is one of the fastest growing, yet still underinvested sectors of impact investing. An experimental fund …
Photo credit: Copia Global.
Africa | January 20, 2022
Copia Global secures $50 million to deliver goods to rural African consumers
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — African economies rely heavily on spending by the continent’s approximately 750 million low- to middle-income consumers. Kenya’s Copia Global, …
Photo credit: Krishi Jagran.
Smallholder Agriculture | January 19, 2022
Arya raises $60 million to expand agri-commerce for India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Arya helps India’s smallholder farmers transport and store their crops and provides working capital until they sell their crops. …
Dealflow | January 18, 2022
Elevar backs Fairplay’s revenue-based financing for online businesses in Mexico
ImpactAlpha, January 18 – Fintech startup Fairplay provides revenue-based working capital loans and inventory financing to Mexico’s small and mid-sized online businesses. The …
Photo credit: Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia.
Climate Finance | January 13, 2022
Circulate Capital aims to build plastic waste recycling infrastructure in underserved Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, January 13 — Indonesia generates around 7.8 million tons of plastic waste annually. 4.9 million tons of plastic waste is mismanaged — uncollected, …
Image credit: Afrikrea/ANKA
Dealflow | January 13, 2022
VestedWorld backs e-commerce venture ANKA in Côte d’Ivoire
ImpactAlpha, January 13 – Abidjan-based ANKA is trying to help Africa’s retailers reach more customers. The company launched in 2016 as Afrikrea, an …
aqua-spark | January 12, 2022
Aqua-Spark backs Lake Harvest to expand sustainable aquaculture in Africa
ImpactAlpha, January 12 — Aqua-Spark is launching a subsidiary to help build out local and regional aquaculture supply chains in Africa. The investment …
Photo credit: Tul
Latin America | January 12, 2022
Tul raises $181 million to digitalize independent hardware stores in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, January 12 – Bogotá-based Tul helps Colombia’s mom-and-pop hardware stores source products from large construction suppliers like ArcelorMittal and Cemex. It launched …
Photo credit: Aroon Deep.
Dealflow | January 10, 2022
India’s Dunzo rakes in $240 million for quick local grocery delivery
ImpactAlpha, January 10 — Bangalore-based delivery platform Dunzo helps small and local businesses fill online orders for food, medicine and consumer goods in 300 …
Photo credit: mPharma.
Dealflow | January 6, 2022
Ghanaian pharmacy venture mPharma raises $35 million to expand drug access in Africa
ImpactAlpha, January 6 — Accra-based mPharma, launched in 2013, has partnered with more than 155 hospitals, 850 pharmacies to deliver telehealth services and …
Photo credit: MAX.
Climate Finance | December 21, 2021
Nigeria’s MAX secures $31 million to upgrade ride-hailing drivers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 21 — Lagos-based MAX offers drivers subscriptions to packages that include low to zero-emission vehicles, healthcare, insurance, maintenance and e-hailing apps. …
Photo credit: AllAfrica.com
Climate Finance | December 21, 2021
Ford Foundation commits $3 million to support natural resource governance in West Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 21 — Extraction of metals, minerals and fossil fuels in West Africa has hurt local economies, exacerbated environmental problems and contributed …
Women Rising | December 20, 2021
Alitheia IDF secures $100 million for an African gender-lens fund
ImpactAlpha, December 20 — Alitheia IDF, a joint venture between women-led fund managers Alitheia Capital and IDF Capital, aims to positively impact women …
Photo credit: East African Business Week.
Dealflow | December 16, 2021
Aceli Africa raises $27 million to boost lending to agribusinesses in East Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — More than half of East Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but loans to grow their businesses are …
Photo credit: Elsevier.
Investing in Health | December 16, 2021
Medical Credit Fund raises $36.7 million to finance health clinics in Africa. second digital finance fund
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — Nairobi-based debt provider Medical Credit Fund has since 2009 made loans of more than €120 million ($135.5 million) to …
Signals | December 16, 2021
India’s family offices are on the hunt for proof of impact
ImpactAlpha, December 16 – Impact investing in India has climbed to more than $10 billion in the last decade, owing to both a …
Photo credit: Agribusiness Matters.
Dealflow | December 14, 2021
AgroStar secures $70 million to add stores for Indian farmers
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Pune-based AgroStar launched in 2013 to help small farmers secure seeds, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs at affordable prices. …
Catalytic Capital | December 14, 2021
Women’s Livelihood Bond from Impact Investment Exchange closes at $30 million
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Proceeds from the fourth bond will support social enterprises that can impact 500,000 underserved women and girls in India, …
Photo credit: TradeDepot
Dealflow | December 8, 2021
TradeDepot raises $110 million to provide capital for Nigeria’s informal merchants
ImpactAlpha, December 8 – ImpactAlpha has been watching all year as enterprise technology providers raise capital to bring micro and small businesses in …
Conventional and renewable energy generation
Clean Energy | December 7, 2021
Oil and gas investor Lime Rock Partners raises $375 million for clean energy
ImpactAlpha, December 7 – Amid a frenzy of big-ticket climate deals and energy-transition funds, oil and gas investor Lime Rock raised less than …
Photo credit: Seaborg
Climate and Clean Tech | December 7, 2021
Denmark’s Hyme raises $12 million to store energy in ‘molten salt’
ImpactAlpha, December 7 – Copenhagen-based nuclear startup Seaborg Technologies, which is developing molten salt reactors as part of a new wave of nuclear …
Dealflow | December 7, 2021
Energy software provider Voltus to go public via a SPAC
ImpactAlpha, December 7 – It wasn’t so long ago that billion-dollar deals, mergers and valuations in the low-carbon transition were rare. Voltus, which …
Dealflow | December 6, 2021
Gozem raises $5 million for a ‘super app’ for Africa’s taxi drivers
ImpactAlpha, December 6 – “Digitize everything” is the theme of the year in emerging markets. Togo-based Gozem is aiming to be a “super …
Community Finance | December 6, 2021
Secondaries fund secures $11.5 million to create a market for CDFI loans
ImpactAlpha, December 6 – The Aspen Institute and the Microfinance Impact Collaborative launched the Entrepreneur Backed Assets Fund last year to enable community …
Dealflow | December 6, 2021
Republic buys U.K. equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs
ImpactAlpha, December 6 – London-based Seedrs, one of the world’s first regulated equity crowdfunding platforms, has channeled £1.5 billion to startups since 2009. …
MicroVest invests in emerging and frontier markets, like Myanmar.
Dealflow | December 2, 2021
Microfinance lender MicroVest is acquired by development company DAI
ImpactAlpha, December 2 – MicroVest launched in 2003 to expand access to capital to microfinance institutions in emerging markets and facilitate impact investment …
Photo credit: Blu Spring
Innovative Finance | December 2, 2021
Dutch loan fund links better terms to better educational outcomes
ImpactAlpha, December 2 — The Impact-Linked Fund for Education will deploy social impact incentives and impact-linked loans to education-focused social enterprises and market-based …
Signals | December 1, 2021
Can the recovery catalyze a business revival on the Navajo Nation?
ImpactAlpha, December 1 – The Navajo Nation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, is one of the hardest places to …
Photo credit: Telus.
Corporate Impact | December 1, 2021
TELUS’ $100 million Pollinator Fund for Good adds three portfolio companies
ImpactAlpha, December 1 — Canadian telecommunications company TELUS launched Pollinator Fund for Good last year to invest in local and international impact startups …
Photo credit: Global Banking Finance.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Jefa raises $2 million for fintech services for women in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — Women make up more than half of the world’s unbanked population. Jefa, a Mexico City-based neobank, is helping women …
Photo credit: European Journalism Observatory.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Media Development Investment Fund backs Pluralis to invest in independent media in Europe
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — The decline of independent global news outlets has accelerated with rising news censorship and danger for journalists. MDFI’s Emerging …
Photo credit: Paul Langlois-Meurinne.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Nigerian B2B marketplace Sabi raises $6 million to support Africa’s informal businesses
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — Lagos-based Sabi is among a wave of enterprise tech ventures applying technology to fix market failures and inefficiencies. Sabi’s …
Dealflow | November 23, 2021
CcHUB Syndicate backs five startups in Nigeria and Ghana
ImpactAlpha, November 1 – Tech accelerator and investor CcHub co-invests with the African diaspora, angel and early-stage investors to mobilize capital to promising …
Photo credit: Oceano Fresco.
aqua-spark | November 18, 2021
Aqua-Spark backs sustainable seafood Portuguese company Oceano Fresco
ImpactAlpha, November 18 — Oceano Fresco’s open-sea aqua farm in Portugal grows clams, particularly those at risk of extinction. Aqua-Spark, a sustainable aquaculture …
Innovative Finance | November 16, 2021
How The People’s Fund is unlocking capital for small businesses from the crowd up
ImpactAlpha, November 16 – South Africa’s Black-owned businesses were systematically shut out of economic opportunities under the country’s racist aparthied regime. Now, even …
Photo credit: DrugStoc.
Dealflow | November 16, 2021
DrugStoc scores $4.4 million to improve Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain
ImpactAlpha, November 16 — Lagos-based DrugStoc is on a mission to fix the country’s broken pharmaceutical supply chains and distribution channels. The company …
Photo by Getty Images.
aquaculture | November 16, 2021
Ocean 14 Capital secures €60 million for blue economy impact fund
ImpactAlpha, November 16 — London-based fund manager Ocean 14 Capital is looking to raise €150 million ($170.5 million) for growth-stage investments in technology …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 10, 2021
African startups develop crypto tools for inclusive prosperity
ImpactAlpha, November 10 – Nelly Chatue-Diop was a teenager in 1994 when her family lost much of their savings overnight with the devaluation …
Photo credit: TOM TRAMBOW.
Climate Finance | November 10, 2021
European Investment Bank and Allianz Global target €500 million for climate fund
ImpactAlpha, November 10 — Allianz Global, the €633 billion ($733.9 billion) asset management arm of German financial services company Allianz, teamed up with …
Photo credit: Pezesha
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 9, 2021
How technology is disrupting small-business financing in emerging markets – in a good way
ImpactAlpha, November 9 – The COVID-19 pandemic could have been development finance’s moment to shine. Such quasi-public investors, after all, have been trying …
Photo credit: Opportunity International.
Dealflow | November 9, 2021
Oikocredit and Opportunity International commit $100 million to back education lending in low-income countries
ImpactAlpha, November 3 — With its lending partners, Opportunity International, a Chicago-based nonprofit, has mobilized $2.3 billion to support 8,800 schools in 30 …