Frontier And Growth Markets
Features
Catalytic Capital | October 21, 2021
$100 billion is just a down payment on financing the climate transition in developing nations
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 21 – For want of a nail…the kingdom was lost, as the old proverb goes. For want of $100 billion, a …
Accra, Ghana
Catalytic Capital | October 6, 2021
National advisory boards target local pension funds for small-business financing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, October 6 – Impact investing in emerging markets has long been dominated by international development finance institutions. The national advisory boards, or …
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: 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 …
Construction Highway Flood Tunnels, Peacevale, South Africa | Chris Van Lennep
Innovative Finance | August 17, 2021
Five critiques of blended finance – and five responses from Convergence
The opportunity to blend private capital with philanthropic and public funding has been heralded by financial heavyweights from Blackrock to the billionaire-backed Breakthrough …
Coliba Recycling Ghana
Capitalism Reimagined | July 29, 2021
Social enterprises provide models for stakeholder capitalism in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, July 29 – Social entrepreneurs in Asia, sub-Saharan African and Latin America have for decades prioritized communities, employees and long-term growth over short-term …
Photo credit: Zeepay
Signals | July 8, 2021
Inclusive fintech is the first stop for impact venture capital in Africa
ImpactAlpha, July 8 – Small business loans. Digital payments. Free remittances. Venture investors looking for deals in Africa are stocking their pipelines with …
Climate Finance | July 8, 2021
Bridging the funding gap for climate mitigation and adaptation in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, July 8 – Record-shattering heat and extreme weather are upping the urgency for climate action. On the front lines of climate disruption …
2030 Finance | June 24, 2021
What we know about Rockefeller Foundation’s grand ambitions for distributed energy
ImpactAlpha, June 24 – The Rockefeller and IKEA Foundations this week jointly announced a commitment of $1 billion for off-grid energy development in …
Photo credit: Ecobodaa
Originals | June 3, 2021
Shift to electric rickshaws and motorcycles is drawing investors to emerging markets’ e-mobility opportunity
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – The streets of Delhi, Kigali, Nairobi and other cities across the developing world are clogged with traffic, including “boda boda” …
Motorbike taxi in Kampala, Uganda | Photo credit: Emre Topdemir
Catalytic Capital | May 13, 2021
How Lendable parses risks and returns to mobilize capital for inclusive fintech in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, May 13 – There’s little argument about the positive impact of making affordable loans to small- and medium-size enterprises in countries like Indonesia, …
SDGs | May 11, 2021
J.P. Morgan’s ‘development financial institution’ amps up transparency in emerging markets dealmaking
ImpactAlpha, May 11 – Development finance institutions are typically quasi-governmental agencies that invest in economic development (and soft power) in emerging and growth markets. …
Photo credit: Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge
SDGs | April 22, 2021
Fifteen startups with solutions for land restoration in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, April 22 – Latin America a testing ground for innovative environmental financing and business solutions: Lending incentives supporting smallholder farmers; partnerships with Indigenous …
Photo credit: Invest2Innovate
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 21, 2021
In Pakistan, investing with a gender lens gives i2i Ventures an early-stage edge
ImpactAlpha, April 21 – If overlooked markets and underserved entrepreneurs represent untapped opportunities, Pakistan presents i2i Ventures with a rich bounty of possibilities. The …
Solar panels against a blue sky with a picture of the flag of Brazil
Climate Finance | April 12, 2021
Changing the climate for climate investments in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, April 12 – Energy-transition investment surged by 24% in developed nations last year. In emerging markets strained by the COVID pandemic, it …
Image: Dmitrijs Kaminskis
Corporate Impact | April 7, 2021
Africa’s business and investment leaders step up to meet demands for impact and ESG investing
ImpactAlpha, April 7 – Investors, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups are increasingly pressuring African businesses to shift to more responsible ways of doing …
Photo credit: ACRE Africa
Innovative Finance | March 22, 2021
Alt-credit and mobile-money apps give African fintechs a closeup view of climate risks – and opportunities
ImpactAlpha, March 22 – Financial technology firms have leveraged billions of data points across mobile phones and social media to transform loan underwriting across …
Photo credit: Kuli Kuli
Call Recording | March 1, 2021
Call No. 27: Opportunities at the intersection of gender and climate
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – Capital is flowing to climate solutions. Climate bonds have topped $1 trillion. SPACs, or special purpose acquisition companies are …
WIC Capital portfolio company E-Cover, which recycles used tires
Gender Smart | February 9, 2021
Mapping the climate edge for gender investors – and vice versa
ImpactAlpha, February 9 – A women-led, women-backed investment fund in Dakar, Senegal is getting an environmental bonus from the women entrepreneurs it supports. A …
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 25, 2021
Digitization of smallholder farming draws investors to Indian agtech startups
ImpactAlpha, January 25 – Among the world’s largest producers of food, India stands out for its 130 million independent smallholder farmers who till, on …
Tangus street food | Photo credit: wanacorp.fr/
Frontier and Growth Markets | December 23, 2020
Aiming high by pricing low: How entrepreneurs can tap the mass market for impact at scale
ImpactAlpha, Dec 23 – Emerging market entrepreneurs have to thread the needle when pricing their products and services: too low, and they won’t generate …
Photo credit: Horn Products Uganda
Frontier and Growth Markets | December 14, 2020
Looking ahead: Helping small businesses in emerging markets survive and thrive in 2021
ImpactAlpha, December 14 – The stabilization and revival of the micro, small and medium-sized businesses sector has been the emerging markets story of …
2030 Finance | November 30, 2020
Updating investment ‘exclusion lists’ for deeper social and environmental impact
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 30 – Cluster bombs and hazardous chemicals. Tobacco and firearms. Child labor and corruption. “Exclusion” lists have for decades helped investors keep …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 16, 2020
With billions as bait, development financiers seek to hook private investors on gender-lens investing
ImpactAlpha, November 16 – Private equity and venture capital fund managers have an added incentive to apply a “gender lens” in their investment …
Africa | November 4, 2020
Post-pivots, African tech startups are peddling pandemic resilience
ImpactAlpha, November 4 – As Africa’s economies restart from COVID lockdowns, the businesses on the fastest path to recovery are tech startups helping …
Features | October 19, 2020
Call No. 24: Agents of Impact converge on financing solutions to ‘light every clinic’
The people and principles needed to solve the challenges of financing solar power for frontline health clinics were represented on ImpactAlpha’s Agents of …
Africa | October 12, 2020
Tugende helps Uganda’s motorcycle taxi drivers survive the lockdown – and raises $6 million to grow again
ImpactAlpha, October 12 – It was looking like a stellar year for Tugende. The Kampala-based social lender, which finances the purchase of motorcycle …
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 5, 2020
Latin America’s micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises need working capital to survive and thrive
ImpactAlpha, October 5 – Latin America’s annual small business financing gap stood at $1 trillion even before the COVID crisis. Now, the pandemic …
Features | July 8, 2020
The investment case for COVID relief for Africa’s essential businesses
The question impact investors will ask one another in the years to come is: “What did you do when Covid-19 pandemic erupted?”
Africa | June 25, 2020
COVID-recovery financing facilities aim to bridge capital gaps for small and growing businesses
ImpactAlpha, June 25 – A quarter of small businesses will fail and a quarter will succeed, and even thrive, in the aftermath of …
Catalytic Capital | May 20, 2020
The outlook is bleak, and financing needs clear, for small businesses in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, May 20 – COVID is crushing small and growing businesses in emerging markets. Four in 10 companies supported by members of the …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 18, 2020
How high-impact businesses in emerging markets are pivoting in the COVID crisis
ImpactAlpha, May 18 – Local textile manufacturers in North and West Africa are pivoting to meet demand for personal protective equipment. Flower growers …
Features | May 18, 2020
Eyes on the time horizon: Five shifts to watch in moving from crisis to growth
In the years we have spent in early-stage equity investing, often backing raw startups and paper plans, our decision to go with a …
Features | April 22, 2020
Survey of emerging markets capital managers aims to shape COVID solutions for small businesses
ImpactAlpha, April 22 – Local providers of equity and debt capital in emerging markets have become “economic first responders” to small and growing …
Africa | April 20, 2020
COVID pandemic gives Africa’s health tech startups a chance to shine
ImpactAlpha, April 20 – Africa’s health systems may have an advantage in the fight against COVID: experience mobilizing around outbreaks of infectious diseases. …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 7, 2020
Needed: Responsive, aggregated and accessible capital for (once-) growing businesses in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 6 – A viable company is a terrible thing to waste. A whole generation of otherwise cashflow-positive small and growing ventures …
Africa | March 31, 2020
Emerging market fund managers scramble to keep enterprises and entrepreneurs afloat
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 31 – As the coronavirus spreads in Africa, Wemy’s products have been flying off local shelves, as families stock up on …
Entrepreneurship | March 9, 2020
To empower women, back female fund managers
ImpactAlpha, March 9 – Expanding women’s access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities is the key to ending poverty and strengthening communities, especially …
Entrepreneurship | March 6, 2020
Only the decisive survive. Will your business?
Over the past seven years, our venture funds have invested in more than 60 early- and growth-stage startups in emerging markets (ex. China). …
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 …
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 20, 2019
Climate finance gains momentum at international development banks
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 20 – The world’s largest multilateral bank will no longer fund fossil fuel projects post-2022. The European Investment Bank is on a …
Catalytic Capital | November 11, 2019
Digital and financial innovation is transforming small-farmer finance
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 11 – A wave of digital and financial innovation is changing perceptions around the profitability of lending to small farmers in emerging …
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 9, 2019
Redefining risk: Overheard at EMPEA’s sustainable investing summit
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 9 – Private equity investors seeking impact in emerging markets are grappling with risk on both fronts. Strategies to measure and mitigate …
Climate Finance | September 25, 2019
To unlock entrepreneurship for development, ANDE turns to women, jobs and the environment
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 25 – For its 10th anniversary, the Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs gathered some of its 300 members to look ahead. The …
Catalytic Capital | September 25, 2019
Blended finance is mobilizing billions, not trillions, for the global goals
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 25 – Proponents of the use of philanthropic and public capital to mobilize private capital for public goods have touted blended finance as …
Catalytic Capital | September 19, 2019
New U.S. development finance agency expands toolkit for female fund managers
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 19 – When the U.S. Development Finance Corp. opens its doors on Oct. 1, it will be equipped with new investment tools …
Entrepreneurship | September 11, 2019
Lessons in frontier finance from 40 impact investments
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 11 – The big opportunity in “frontier finance” for small and growing businesses: solving large problems for large populations. Omnivore, an India-based …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | August 12, 2019
Q&A: CEO Neville Crawley wants Kiva to change systems as well as lives
Neville Crawley was building algorithmic hedge fund trading strategies in the morning, so his afternoons were free to help reinvent Kiva, the wildly …
Catalytic Capital | July 23, 2019
Blending finance to manage investment risk in the world’s poorest countries
ImpactAlpha, July 23 – One thing to know about economies in low-income countries like Angola, Senegal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Zambia: They can grow fast. …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | July 18, 2019
Getting drones to deliver for global development
ImpactAlpha, July 18 – Investors from TPG Growth’s Rise Fund to Singapores’ Temasak piled into the recent $190 million investment round of Zipline, …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 10, 2019
Female fund managers make the case for ‘gender alpha’ in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, June 10 – One way to seize the global growth opportunity in women’s equality: Back female fund managers with financial chops and …
Catalytic Capital | May 16, 2019
What impact multiple of money will TPG Growth generate with global health fund?
ImpactAlpha, May 16 – Before it became an object lesson of private equity scandal, the $1 billion Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund was …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 21, 2018
Hedge in a volatile market: Companies meeting basic needs in emerging markets
This week’s stock market rout has investors looking for assets that don’t move in tune with the FAANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix …
Catalytic Capital | November 12, 2018
How to attract private capital to the poorest countries
Development finance unlocked some $81 billion in private capital for global development between 2012 and 2015. Only $5.5 billion, or less than 7% …
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 13, 2018
What does emerging market volatility mean for impact investors?
Currency routs in Argentina and Turkey. Political and economic isolation in Russia. Recession in South Africa. Economic and financial risks in emerging markets …
Entrepreneurship | July 31, 2018
Capria seeks ‘network effects’ in emerging-market small-business investing
Other investors may be running away from early-stage investments in emerging markets. Capria is running toward them. The Capria network now includes 16 …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 29, 2018
Strong message, flawed messenger: “Best practices” for private-equity investing in the Global Goals
ImpactAlpha, May 29 – In the mobilization of global capital to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, private equity firms investing in emerging …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 14, 2018
Global private equity: Closing the gap between “we already do it” and allocations to impact investing
UPDATE: Day 2 review of the Global Private Equity Conference How impact investors are putting capital to work. Sandeep Farias, a co-founder and managing …
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 31, 2017
Can businesses profitably serve the poorest of the poor?
Can businesses profitably serve the poorest of the poor? A new study, “Reaching Deep in Low-income Markets,” suggests yes. The study dug into the …
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 20, 2017
Abraaj Group taps Kito de Boer to lead impact investing
The Abraaj Group has named Kito de Boer as a managing partner and head of impact investing. de Boer is a 30-year veteran …
africa | July 26, 2017
Abraaj fuels growth markets with credit
Foreign banks that have retrenched since the financial crisis are still averse to risk in the growth markets of Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa …
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 6, 2017
Next generation of Brazil’s wealthy families are moving toward impact investing
Between 2003 and 2014 more than 29 million Brazilians rose out of poverty and are now seeking “to purchase higher quality education and …
Entrepreneurship | June 27, 2017
Strategic investments can unlock digital financial services in India and Africa
Safaricom’s M-Pesa has allowed 30 million people in East Africa to make digital payments; India’s fintech behemoth Paytm serves 177 million. Both companies are …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 27, 2017
#ShareYourData, cities take leadership, growth market fintech, rural renewables
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: #ShareYourData Putting impact investments on the map. Jean Case issued a “clarion call” to impact investors and entrepreneurs to …
Entrepreneurship | June 26, 2017
More emerging-market investors focus on smaller deals, but finance gap persists
ImpactAlpha’s three-part “Fellow Travelers” series highlighted the gap in early-stage capital for small and growing businesses in emerging markets. That gap persists, according …
Entrepreneurship | June 24, 2017
LeapFrog’s $180M bet, small business finance gap, investing in refugee futures, the Brief Quiz
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: The Brief Quiz №20 Stumbling, dodging and…troubling? The U.S. stumbled on inclusion, according to this year’s Social Progress Index. Which …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 23, 2017
Readying an ‘Impact IPO’ on the London Stock Exchange
The prospectus for one of the world’s first publicly listed impact investment companies has a long list of risk factors that would be …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 15, 2017
Growth capital for growth markets, social impact incentives, gender-lens opportunity
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: Open Mic A new model for equity growth capital for the world’s poorest countries. Helping the world’s poorest countries move …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 15, 2017
The ‘23 Fund’: A new model for growth capital in the world’s poorest countries
By Peter O’Driscoll, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP One of the biggest current challenges for the impact investing community is the aggregation and …
2030 Finance | June 14, 2017
100th Brief, green Apple bond, Goldman’s NextEra climate move
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: The Brief №100 Blow out the candles. Today’s 100th issue of The Brief is itself a #Signal. When we launched …
Entrepreneurship | June 9, 2017
Oceans and 2063, but no Bono in the Brief Quiz №18
This week brought more interrogations. So what did you know, and when did you know it? Take the Brief Quiz, #สิบแปด Get The Brief, …
Catalytic Capital | June 9, 2017
Impact’s annual report card, NatGeo’s endowment investing, Fellow Travelers Part 3
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: Returns on Investment podcast Impact investing gets a B+ on its annual report card. The topline number of $114 …
Entrepreneurship | June 9, 2017
Fellow Travelers: Where impact investing in emerging markets goes from here (Part 3)
By Andrew Haimes and Steve Zausner In Parts 1 and 2 of the ImpactAlpha series, Fellow Travelers, we explore the the divergent paths of …
Asia | June 8, 2017
Q&A with Annie Chen, from ride-hailing to financial services, Fellow Travelers Part II
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: ImpactAlpha Original Annie Chen’s path to a 100% sustainable and mission-aligned portfolio. ImpactAlpha caught up with the Hong Kong …
Entrepreneurship | June 8, 2017
Fellow Travelers: Impact investing in emerging markets is growing, but not fast enough (Part 2)
By Andrew Haimes and Steve Zausner In Part 1 of Fellow Travelers, an ImpactAlpha series, we explored the divergent paths of impact investing and …
Entrepreneurship | June 7, 2017
Small-biz investing in emerging markets, Fishpeople’s $12M catch, the Silicon Valley of sustainable…
Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: Open Mic Fellow Travelers, Part 1: Bringing emerging markets and impact investing back together. Impact investing and emerging markets were …
Entrepreneurship | June 7, 2017
Fellow Travelers: Bringing emerging markets and impact investing back together (Part I)
By Andrew Haimes and Steve Zausner We were recently having lunch with a friend who works at a firm at the forefront of impact …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 31, 2017
How impact investors can change the status quo for smallholder
Most of the world’s poor depend on farming to make a living, mostly in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. A 2014 study …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 18, 2017
Rise Fund’s Bill McGlashan: “Let’s collaborate”
After much ruffling of feathers from co-founder Bono in past weeks, TPG Rise Fund CEO Bill McGlashan struck a more conciliatory tone in …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 17, 2017
Growth-market private equity investors look to 2030 global goals for direction
Washington D.C. — Amid volatile currencies and political uncertainty, the Sustainable Development Goals can provide direction and opportunity for private-equity investors in high-growth emerging markets. That …
donald-trump | April 26, 2017
More on the Trump Effect, BIMA’s meteoric growth, first deals on ImpactUs, Agora’s variable-payment…
#Featured: ImpactAlpha Original Taking stock of the ‘Trump Effect’ on impact investing. The conventional wisdom among impact investors and observers has been that …
carousel | March 15, 2017
Notes from Underground: Boosting livelihoods in the informal economy
Johannesburg — The vast underground economy around the world is characterized by below-the-radar flows of money, tax evasion, and poor labor conditions. Less obvious are …
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 15, 2017
Abraaj sets sights on India’s debt investments
Dubai-based Abraaj Group is the latest in a line of institutional investors making a move on India’s debt markets. The $10 billion money manager …
Climate Finance | March 14, 2017
The global middle class is emerging even faster than we thought
The “next billion” may be more like the next two billion, or more. The faster-than-expected growth of the middle class, particularly in Asia, …
africa | March 13, 2017
Network Effects: Impact Seed Funds in Africa and Latin America Share Secrets and Struggles
Early-stage investing in emerging markets is hard. A commitment to serve low-income customers makes it even more challenging. Scaling that up around the …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 17, 2017
What will ‘middle-class’ mean in 2030?
By standard measures, India’s middle class is forecast to grow from 50 million in 2010 to 475 million by 2030. China’s middle class …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 1, 2017
Who’s driving solutions to youth unemployment? Young people
There will be nearly 1.3 billion youths between 15 and 24 in 2030. India, for example, will need to create 12 to 17 …
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 28, 2017
Ignia demonstrates investment opportunities in Mexico’s emerging middle class
Inclusive Economics Monterey-based venture capital firm Ignia has invested $200 million in companies supporting upward economic mobility. The emerging middle class represents 70 …
2030 Finance | January 13, 2017
Green Slums: Adapting to Climate Change with Secure Land Tenure
Climate change is already hitting Mukuru, one of Nairobi’s largest slums. Built on waste lands along the Ngong River, muddy roads regularly flood …
africa | January 12, 2017
Everyday Africa: Finding the Human Story
Bill Gates published his first blog of the new year yesterday: Five Reasons I’m Hopeful about Africa. Much of it was typical Gates. …
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 10, 2017
Letter from India: How Poop is Becoming Big Business for Small Companies
I was in Mumbai, making a long commute across town after a week full of events and conferences. When we arrived in South …
Frontier and Growth Markets | December 22, 2016
Billionaires’ Ball: A look at TPG’s $2 billion Rise Fund
Smarter Money Deconstructing the New York Times’ coverage of TPG Growth’s new impact investment fund Photo credit: Tillman Global Holdings Talk about raising expectations. …
elevar-equity | December 22, 2016
Billionaires’ Ball: Deconstructing TPG’s $2 billion RISE Fund
Talk about raising expectations. The RISE fund scored an Andrew Ross Sorkin exclusive in the New York Times, led by Bono, backed by …
carousel | December 19, 2016
Clean cookstoves on the hot seat: Lessons from social impact hits and misses
“Clean cookstoves fail to save African kids,” read last week’s headline in The Hindu, one of India’s leading newspapers. A few days later, …
South Sudan coffee farmer and agronomist
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 13, 2016
How Small Businesses Are Having Big Impact on Global Goals
Most emerging-market entrepreneurs probably are not aware of the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Fewer still are likely to be motivated by …
carousel | October 6, 2016
Q&A with Roopa Kudva: Smartphones + Aadhaar = Tipping Point for Impact Investing in India
Tipping points are hard to call, at least until they’re obvious. But Roopa Kudva, a partner at Omidyar Network and managing director of …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 26, 2016
Partnerships of the Future are Redefining Traditional Development
Our rapidly evolving world has forced the public sector and private sector to reexamine their relationship. Historically, the U.S. public sector has provided …
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 24, 2016
New From Next Billion: Bridge Stumbles in Uganda, BlackRock Under Fire, Smart Matatus and Pokemon to the Rescue
Promising developments – and the inevitable stumbles – have been keeping the social business space lively. Here are a few recent stories that …
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 22, 2016
New from NextBillion: Nine Stories Making Headlines in Social Business This Summer
You wouldn’t know we’re in the dog days of summer from the past month in social business. NextBillion’s editors sample some of the …
Impact Voices
Ba Ria, Vietnam | Photo credit: Dong Nhat Huy
Impact Voices | October 18, 2021
Taking action against violence and sexual harassment at work through gender-lens investing.
In the past eighteen months, the global community has clearly seen that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on women. The …
Photo credit: REUTERS/NORIHIKO SHIROUZU
Impact Voices | July 27, 2021
Emerging markets emerge as sustainability leaders
Investors, take note: In emerging markets (EM), many companies are now at the forefront of change. In today’s EM, there is a rapidly …
Circular irrigation fields for growing crops | Photo credit: Trismegist San
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 27, 2021
Better economic data can drive inclusive growth in Africa
“In God we trust, everyone else must bring data,” said the statistician W. Edwards Deming. The debilitating effect of Covid19 on the economies …
Yaounde, Cameroon
Impact Voices | July 27, 2021
Are funds of funds the next frontier for African impact investing?
ImpactAlpha, July 27 – The landscape of private equity and private debt funds in Africa remains small compared to other parts of the …
Photo by Delightin Dee on Unsplash
Impact Voices | July 8, 2021
Growth of gender-smart investing in development finance signals opportunity for commercial investors as well
Businesses in emerging markets run by women receive less than half the funding received by those run by men. In 2021, that fact …
Photo credit: Rawpixel.com
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 6, 2021
Scaling impact through nonprofit mergers and acquisitions
The ongoing pandemic and economic uncertainty have led non-profit leaders to contingency plan in creative and unprecedented ways, including strategic partnerships. The sector …
Photo by Lagos Techie on Unsplash
Impact Voices | June 29, 2021
Consider yourself a fiduciary? Then it’s time to invest in Africa
Africa was home to half of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies last year. Institutional investors must begin to seriously consider Africa as …
Impact Voices | June 23, 2021
Securitizing future cash flows to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa
ImpactAlpha, June 23 – In Nigeria, Primero Transport Services, a bus company with a concession from the Lagos government, securitized receivables from its bus …
Santiago, Chile
2030 Finance | June 3, 2021
E-buses are accelerating e-mobility in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Fleets of zero-emission electric buses operating in Latin America were once a distant dream, especially for city dwellers commuting to …
Innovative Finance | June 1, 2021
How investment facilitators can unlock dealflow in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, June 1 – Getting deals done in emerging markets costs more than in developed markets, both in absolute terms – due to peculiarities …
Impact Voices | May 27, 2021
How last-mile distributors put capital to work for impact
ImpactAlpha, May 27 – To meet the Sustainable Development Goals, remote and low-income populations need access to beneficial products that address basic needs, such …
Impact Voices | May 13, 2021
How digitalization can enhance, shift and transform the entrepreneurial support ecosystem
All organizations must continually innovate to adapt their practices to the current business environment. Even before the pandemic, entrepreneurial support organizations, which provide …
Impact Voices | May 13, 2021
Africa’s online safety is a new frontier for social innovation
The exponential increase and expected growth of internet, smartphone and mobile network usage in Africa has enabled a thriving ecosystem of tech entrepreneurs …
Mexico City, Mexico | Photo credit: Bruno Doinel
Corporate Impact | April 7, 2021
Companies in emerging markets are getting on board with board diversity
For any investor who has initiated a conversation about a company gender diversity, particularly in the boardroom, does any of this sound familiar? …
Photo credit: Farmcrowdy
Africa | March 24, 2021
African agtech is boosting yields, protecting resources and raising incomes
ImpactAlpha, March 24 – Field drones. Harvesting robots. Big Data-driven farm insights. Innovative technological applications in agriculture can have a profound impact on farmers’ …
2030 Finance | November 24, 2020
Strengthening impact investing in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with collaboration, local solutions and scale
For the first time in two decades, global extreme poverty is expected to rise. According to The World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic will …
Puno, Peru | Photo credit: Simon Mayer
ESG | November 18, 2020
Responsible restructurings: How impact investors can help emerging market businesses survive the ‘debt pandemic’
Impact investors may be missing an opportunity to restore sustainable emerging market growth and earn commercial returns by providing desperately needed restructuring support …
Catalytic Capital | October 29, 2020
How a portfolio of inclusive businesses prioritized the poor through COVID
The spread of COVID-19 and the economic devastation in its wake have shown just how necessary for-profit approaches are to serving the poor …
Africa | October 29, 2020
Q&A with DPI’s Runa Alam: How Africa’s impact ventures became essential during Covid-19
As the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread around the world in early 2020, gloomy predictions about the coronavirus’s effects on Africa also made …
Africa | October 29, 2020
Non-bank lenders need capital to finance African small businesses rejected by banks
ImpactAlpha, October 29 – The clunky term “non-bank financial intermediaries” identifies a varied group of lenders only by what they are not. These …
Features | September 21, 2020
How a mandate for impact in emerging markets helped the IFC outperform the S&P 500
Investors often meet skepticism when they say that they can make money while doing good. A new analysis of every equity investment International …
Frontier and Growth Markets | September 15, 2020
Weathering the Storm: COVID-19 lessons from social entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia
No matter where you are in the world, if you work somewhere in the entrepreneurial ecosystem – entrepreneur, investor, support organization – your …
Catalytic Capital | July 30, 2020
Beyond gender-lens: CARE’s new impact fund opts for ‘gender justice’
As impact investors who have launched a new “gender-justice” impact investment fund, CARE wants to make it clear: we seek deep systems change. …
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 23, 2020
Maintaining momentum for the SDGs in the face of COVID
The economic fall-out of COVID-19 – and its knock-on effect on the UN Sustainable Development Goals – will be long-term and significant. The …
Catalytic Capital | June 25, 2020
Building a better post-COVID food system with investments in small businesses in developing economies
COVID-19 is – and will continue to have – a huge impact on global food and nutrition security. On the supply side, restrictions …
Catalytic Capital | June 25, 2020
‘Impact Rescue Facility’ targets $1 billion to support small enterprises in emerging markets
Many commentators posit that the COVID-19 pandemic could go down in history as this generation’s opportunity to do a course correction toward a …
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 6, 2020
Your pipeline of impact deals in emerging markets is at risk. Three things you can do about it.
When the COVID the crisis began, the organic garden and agriculture business Vivero Nambume in Carazo, Nicaragua saw their revenues drop to zero …
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 31, 2020
How development finance leaders can help emerging-market economies survive the COVID-19 crisis
As fast as the COVID-19 crisis is unfolding, leaders of development finance institutions (DFIs) must move faster. While it is impossible to know …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 18, 2019
Managing mission drift and driving impact in emerging markets: a roadmap
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 18 – Impact drift challenges nearly all impact funds. When a fund stops delivering impact, or drifts from its intended impact, investors …
Agrifood Tech | October 10, 2019
Investing with a ‘nutrition lens’ to drive progress on the Sustainable Development Goals
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 10 – Poor nutrition is an untrenched global challenge that impacts many of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Solving it …
2030 Finance | July 11, 2019
Accelerating entrepreneurship: Why business accelerators are good investments for global development
ImpactAlpha, July 11 – Since the launch of Y Combinator in Boston over a decade ago business accelerators have spread like wildfire as …
Africa | December 13, 2018
Impact fintechs need private debt, not just private equity, to fuel their social mission
Impact investors are no stranger to private debt. But are they too shy about these instruments, right when impact-focused fintech companies need them …
Dealflow
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 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. …
Photo credit: TechFinancials.
Catalytic Capital | October 13, 2021
Lendable taps European alternative structure for $100 million emerging markets fund
ImpactAlpha, October 13 — Lendable provides debt financing for fintechs that help mostly low-income and largely women borrowers increase their incomes or reduce …
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 …
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 …
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: 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: 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: 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 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, …
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 credit: gnuGrid
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 …
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 …
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: 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 …
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 …
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: 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: TartanSense
Smallholder Agriculture | August 26, 2021
Robotics company TartanSense secures $5 million to help India’s farmers automate field tasks
ImpactAlpha, August 26 – Agriculture suffers from a worldwide labor shortage that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. Bangalore-based TartanSense is developing …
Dealflow | August 25, 2021
AgNext scores $21 million for sensors for Indian farmers
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – AgNext supports a network of sensors that monitors crop conditions to boost productivity and reduce losses (for context, see, …
Photo credit: Alerzo
Dealflow | August 25, 2021
Nigeria’s Alerzo raises $10.5 million to digitize informal businesses
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – The digitization trend that’s taken off in the pandemic has focused on helping put small businesses online. Alerzo is …
Photo credit: FIdelity Bank Ghana
Dealflow | August 24, 2021
LeapFrog takes a stake in Ghana’s Fidelity Bank to expand access to financial services
ImpactAlpha, August 24 – More than 40% of adults in Ghana don’t have a bank account. Fidelity Bank Ghana, one of the country’s …
Photo credit: Nuvemshop
Dealflow | August 23, 2021
Brazil’s Nuvemshop scores $500 million to support digitization of small businesses
ImpactAlpha, August 23 – The pandemic has drawn investors to e-commerce platforms accelerating the shift to online business. Sao Paulo-based Nuvemshop’s nine-figure funding …
Photo credit: Global Partnerships
Dealflow | August 19, 2021
Global Partnerships raises $45.5 million impact-first debt fund for the COVID economic recovery
ImpactAlpha, August 9 – Global Partnerships has raised $45.5 million for its Impact-First Growth Fund. The firm’s ninth fund will provide “patient debt” …
Photo credit: Moove
Dealflow | August 11, 2021
Nigeria’s Moove raises $23 million to finance vehicles for Africa’s transit drivers
ImpactAlpha, August 11 – Lagos-based Moove partners with ride-hailing and logistics companies to extend vehicle financing to drivers. The company uses alternative credit …
Photo credit: V2Food.
Climate Finance | August 10, 2021
Australia’s v2Food raises $108 million Series B funding for global expansion
ImpactAlpha, August 10 — The plant-based protein producer offers alt-meat sausages, ground beef and patties. Investors included Belgian impact investor Astanor Ventures, which …
Photo credit: Khula
Dealflow | August 9, 2021
South Africa’s Khula raises $1.4 million for farmer-focused marketplace
ImpactAlpha, August 9 – Johannesburg-based Khula is addressing inefficiencies in South Africa’s food chain by offering farmers access to financing, farming inputs and …
Dealflow | August 9, 2021
India’s Skill-Lync raises $17.5 million to teach tech skills online
ImpactAlpha, August 9 – Chennai-based edtech venture Skill-Lync offers online engineering courses and certificates to address a global tech skills gap. “Engineering education …
Innovative Finance | July 28, 2021
India’s Samunnati to list green bond to back climate-resilient farming
ImpactAlpha, July 28 – Chennai-based Samunnati is a rare source of financing for India’s 130 million smallholder farmers, coupling capital with agricultural support …
Photo credit: NotCo.
2030 Finance | July 27, 2021
Chilean plant-based food producer NotCo raises $235 million
ImpactAlpha, July 27 — The Santiago-based company created Giuseppe, which uses artificial intelligence to identify plant-based ingredients as substitutes for animal-based products. Its …
Photo credit: National Geographic Society.
2030 Finance | July 27, 2021
Hartree Partners and Wildlife Works tap voluntary carbon markets to finance forest protection
ImpactAlpha, July 27 — The partnership is an example of how rising prices for carbon credits are making more conservation initiatives investable (see, …
Photo credit: PowerGen
Dealflow | July 26, 2021
CrossBoundary backs PowerGen to develop mini-grids in Nigeria
ImpactAlpha, July 26 – Nairobi-based PowerGen has developed three megawatts of small-scale distributed energy projects serving 20,000 people in Africa. The investment from …
Photo credit: NEEF.
Climate Finance | July 26, 2021
World Bank catastrophe bond for Jamaica to cover up to $185 million in disaster relief
ImpactAlpha, July 26 — The bond will allow the government of Jamaica to quickly secure capital for recovery and to respond more rapidly …
Dealflow | July 22, 2021
LeapFrog leads $75 million raise for India-focused health app HealthifyMe
ImpactAlpha, July 22 – Singapore-based HealthifyMe’s AI-based wellness app provides nutrition and fitness advice, coaching and tracking. The app has 25 million downloads …
Photo credit: uPlanner
Dealflow | July 14, 2021
Acumen’s ALIVE backs Chilean edtech company uPlanner
ImpactAlpha, July 14 – Santiago-based uPlanner built its software to help Latin American universities improve operational efficiency and reduce student attrition. The artificial …
Prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein, the chief executive of LGT Group. Photo: Nora Tam.
Dealflow | July 13, 2021
LGT’s Lightrock closes $900 million fund for tech-driven impact
ImpactAlpha, July 13 — LGT, the $272 billion private banking and asset management firm of the royal family of Liechtenstein, launched Lightrock in …
Photo credit: MarketForce
Dealflow | July 12, 2021
Kenya’s MarketForce raises $2 million to digitize small businesses and streamline supply chains
ImpactAlpha, July 12 – The pandemic inspired a wave of enterprise technology providers to help businesses go online (see, “Helping small businesses in …
Dealflow | July 8, 2021
Adjuvant Capital backs VitriVax’s vaccine delivery tech for underserved populations
ImpactAlpha, July 8 — The Series A financing will help VitriVax commercialize ALTA, its protective coating to extend the shelf life of vaccines without …
Photo credit: Zipline
Dealflow | July 6, 2021
Zipline secures $250 million for drone delivery in Africa, Japan and the U.S.
ImpactAlpha, July 6 – Zipline launched its drone-delivery service five years ago to improve blood and medical-supply logistics in Rwanda. The California-based company …
Photo credit: MaxAB
Dealflow | July 6, 2021
MaxAB raises $40 million to digitize Egypt’s mom-and-pop stores
ImpactAlpha, July 6 – Most of Egypt’s 100 million consumers buy staples from small grocery stores and mom-and-pop retailers. MaxAB launched three years …
Photo credit: Niramai
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 30, 2021
Niramai scores funding from CDC Group for COVID screening technology
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – India is emerging from a catastrophic COVID wave that, at its peak in early May, saw more than 400,000 cases …
Photo credit: African Entrepreneur Collective
Gender Smart | June 30, 2021
ANDE’s Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund awards $450,000 to three organizations in Africa
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs’ second slug of funding from its Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund was awarded to three …
Cusco, Peru
Dealflow | June 29, 2021
Land Accelerator gets a worm’s eye view of Peru’s conservation entrepreneurs
ImpactAlpha, June 29 — Blockchain forestry. Water “planting.” New superfoods. Twenty-five entrepreneurs participated in World Resources Institute’s second country-specific Land Accelerator program, called …
Photo credit: Sayna
SDGs | June 28, 2021
Madagascar’s Sayna secures investment to offer digital skills-training in francophone Africa
ImpactAlpha, June 28 – Nearly 95% of Africa’s youth are informally employed. Antananarivo-based Sayna upskills young people to meet the continent’s growing need for …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 21, 2021
Berkeley Energy raises €130 million for second Africa Renewable Energy Fund
ImpactAlpha, June 21 – Berkeley Energy is looking to build hydro, wind and solar projects, as well as battery storage facilities, to meet Africa’s …
Dealflow | June 17, 2021
Tata Group’s digital business unit acquires majority share of online pharmacy 1MG Technologies
ImpactAlpha, June 17 – Gurgaon-based 1MG provides online access to medicine and other health products, as well as telehealth and remote diagnostic services, to …
Photo credit: Transcendent.ai.
Climate Finance | June 17, 2021
Rise Fund’s Matrix Renewables acquires solar portfolios in Spain and Portugal
ImpactAlpha, June 17 — Madrid-based global renewable energy investor Matrix Renewables is acquiring a 300-megawatt solar energy portfolio from Spain’s Alten Renewable Energy. …
Photo credit: EcoATM.
Climate Finance | June 17, 2021
EcoATM Gazelle secures $75 million for e-waste recycling
ImpactAlpha, June 17 — A record 53.6 million metric tons of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019. San Diego-based EcoATM is building …
Photo credit: Sollatek
Dealflow | June 16, 2021
Kenyan businesses score COVID recovery funding from Vital Capital
ImpactAlpha, June 16 – Cyprus-based Vital Capital made loans from its $10 million relief facility to solar product manufacturer Sollatek and to agribusiness Privamnuts, …
Photo credit: Volkswagen.
Dealflow | June 10, 2021
Battery manufacturer Northvolt raises $2.8 billion to expand gigafactory in Sweden
ImpactAlpha, June 10 — Stockholm-based Northvolt has raised $2.7 billion to expand a gigafactory from 40 to 60 gigawatt-hours of annual capacity to …
Photo credit: Abhi
Financial Inclusion | June 8, 2021
Abhi raises $2 million to help Pakistani workers access earned wages
ImpactAlpha, June 8 – Nearly 80% of Pakistan’s 217 million people don’t have a bank account; just 1% have access to formal credit. Karachi-based …
Dealflow | June 8, 2021
Small business investor iungo capital inks 30th deal – and first exit
ImpactAlpha, June 8 – Uganda-based iungo capital has made two working capital investments totaling $700,000 in Kenya, backing Kwalito, an avocado and macadamia nut …
Photo credit: Urban Company.
Dealflow | June 7, 2021
Urban Company secures $255 million for gig marketplace in India
ImpactAlpha, June 7 — Urban Company has hired and trained approximately 35,000 gig service providers since 2014 for beauty treatments, haircuts, carpentry, appliance …
Africa | June 2, 2021
ADAP Capital backs FarmMoja to train Kenyan farmers
ImpactAlpha, June 2 – Kericho-based FarmMoja operates in Kenya’s tea region, offering hundreds of smallholder farmers access to farming inputs and technical training, particularly …
Catalytic Capital | May 12, 2021
Acre Impact Capital bridges a financing gap to catalyze capital for infrastructure in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 12 – Financing for emerging-markets infrastructure projects that have become more critical because of the pandemic – think hospitals – has become …
Dealflow | April 29, 2021
Brazil’s Positive Ventures secures $10 million for early-stage impact fund
ImpactAlpha, April 29 – Positive Ventures has raised $10 million with an eye to cutting checks of up to $1.5 million in startups tackling …
SDGs | April 28, 2021
Off-Grid Market Development Fund offers results-based financing for solar access in Madagascar
Off-Grid Market Development Fund is providing subsidies to a dozen companies to deliver solar power in Madagascar. Only 14% of Madagascar’s 25.7 million …
Dealflow | April 27, 2021
Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs to seed clean energy investments in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, April 27 – An “innovation fund,” backed by both Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will help emerging-market project developers identify financing “from …
Dealflow | April 21, 2021
Lendable extends $15 million in debt to Philippine fintech Uploan
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 21 – Lendable has extended $15 million in debt to Philippine fintech Uploan. The Manila-based fintech gives employees of more than 100 …
Photo credit: Dat Bike
Dealflow | April 20, 2021
Vietnamese e-motorbike venture Dat Bike secures $2.6 million
ImpactAlpha, April 20 – Motorcycles and scooters are the main form of transport in Vietnam’s cities, and the main source of toxic air pollution. …
Africa | April 19, 2021
FINCA Ventures makes three investments in financial and economic inclusion
ImpactAlpha, April 19 – The impact investing arm of microfinance organization FINCA International added three companies to its portfolio of early-stage tech companies targeting …
Photo credit: Numida
Dealflow | April 15, 2021
Uganda’s Numida secures $2.3 million to fill gaps in microfinance lending
ImpactAlpha, April 15 – Kampala-based Numida launched five years ago to provide microfinance institutions better data to underwrite loans to small and informal businesses. …
Photo credit: Quro Medical
Dealflow | April 14, 2021
South Africa’s Quro Medical raises $1.1 million for tech-enabled home healthcare
ImpactAlpha, April 14 – More than 80% of South Africa’s population, particularly the Black urban and rural poor, depend on the country’s s underfunded …
Image credit: SWVL
Middle East | April 8, 2021
Egyptian startup funds put North African tech innovation on the map
ImpactAlpha, April 8 – A pair of Cairo-based venture capital funds are supporting entrepreneurs tackling transportation, financial services, market inefficiencies and other regional …
Image credit: FinanZero
Dealflow | April 6, 2021
FinanZero raises $7 million to expand consumer-credit for underserved Brazilians
ImpactAlpha, April 6 – Most of Brazil’s 211 million people now have access to financial services, but only about a quarter are able to …
Dealflow | April 1, 2021
Root Capital secures $35 million from DFC to expand lending to rural agribusinesses
ImpactAlpha, April 1 — The U.S. International Development Corporation, formerly known as OPIC, is investing $35 million in the Cambridge, Mass.-based social lender …
ESG | March 30, 2021
BTG Pactual launches $200 million strategy for mid-size businesses in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, March 30 – BTG Pactual started making environmental, social and governance, or ESG-focused investments six years ago. Now, the Brazilian investment bank …
Photo credit: Les Ateliers de Corrine
Dealflow | March 29, 2021
Gender-lens fund WIC Capital backs Senegalese bakery
ImpactAlpha, March 29 – Dakar-based WIC Capital invested in Les Ateliers de Corinne, a woman-led bakery in Dakar that hosts cooking workshops. The investment …
Photo credit: Bankly
Dealflow | March 25, 2021
Flutterwave backs Lagos fintech Bankly to bring cash-dependent consumers online
ImpactAlpha, March 25 – Fresh off of a $170 million funding round that secured Flutterwave unicorn status, the Nigerian digital payments company is using …
Photo credit: Pixxel
Dealflow | March 18, 2021
Pixxel raises $7.3 million to launch satellites for agri-analytics
ImpactAlpha, March 18 – Bangalore-based Pixxel is launching its own hyperspectral satellites to improve analysis of ground-level crop and water information for the agriculture …
Dealflow | March 16, 2021
Ankur Capital tops up early-stage impact tech fund in India
ImpactAlpha, March 16 – Ankur Capital backs early-stage, high-impact tech companies in healthcare, financial services, education, agriculture and food. The Mumbai-based impact investor secured …
2030 Finance | March 16, 2021
Pure Harvest secures a $50 million sukuk for Middle East greenhouse expansion
ImpactAlpha, March 16 — Abu Dhabi-based Pure Harvest Smart Farms launched in 2016 to provide locally-grown, sustainable food in the United Arab Emirates, …
Dealflow | March 15, 2021
Savannah Fund reaches first close on Africa tech seed fund
ImpactAlpha, March 15 – Savannah Fund backs Africa-based tech startups “that create jobs and make an impact.” For its second fund, the Mauritius-based investment …
Photo credit: Flutterwave
Dealflow | March 11, 2021
Nigeria’s Flutterwave passes $1 billion valuation with $170 million round
ImpactAlpha, March 11 – Three’s a herd – of African unicorns. The close of digital payments company Flutterwave’s Series C round makes it at …
Dealflow | March 10, 2021
Temasek commits $500 million for a stake in LeapFrog Investments
ImpactAlpha, March 10 – Singapore’s state-backed investment arm Temasek will become part-owner in LeapFrog Investments and anchor its future funds. The commitment pushes …
Lagos, Nigeria
Innovative Finance | March 8, 2021
Microtraction backs African equity crowdfunding platform Raise
ImpactAlpha, March 8 – Equity crowdfunding platforms that have taken off in the U.S. and Europe allow everyday investors to support promising entrepreneurs. Raise …
Photo credit: SunFunder
Dealflow | March 8, 2021
SunFunder reaches $70 million close for Solar Energy Transformation Fund
ImpactAlpha, March 8 – SunFunder’s Solar Energy Transformation Fund backs solar companies improving energy access across Africa and Asia. The off-grid solar finance company’s …
Photo credit: Powered by People
Dealflow | March 3, 2021
Powered by People secures $1.5 million to connect artisans to markets
ImpactAlpha, March 3 – Kenya-based Powered by People is a “distributed manufacturer” that enables artists and designers to become suppliers to large companies like …
Photo credit: VeggieVictory
Dealflow | March 3, 2021
Startups in Singapore, the U.S. and Nigeria attract capital for animal-free products
ImpactAlpha, March 3 – Singapore’s Next Gen raised $10 million for its plant-based chicken products. Singapore Economic Development Board, NX Food, FEBE Ventures and …
Photo credit: Amartha
Dealflow | February 25, 2021
Lendable backs Amartha to finance Indonesia’s women-led businesses
ImpactAlpha, February 25 – Jakarta-based lending platform Amartha supports unbanked women micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia’s rural areas. It secured $10 million in credit from Nairobi-based …
Photo credit: India-focused SME finance venture Kinara
Signals | February 22, 2021
Seed-stage is a bright spot as emerging market investors bet on the digital disruption
ImpactAlpha, February 22 – Startup funding shriveled in most emerging markets last year as investors were reluctant to write big checks in the face …
Dealflow | February 11, 2021
Indian government-backs social impact bond to improve public health services
ImpactAlpha, February 11 — A public entity in the Indian city of Pune is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme on a …
Photo credit: Maya
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 10, 2021
Maya secures $2.2 million for mobile health consultations in Bangladesh
ImpactAlpha, February 10 – Dhaka-based health messaging app Maya relies on artificial intelligence, healthcare professionals and physicians to connect users to health and mental …
Dealflow | February 4, 2021
Temasek’s ABC World Asia backs Vietnamese oral health provider Kim Dental
ImpactAlpha, February 4 — Singapore-based private equity impact fund ABC World Asia, launched by Temasek in 2019, led a $24 million financing round …
Dealflow | February 4, 2021
Frontier Nutrition snags $6 million to bring fortified snacks to Bangladesh
ImpactAlpha, February 5 — New Haven, Conn.-based Frontier Nutrition sells low-cost, nutritious snacks, including lentil butter, chocolate, powdered drinks and biscuits in over …
Dealflow | February 4, 2021
Indonesia’s Green Butcher raises $2 million for plant-based meat
ImpactAlpha, February 4 — Green Butcher has a partnership with Starbucks Indonesia to roll out vegan-friendly beef across the country. Singapore-based Teja Ventures …
Dealflow | February 3, 2021
Catalyst Fund backs six early-stage African fintech ventures
ImpactAlpha, February 3 — Catalyst Fund supports emerging-market entrepreneurs expanding access to basic goods and services. The accelerator has committed £80,000 ($110,000) to …
Dealflow | February 2, 2021
Suma acquires Mexican business tech venture Bind ERP
ImpactAlpha, February 2 — Monterrey, Mexico-based Bind ERP has helped digitize more than 6,000 small businesses in Mexico. London, U.K.-based Suma SaaS Holdings …
Dealflow | January 28, 2021
Rise Fund’s renewables group acquires Chilean solar energy portfolio
ImpactAlpha, January 28 — The Rise Fund’s solar investment arm, Matrix Renewables, is buying up a 154-megawatt solar portfolio from Santiago-based Verano Capital. The …
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 27, 2021
DFC guarantees Cordaid to spur lending in Africa’s Sahel
ImpactAlpha, January 27 – The U.S. International Development Finance Corp. approved a $14.8 million loan portfolio guarantee for Cordaid Investment Management. The commitment is …
Photo credit: Shoegaro
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 27, 2021
Upaya Social Ventures supports ‘good jobs’ in India with four investments
ImpactAlpha, January 27 – Seattle-based Upaya Social Ventures invests in small and growing businesses creating dignified jobs for underserved Indians. It closed four convertible …
Photo credit: Pula
Dealflow | January 26, 2021
Pula raises $6 million to expand farmers’ insurance from Africa to Asia
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Kenyan insurance tech venture Pula has facilitated crop insurance for more than four million smallholder farmers in 13 African …
Dealflow | January 20, 2021
Off Grid Electricity Fund invests Energy Systems Group to bring solar electricity to Haiti
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — More than half of Haiti’s population lack access to reliable electricity. The Haitian government established the Off Grid Electricity …
Photo credit: Dunzo
Dealflow | January 20, 2021
Google invests in Dunzo to advance India’s digital economy
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — Dunzo’s delivery platform helps small and local businesses fill online orders for food, medicine and consumer goods in 300 …
Photo credit: DeHaat
Dealflow | January 20, 2021
DeHaat raises $30 million to support smallholder farmers in India
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — Agtech venture DeHaat, headquartered in the rural state of Bihar, runs an online marketplace that connects India’s small farmers …
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 19, 2021
Lion’s Head closes $400 million Facility for Energy Inclusion
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Lion’s Head’s Facility for Energy Inclusion launched in 2017 to finance off-grid renewable power producers in Africa with projects of …
Podcasts
Features | May 11, 2020
Visa Foundation’s Graham Macmillan doubles down on small and micro businesses – run by women
ImpactAlpha, May 9 – A parade of philanthropic foundations will report this week on their journeys toward aligning their assets with their missions, as …
Calls
Photo credit: Kuli Kuli
Call Recording | March 1, 2021
Call No. 27: Opportunities at the intersection of gender and climate
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – Capital is flowing to climate solutions. Climate bonds have topped $1 trillion. SPACs, or special purpose acquisition companies are …
Features | October 19, 2020
Call No. 24: Agents of Impact converge on financing solutions to ‘light every clinic’
The people and principles needed to solve the challenges of financing solar power for frontline health clinics were represented on ImpactAlpha’s Agents 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 …
Agents of Impact
Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact.