Frontier And Growth Markets
Features
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
Solar water pump in Kenya
Catalytic Capital | September 8, 2022
Measuring and valuing climate adaptation to mobilize capital for low-carbon development
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 8 – Solar irrigation to increase crop yields. Clean cookstoves to improve indoor air quality. Cold storage to raise farmers’ incomes. Water …
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: 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 …
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. …
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. …
Image credit: Airlift
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 20, 2022
For ‘quick commerce’ startups, the pandemic giveth and taketh away
ImpactAlpha, July 20 – Airlift became a darling of Pakistan’s venture capital scene last year when it raised $85 million in Series B …
Signals | July 14, 2022
Is a green transition the cause – or the solution – in Sri Lanka’s crisis?
ImpactAlpha, July 14 – It was an irresistible meme: A crash transition to organic farming tanked Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector and sent the country …
Mansoor Hamayun | Photo credit: Bboxx
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 11, 2022
Off-grid solar pioneer Bboxx is following the data to down-market growth
ImpactAlpha, July 11 – Mansoor Hamayun couldn’t have anticipated the data revolution when he launched Bboxx more than a decade ago. Back then, the …
Photo by Calvert Impact Capital.
Clean Energy | June 21, 2022
Mirova acquires SunFunder to expand clean energy and climate investing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, June 21 — Paris-based Mirova, a $27 billion unit of French global asset management firm Natixis Investment Managers, is acquiring SunFunder to …
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 13, 2022
Nyala Venture aims to catalyze local fund managers to unlock capital for small businesses in Africa
ImpactAlpha, June 13 – Who knows best the needs of a community but members of the community itself? First-time fund managers who understand the …
Call Recording | June 3, 2022
Call No. 43: How responsible fintech in Africa provides resilience in a downturn (video)
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Just as investment in financial inclusion in Africa was really ramping up, a market downturn threatens to slow progress. Or …
Capitalism Reimagined | May 25, 2022
Risk off? Savvy investors go ‘impact on’ to stay on track in a volatile market
ImpactAlpha, May 25 – Markets have gone risk off. Savvy investors who have gone impact on are weathering the economic downturn. Speculators in crypto, …
Photo credit: MEbA
Features | May 16, 2022
YAPU is giving microfinance a digital upgrade with a climate twist
ImpactAlpha, May 16 – Beekeeping in Colombia. Greenhouses in Peru. Biogas stoves in Benin. Small upgrades can increase resilience to climate change for the …
Motorists line up to wait for fuel in Nairobi | Photo credit: Abraham Namiti
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 9, 2022
High fuel prices spur Africa’s transition to electric mobility
ImpactAlpha, May 9 – Long lines at Nairobi’s gas pumps last month put the spotlight on rising prices and fuel shortages caused by …
Photo credit: Solar Sister
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 2, 2022
Can off-grid solar keep focus on energy access for the poor as commercial capital arrives?
ImpactAlpha, May 2 – It’s one of the conundrums of the pandemic: commercial capital is pouring into off-grid electricity companies in Africa and …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 27, 2022
Energy access and financial inclusion ride Africa’s swell of private capital
ImpactAlpha, April 27 – The bad news: The COVID-19 pandemic reversed progress in Africa toward Sustainable Development Goals. The good news: Much of …
An Acacia tree in Africa
Impact Investing | April 17, 2022
Social ‘co-benefits’ and ecosystem restoration begin to make climate adaptation investable
ImpactAlpha, April 14 – Climate-smart investments that restore ecosystems, improve women’s lives, reduce damage from storms and surges, avoid dislocation and migration and …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 1, 2022
Call No. 40: How impact investors embrace political risk to keep progress flowing (video)
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 1 – High-impact investments in fragile countries invariably entail political risk. And impact investments in a free press, humanitarian tech, financial inclusion …
Photo credit: Apollo Agriculture
Smallholder Agriculture | March 31, 2022
Apollo Agriculture is out to show how financing smallholder farmers can boost production and profits
ImpactAlpha, March 31 – Smallholder farmers have long been the darling of development specialists, microfinance institutions and impact investors. Now, commercial investors are …
Photo credit: LeapFrog Investments.
Signals | March 31, 2022
LeapFrog’s ‘launchpad’ helps companies serve low-income consumers in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, March 31 — The challenges of delivering essential products and services to customers in low-income and rural areas has kept many companies …
Mumbai, India
Catalytic Capital | March 24, 2022
Risk-averse development finance institutions are more often catalyzed than catalytic
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 24 – Work the room at any global development or impact investing conference and you’ll hear grumblings about how development financial institutions …
Image credit: Ninety One
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 21, 2022
Commercial capital floods into India’s impact startups
ImpactAlpha, March 21 – Venture capital investing in India, as elsewhere, surged last year, along with a wave of impact capital. Impact startups …
Merida, Mexico
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 15, 2022
Rodrigo Villar wants impact investors in Latin America ‘to think more radically’
ImpactAlpha, March 15 – The $15 billion flood of venture capital into Latin American startups last year caught even veteran investors by surprise. …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 9, 2022
Africa’s biggest bank turns to fintech to extend lending to informal businesses
It may take the threat of a fintech disruption to get local commercial banks focused on lending for micro and small businesses in …
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 …
Mogadishu,Somalia | Photo credit: Sadik Gulec
Catalytic Capital | January 12, 2022
Migration surge spurs impact funds to target financial services for people on the move
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 12 – The record number of people who have been displaced from their communities by conflict, climate, crime and poverty is making …
Inclusive Economy | December 20, 2021
Impact in emerging markets in 2022: Riding the digital transformation to drive inclusive and sustainable growth
‘Tis the season for our lookaheads to 2022 and, thanks to ImpactAlpha subscribers, we are able to make the roundups freely available. So …
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 …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 19, 2021
Call No. 34: How tech innovation is bridging gaps in small business financing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, November 19 – The boom in African fintech startups began before COVID-19. The economic shutdowns and financial dislocations of the pandemic supercharged …
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 …
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: 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: ImpactAlpha
Signals | November 3, 2021
Investments in agtech, fintech and climate tech can speed Kenya’s COVID recovery
ImpactAlpha, November 3 – Daily life is gradually returning to normal in Kenya 19 months into the pandemic. But businesses and jobs have …
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 …
Signals | 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 …
Impact Voices
Impact Voices | September 21, 2022
How emerging market impact funds can reverse the curse of low (return) expectations
Nowhere is impact investing needed more urgently than in emerging markets (EMs). Private investment is needed to lift billions out of poverty, create …
Impact Voices | August 31, 2022
Education financiers aim to flip the odds in favor of students in the Global South
As our children head back to school this Fall, there are still hundreds of millions of students in low- and middle-income countries suffering …
Impact Voices | August 25, 2022
Tips for strengthening ESG investing from emerging market fund managers
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – Environmental, social and governance, or ESG, investing is dogged by inconsistent, and sometimes conflicting, reporting criteria and ratings that make …
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 …
Seeding Impact | August 3, 2022
Combating bias in asset management with catalytic capital and inclusive due diligence
Editor’s note: This blog is part of ImpactAlpha’s series, “Seeding Impact,” authored by participants in the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) Seeding Learning Labs. …
Impact Voices | July 26, 2022
How NGOs are blending capital to amplify their impact
The typical employee within a non-governmental organization doesn’t talk a lot to commercial banks, pension funds and insurance companies. But like everyone else, …
Dakar, Senegal
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 27, 2022
Patterns in the data from 200 impact fund managers investing in Africa
ImpactAlpha, April 27 – Africa offers increasingly interesting opportunities for investors to generate financial returns coupled with societal impact. This article shares the …
Image credit: Jacaranda Health
Investing in Health | April 5, 2022
Why Kenyan nonprofit Jacaranda Health spun out its hospital as a social venture
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, which supports ImpactAlpha’s Investing in Health coverage. In partnership with J&J Impact Ventures, ImpactAlpha is exploring the …
Photo credit: Kentaste
Impact Voices | March 8, 2022
How six impact investors are giving their portfolios a ‘gender-smart’ boost
ImpactAlpha, March 8 – Investors are showing increased interest in gender-smart investment strategies, given COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on women and the growing desire …
Gender Smart | March 8, 2022
Seizing Africa’s overlooked investment opportunities with an inclusivity lens
ImpactAlpha, March 8 – Africa is transforming. Many investors are interested in the continent’s rapid urbanization and spending power of its larger, more …
Acumen's Jacqueline Novogratz | Photo credit: Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit/AFP
Impact Voices | January 6, 2022
To address climate inequality, we need innovative finance solutions
Developed countries received $60 billion more in clean energy investments last year than developing countries according to a recent BloombergNEF survey. Poorer countries …
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: 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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: 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 …
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 …
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 …
the Clinicas del Azucar in Guadalupe | Photo credit: IFC
Investing in Health | July 27, 2022
Clinicas de Azucar to expand diabetes clinics with $7.3 million in financing from Blue like an Orange
ImpactAlpha, Jul. 27 – Diabetes has become one of the top three causes of death in Mexico, up from 15th in the 1950s. Clinicas …
Seedstars' founders. Photo by House of Switzerland.
Catalytic Capital | July 25, 2022
Seedstars raises $20 million for early stage impact startups in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, July 25 — Geneva-based Seedstars is targeting a $30 million final close for Seedstars International Ventures to back 100 scalable impact tech …
Photo credit: d.light
Clean Energy | July 25, 2022
D.light raises $50 million in debt as investors warm up (again) to off-grid solar
ImpactAlpha, July 25 – D.light, a pioneer in low-cost solar products for off-grid households, secured $50 million in debt financing to extend its product …
Photo by Solarcentury.
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 20, 2022
CrossBoundary Energy raises $40 million to expand clean energy in Africa
ImpactAlpha, July 20 — Nairobi-based CrossBoundary Energy invests in and develops solar systems for commercial and industrial customers in sub-Saharan Africa, where access …
Image credit: Wheelocity
India | July 19, 2022
Wheelocity raises $12 million to cut waste from India’s food supply chain
ImpactAlpha, July 19 – Waste of fresh food is a common problem in emerging markets where many small farmers lack access to cooling technologies, …
Dealflow | July 12, 2022
Ankur Capital backs impact tech ventures Vegrow and String Bio
ImpactAlpha, July 12 — Mumbai-based impact fund Ankur Capital seeks out early and even unproven businesses that are using technology to drive down …
Image credit: Mottu
Frontier and Growth Markets | July 6, 2022
Brazil’s Mottu secures $40 million to train, insure and finance motorbikes for gig workers
ImpactAlpha, July 6 – In a country with high youth unemployment, the Sao Paulo-based Mottu rents out motorbikes on a weekly basis to make …
Photo by India Today.
Dealflow | July 5, 2022
LeapFrog backs Shubham to deliver housing loans for low-income buyers in India
ImpactAlpha, July 5 — LeapFrog Investments has invested in Gurgaon-based Shubham Housing Development Finance Company, a mortgage lender that launched in 2011 to …
Photo by Allerin.
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 7, 2022
Zimbabwe’s FlexID Technologies secures early funding for blockchain-based digital IDs
ImpactAlpha, June 7 – Many people in Africa lack formal identity papers, particularly in remote areas, making it harder to get agricultural support, financial …
Photo by Afolabi Sotunde.
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 7, 2022
Nigeria’s Indicina raises $3 million to underwrite loans for credit bureaus and banks
ImpactAlpha, June 7 – Lagos-based Indicina uses alternative data to gauge the credit risks of un- and underbanked people and businesses in Nigeria and …
Image credit: Pivo
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 1, 2022
What’s at stake in African fintech as the venture capital market cools
ImpactAlpha, June 1 – The excitement—and volume of capital—surrounding African venture capital is facing a downturn. One sector sure to feel the investor retreat: …
Photo credit: Aera.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 24, 2022
India’s M Auto raises $20 million for electric mobility-as-a-service in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 24 — Investing in the low-carbon transition of Africa requires solutions to alleviate poverty and uplift local economies as well. Chennai-based …
Photo credit: IFC.
Dealflow | May 24, 2022
IFC invests $30 million with Partners for Growth to deploy private credit in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, May 24 — San Francisco-based Partners for Growth, which specializes in private lending for growth-stage companies in emerging markets, will invest $30 …
Catalytic Capital | May 19, 2022
British International Investment provides $100 million guarantee for supply-chain financing in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 2 – A $100 million guarantee from the U.K. ‘s development finance institution (formerly called CDC Group) will enable Citi to boost …
PHOTO BY ROY ROCHLIN/GETTY IMAGES.
Dealflow | May 18, 2022
Bloomberg Philanthropies commits $242 million for clean energy in developing countries
ImpactAlpha, May 18 — With $164 million in commitments, Michael Bloomberg’s foundation says it has helped close down more than two-thirds of coal …
Photo credit: BRAC
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 12, 2022
BRAC International Microfinance taps capital markets for $40 million for households in poverty
ImpactAlpha, May 12 – BRAC International Microfinance, the non-governmental organization’s international arm, worked with Seattle-based Global Partnerships and Proparco, the French development bank, …
Photo credit: Equity Group.
Dealflow | May 11, 2022
Equity Group secures $165 million to finance small businesses and climate projects in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 11 — Through a partnership with IFC, Nairobi-based Equity Group will invest $80 million in equity in climate projects over five …
Photo credit: Manara
Good Jobs | May 10, 2022
Manara scores $3 million to upskill tech workers in North Africa and the Middle East
ImpactAlpha, May 10 — Former engineers Iliana Montauk and Laila Abudahi launched Manara last year to offer coding classes for engineering students from …
Photo credit: BURN Stoves.
Frontier and Growth Markets | May 5, 2022
BUILD fund raises $60 million for small and growing businesses in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 5 — BUILD, a fund launched by the U.N. Capital Development Fund and Bamboo Capital Partners, will invest in impact-focused projects …
Photo by Joao Marcelo Marques on Unsplash.
Agrifood Tech | May 3, 2022
Lightsmith Group backs Brazil’s Solinftec’s precision agriculture-as-a-service
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — New York-based private equity firm Lightsmith Group raised $186 million to invest in companies with data and technology for …
Photo credit: Dell Foundation.
Financial Inclusion | May 3, 2022
Open secures $50 million for small business services in India
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — Bengaluru-based Open provides digital banking, payments, invoicing and automated bookkeeping services to more than two million small and mid-sized …
Photo credit: Sun King
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 28, 2022
Sun King scores $260 million to ramp up off-grid solar access in Africa
ImpactAlpha, April 28 – The off-grid solar sector in Africa is growing up. Sun King, launched (as Greenlight Planet) in Chicago 15 years …
Photo credit: Farmerline
Smallholder Agriculture | April 27, 2022
Ghanaian agtech venture Farmerline raises $12.9 million to help small farmers improve yields
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 27 – Farmerline’s marketplace helps smallholder farmers build climate resilience with digital tools, logistics, field agents, farm resources and agribusiness partnerships. On …
Dealflow | April 26, 2022
BluePeak backs Africure to bolster pharmaceutical production in Africa
ImpactAlpha, April 26 – The challenges of affordability and authenticity have hampered access to life-saving medicines and vaccines in Africa. Case in point: …
Photo credit: Kinara Capital
Gender Smart | April 19, 2022
Kinara Capital secures $50 million from Nuveen and TripleJump for digital lending in India
ImpactAlpha, April 19 – Kinara Capital provides unsecured, no-collateral loans of up to three million rupees ($40,000) to micro and small businesses in …
Photo credit: Triodos Bank.
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 11, 2022
Blue like an Orange backs Acceso Crediticio for taxi lending in Peru
ImpactAlpha, April 11 — Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital, the investment firm launched by former World Bank officials to unlock debt financing …
Dealflow | April 6, 2022
Vox Capital backs Octa to recycle cars in Brazil
ImpactAlpha, April 6 – Sao Paulo-based Octa has developed a marketplace to connect vehicle fleet owners with disposal businesses to ensure that old …
Photo credit: Ackermans & van Haaren.
Investing in Health | April 5, 2022
HealthQuad raises $162 million for health tech startups in India
ImpactAlpha, April 5 — The Covid crisis spurred the digitalization of health services for India’s underserved rural population. New Delhi-based HealthQuad, which aims …
Photo credit: Khazna.
Financial Inclusion | April 4, 2022
Lendable and Quona Capital back Khazna’s lending in Egypt
ImpactAlpha, April 4 — The Central Bank of Egypt, which aims to accelerate the digitalization of the country’s financial sector, has struggled to …
Photo credit: SWAP
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 31, 2022
New Energy Nexus makes four investments in Indonesia’s clean energy transition
ImpactAlpha, March 31 – NEX supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funding, acceleration and network building. California-based organization backed energy efficiency startup Synergy Efficiency Solutions, …
Photo credit: Accion.
Inclusive Economy | March 29, 2022
Vivriti Capital secures $55 million for lending to small businesses in India
ImpactAlpha, March 29 — Chennai-based Vivriti has deployed $700 million in loans for small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for most of the …
Image Credits: Zafaran Photography.
Smallholder Agriculture | March 22, 2022
Apollo Agriculture raises $40 million to bank smallholder farmers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 22 — Nairobi-based Apollo has used satellite imagery data and machine learning to underwrite loans to Kenya’s small-scale maize farmers since …
Photo credit: Sokowatch/Wasoko
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 17, 2022
Sokowatch nabs $125 million for economic inclusion for Africa’s informal retailers
ImpactAlpha, March 17 – ImpactAlpha has been watching closely the move into micro and small-business financing by enterprise tech providers in emerging markets. …
Moove's founders Jide Odunsi and Ladi Delano.
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 15, 2022
Moove raises $105 million for revenue-based vehicle financing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, March 15 — Moove, launched in 2020, provides car loans to Uber and other ride-hailing drivers in Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Cape Town, …
Photo creditL Rising Junkiri.
Dealflow | March 10, 2022
Dolma Impact Fund II raises over $50 million for sustainable investments in Nepal
ImpactAlpha, March 10 — Dolma Impact Fund II has raised $50 million. The private equity fund, which is looking to raise up to …
Womevest team | Photo credit: Womvest
Gender Smart | March 10, 2022
Womvest and Secha Capital pilot gender-based debt fund for South Africa’s small businesses
ImpactAlpha, March 10 – South Africa-based Womvest launched last year to connect women entrepreneurs and investors for mutual support. The network of more …
Photo credit: 8 Rivers Capital.
Climate Finance | March 9, 2022
South Korea’s SK Group invests $100 million in 8 Rivers’ cleantech solutions
ImpactAlpha, March 9 — Seoul-based conglomerate SK Group has pledged to help reduce 200 million tons of carbon emissions in South Korea and …
Photo credit: Koolboks
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 6, 2022
Nigerian gender-lens fund Aruwa Capital backs cold-chain company Koolboks
ImpactAlpha, March 7 – Koolboks makes affordable, renewably-powered refrigerators for food-based and other small businesses in Africa. The woman co-led company is based …
Photo credit: 99minutos.
Dealflow | March 3, 2022
99minutos raises $82 million for electric delivery for online vendors in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, March 3 — Retail e-commerce in Latin America is projected to nearly double to $160 billion in 2025, from $85 billion last …
Photo credit: M-KOPA.
Dealflow | March 2, 2022
M-KOPA secures $75 million for pay-as-you-go financing for unbanked Africans
ImpactAlpha, March 2 — Nairobi-based M-KOPA launched in 2011 to help low-income rural households in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda replace dirty and expensive …
Photo credit: ColdHubs
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 1, 2022
Catalyst Fund backs fintech startups to boost resilience in climate-vulnerable communities.
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – The new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes clear that nature-dependent and low-income communities are being …
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 1, 2022
Ankur Capital backs Krishify’s farmer network and Offgrid Energy Labs’ green batteries
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – India’s tech-focused impact fund Ankur Capital invested in Krishify, which puts a business-to-business spin on social networks, connecting smallholder …
Photo credit: Victory Farms, an AgDevCo portfolio company
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 28, 2022
AgDevCo raises $90 million to invest in African agri-businesses
ImpactAlpha, February 28 – AgDevCo has invested $150 million since 2010 in small agri-businesses providing inputs, logistics and production assistance to Africa’s smallholder …
Photo credit: Flutterwave.
Financial Inclusion | February 17, 2022
Nigeria’s Flutterwave rakes in $250 million at a $3 billion valuation
ImpactAlpha, February 17 — Flutterwave launched in 2016 to help banks and businesses in emerging markets transact across borders and currencies. With more …
Image credit: Gamiphy, an Ibtikar portfolio company
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 17, 2022
Ibtikar’s second fund for Palestinian tech reaches $15 million first close
ImpactAlpha, February 17 – Ibtikar Fund is building on the thesis of its first fund from 2016: that Palestinian tech entrepreneurs building regional …
Photo credit: Neon
Dealflow | February 16, 2022
Spanish bank BBVA adds $300 million to its stake in Brazilian neobank Neon
ImpactAlpha, February 16 – Neon launched in 2016 to provide credit and other digital financial services to Brazil’s low and middle income individuals, …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 14, 2022
Brazil’s Velvet raises $200 million to give early emerging market venture investors an exit
ImpactAlpha, February 14 – Exits are a persistent and nagging question in the relatively young field of impact investing. Brazil’s Velvet wants to …
Frontier and Growth Markets | February 14, 2022
Favelas Fundos raises $3.8 million to invest in entrepreneurs in Brazil’s slums
ImpactAlpha, February 14 – Favelas Fundos aims to invest 50 million reais ($9.5 million) to seed tech startups serving the slum economy. The …
Photo credit: Eastern Eye.
Inclusive Economy | February 10, 2022
Softbank leads ElasticRun’s $300 million raise for small business digitalization in India
ImpactAlpha, February 10 — Pune-based ElasticRun manages an ecommerce platform that helps hundreds of thousands of rural neighborhood stores, known as ‘kirana,’ make …
Climate Finance | February 2, 2022
Moss.Earth raises $10 million to put carbon credits on blockchain
ImpactAlpha, February 2 – A raft of startups are merging the hot, if volatile, worlds of crypto and climate finance to bring transparency …
Dealflow | January 31, 2022
Impact pioneer responsAbility acquired by investment manager M&G
ImpactAlpha, January 31 – ResponsAbility has invested $11 billion since 2003 in emerging markets enterprises addressing agriculture, access to energy, healthcare and education, …
Dealflow | January 31, 2022
Floatpays raises $4 million to give South African workers access to earned wages
ImpactAlpha, January 31 – South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world. About 100,000 workers support themselves through gig-based apps like …
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 …
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 …
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: 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 …
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 …
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 …
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: Edgar Su.
Climate Finance | November 9, 2021
Spain’s EDP Renewables acquires majority stake in Sunseap Group
ImpactAlpha, November 9 — EDP Renewables, a Madrid-based global renewable energy producer, acquired an 87.4% stake in the Singapore-based distributed solar company. Sunseap’s …
Dealflow | November 4, 2021
Lightsmith Group and Village Capital seek to accelerate small-business climate-adaptation solutions
ImpactAlpha, November 4 – The Lightsmith Group and Village Capital are partnering on Adaptation SME Accelerator Project, backed by the Global Environment Facility, …
Photo credit: Hannah Pye.
Climate Finance | November 3, 2021
ReGen Ventures raises $20 million for regenerative climate solutions
ImpactAlpha, November 3 — ReGen Ventures, Australian early-stage venture firm launched early last year, is looking for regenerative ventures aiming to reverse the …
Boyolali, Indonesia | Photo credit: Nissa Haidar
Investing in Health | October 27, 2021
Farmacare raises seed funding to digitize community pharmacies in Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 27 – Jakarta-based Farmacare helps local pharmacies manage sales records, inventories and relationships with customers. The company has the potential to …
Photo credit: Ayana
2030 Finance | October 25, 2021
CDC Group invests $70 million in BP-backed climate fund for India
ImpactAlpha, October 25 – Momentum behind green infrastructure is growing in India, even though the country has yet to update its ‘nationally determined …
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, …
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
Call Recording | June 3, 2022
Call No. 43: How responsible fintech in Africa provides resilience in a downturn (video)
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Just as investment in financial inclusion in Africa was really ramping up, a market downturn threatens to slow progress. Or …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 1, 2022
Call No. 40: How impact investors embrace political risk to keep progress flowing (video)
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 1 – High-impact investments in fragile countries invariably entail political risk. And impact investments in a free press, humanitarian tech, financial inclusion …
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 19, 2021
Call No. 34: How tech innovation is bridging gaps in small business financing in emerging markets
ImpactAlpha, November 19 – The boom in African fintech startups began before COVID-19. The economic shutdowns and financial dislocations of the pandemic supercharged …
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
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