Latin America
Latin America | February 20, 2020
Investing to integrate the growing wave of displaced people in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 20 – Migration and displacement are unfortunate growth sectors in Latin America. Migrants continue to flee the troubled ‘northern triangle’ of …
Africa | February 5, 2020
Call No. 12: How local early-stage funders are finding impact alpha in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, February 5 – Small and growing businesses are the pillars of local economies, in both developed and developing economies. Startups are engines …
Climate Finance | January 29, 2020
Flexible financing gives venture capital a run for the money in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, January 28 – Big-ticket venture-capital and private-equity deals, many of them backed by the ubiquitous SoftBank Group, made many investors take notice …
Africa | January 23, 2020
Blending philanthropic, public and private capital to finance climate infrastructure in emerging economies
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 23 – The Climate Finance Partnership, announced this week at the World Economic Forum, showcases the catalytic power of philanthropic and public …
2030 Finance | December 18, 2019
Capital on the Frontier: Impact in emerging markets is a 2020 growth story
ImpactAlpha, Dece. 18 – Not enough money for promising ventures. Too much money flowing to a few companies. Both statements are true for impact-oriented small …
2030 Finance | November 12, 2019
“Weaving systems” for impact investing in Central America and the Caribbean
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 12 – Agents of Impact from around Central America and the world arrive in Antigua, Guatemala this week for the fifth …
Democracy and Peace | October 29, 2019
Impact investing’s road to relevance led through Santiago – until it didn’t
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 29 – The fall circuit of major impact investing conferences was supposed to end next month in Santiago. Then the capital …
Dealflow | October 7, 2019
Oikocredit reinvests in Colombian small business lender Sempli
ImpactAlpha, October 8 – Medellín-based Sempli is an online lender that provides working capital loans to Colombia’s small businesses, which struggle to access …
Dealflow | October 1, 2019
Mexico’s Klar raises $57.5 million to expand digital credit
ImpactAlpha, October 1 – Latin America’s fintech startups are hot among venture capital investors because they’re reaching a new and large base of customers: …
Dealflow | August 13, 2019
Adobe Capital closes $30 million for Mexico’s impact entrepreneurs
ImpactAlpha, August 13 – Mexico City-based impact investor Adobe Capital has been filling the “missing middle” capital gap for Mexico’s growing cohort of impact …
2030 Finance | August 1, 2019
Techstars Sustainability startups tackle clean water, regenerative farming and supply chains
ImpactAlpha, August 1 – Tech accelerator and investor Techstars picked 10 companies in the U.S. and Mexico to participate in its second three-month sustainability …
Agrifood Tech | July 17, 2019
Pink Farms secures early funding to bring vertical farming to Brazil
ImpactAlpha, July 18 – Post-harvest food losses can reach 40% in many places, and Brazil is no exception. São Paulo-based Pink Farms has raised …
Impact Voices | July 1, 2019
Mobilizing private capital to back solutions to the migration crisis in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, July 1 – The urgency of the forced migration crises in the Northern Triangle, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela is growing: nine countries across …
Dealflow | June 26, 2019
Frubana raises $10 million to connect Colombian farmers to markets
ImpactAlpha, June 26 – Colombia-based Frubana has raised a $10 million seed round for its online farmers’ market that links small farmers to restaurants. The …
Latin America | June 13, 2019
Blue like an Orange finances information technology acquisition in Brazil
ImpactAlpha, June 13 – Grupo Cimcorp, one of Brazil’s largest information technology service providers, lined up an undisclosed amount of financing to acquire …
Africa | June 6, 2019
Sistema.Bio raises $12 million to expand waste-to-fuel products for small farmers
ImpactAlpha, June 6 – Mexico City-based Sistema.Bio makes durable, low-cost biodigesters that convert farm waste to clean energy. The company has raised $12 million in …
Dealflow | May 29, 2019
FinDev Canada invests in EcoEnterprises third fund
ImpactAlpha, May 29 – Costa Rica-based EcoEnterprises Fund launched 20 years ago to boost sustainable livelihoods in agriculture, ecotourism and forestry sectors in Latin America. …
Dealflow | May 23, 2019
Oikocredit invests in responsible coffee company Caravela, while Annona exits
ImpactAlpha, May 23 – Oikocredit is buying out its fellow Dutch impact investor Annona from its investment in Caravela, a responsible coffee trading company that …
2030 Finance | May 22, 2019
Bamboo Capital picked to manage $17 million renewable energy fund in Haiti
ImpactAlpha, May 22 – Less than one-third of Haitian households have access to electricity. In rural areas electrification rates are as low as …
Conservation | May 20, 2019
Mexican agroforestry venture Ejido Verde secures $2 million from IDB Invest
ImpactAlpha, May 20 – Ejido Verde is using forest conservation as an opportunity to empower indigenous families in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The decade-old …
Entrepreneurship | April 30, 2019
Investors mobilize to expand opportunities for migrants in Mexico
ImpactAlpha, April 30 – The Refugee Investment Network and Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs launched the Initiative for Inclusive Investment in Mexico, or 3IM, …
Dealflow | April 24, 2019
Tencent backs another Latin America neo-bank, taking stake in Ualá
ImpactAlpha, April 24 – Argentina-based Ualá is a digital lender that offers mobile deposit accounts and prepaid credit cards to the majority of Argentinians who …
Entrepreneurship | April 23, 2019
New Ventures is accelerating impact entrepreneurs in Mexico and Latin America
ImpactAlpha, April 23 – Rodrigo Villar and New Ventures Mexico are waking up private investors to Mexican and Latin American startups tackling social …
Features | April 16, 2019
Clínicas del Azúcar’s one-stop diabetes centers marry health innovation with affordability
ImpactAlpha, April 16, 2019 – Diabetes is both a preventable and manageable disease. Yet, because of changing lifestyles and health habits, the number of …
Aerial view of Infonavit houses in Mexico
Dealflow | April 11, 2019
Adobe Capital, IGNIA exit Mexican home rehab startup Provive
ImpactAlpha, April 10 – Tijuana, Mexico-based Provive’s mission is to foster community regeneration. Its approach is to acquire abandoned homes, fix them up, then help …
Features | April 10, 2019
Angel Ventures searches for unicorns – and impact – in Latin America’s Pacific Alliance
ImpactAlpha, April 10 – Angel Ventures is executing an impact thesis for a large market along the Pacific coast of Latin America. Nimble …
Africa | April 10, 2019
Branch raises $170 million to improve access to credit in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, April 10 – Crowdfunding microfinance platform Kiva has disbursed $1 billion in loans to 2.6 million people who otherwise lack access to financial …
Dealflow | April 10, 2019
Brazil’s Weel raises $30 million from Franklin Templeton to support small business lending
ImpactAlpha, April 10 – Cashflow management is a critical challenge for small businesses worldwide. Fintech startup Weel provides cashflow loans to Brazil’s small businesses …
Agrifood Tech | April 9, 2019
With debt as well as equity, Pomona is demonstrating impact investing in Central America
ImpactAlpha, April 8 – Pomona Impact is making the case for impact investing in Central America one investment – and one fund – at …
Education Tech | April 8, 2019
Laboratoria’s coding bootcamp is tripling women’s income and diversifying Latin America’s tech sector
ImpactAlpha, April 8 – Many Latin American youths lack the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. So do many …
Dealflow | April 4, 2019
Accion backs local guide CÍVICO to give small businesses an edge
ImpactAlpha, April 4 — CÍVICO develops curated local guides for Latin American cities, helping to raise the profile of small businesses. Impact investor …
Asia | March 28, 2019
A snapshot of equitable education technology in four markets
ImpactAlpha, March 28 – Chile, China, Indonesia, and the United States have all scaled access and use of educational technology for a broad spectrum …
Conservation | March 27, 2019
Ejido Verde is financing indigenous Mexicans to plant trees – and plant a stake in the middle class
ImpactAlpha, March 27 – Ejido Verde is delivering its own Green New Deal for hundreds of families in the Mexican state of Michoacán. …
Africa | March 26, 2019
Bamboo Finance, Moeda and the government of Togo launch a tech-driven impact fund for tech-driven companies
A Brazilian fintech startup popular with Chinese millennial investors has joined with the African nation of Togo to backstop a planned €100 million …
Good Jobs | March 26, 2019
Why Latin America is ripe for impact bonds
ImpactAlpha, March 26 – Four of the 11 social impact bonds (which are paid off by government based on outcome) and development impact bonds …
Dealflow | March 20, 2019
NESsT raises $3 million toward an impact loan fund for Latin America
ImpactAlpha, March 20 – The social enterprise incubator is raising its first impact fund since its launch nearly 20 years ago. Since launching the fund …
Impact Management | March 19, 2019
In an institutional shift, Grupo Bimbo anchors an impact fund of funds in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, March 19 — It took seven years of effort, but Grupo Bimbo, the global bakery giant, is making its first impact investment. …
Conservation | March 6, 2019
Chile’s eco-eyeglasses maker Karün secures €2.5 million
ImpactAlpha, March 5 – Karün, a Chilean eyeglasses company that makes frames from recycled materials, has raised €2.5 million ($2.8 million) in an …
Dealflow | March 5, 2019
Chile’s Destacame raises $3 million to boost consumer financial access
ImpactAlpha, March 4 – Santiago, Chile-based Destacame uses alternative credit-scoring to underwrite loans and offer basic financial products to underserved customers. The company’s Series A …
These pictures were taken by Lauren Baum on her communications trip to UCCEI, a coffee cooperative in Nicaragua with a woman as a general manager.
Dealflow | February 21, 2019
Root Capital chases ‘social impact incentives’ in loans to Latin America agribusinesses
ImpactAlpha, February 21 – Under a new agreement with a pair of development finance institutions, agriculture financier Root Capital is eligible for up to $1 …
Latin America | February 21, 2019
Overheard at the Latin American Impact Investing Forum
Mérida, Mexico – The ninth Foro Latinoamericano de Inversión de Impacto (the Latin American Impact Investing Forum, or simply “the FLII”), just ended in Mérida, …
Dealflow | February 20, 2019
50 deals that signal a growing impact investing market in Latin America
Mérida, Mexico – An increasing number of proof points are beginning to add up to a viable impact investing marketplace in Latin America. In …
Dealflow | February 20, 2019
Mexican coding bootcamp Holacode secures backing from GINcapital
ImpactAlpha, February 19 – Mexican human resources advisory group GIN Group is backing startup Holacode to support technical skills development among an underserved …
Latin America | February 19, 2019
Second wave – and second funds – for Latin America impact fund managers
You have an investment thesis, a deal pipeline and a committed set of limited partners. You’ve overcome biases against impact investing, emerging markets …
Dealflow | February 13, 2019
Blue Like an Orange finances Cabify to boost safety in ride hailing in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, February 12 – Blue Like an Orange Sustainable Capital, the debt fund founded by former World Bank officials to finance the Sustainable …