Blockchain/AI/IoT
Education Tech | May 9, 2023
Generative AI opportunities and risks for impact investing in education
OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT took just two months to reach 100 million users. As impact investors, we’re excited about how generative AI might contribute …
Frontier and Growth Markets | April 26, 2023
Capria scores backing from Gates Ventures and others to invest in the Global South
Emerging markets-focused venture investor Capria Ventures closed its first, $57 million fund in June 2020. “It was a lousy time to raise and …
Climate Finance | April 13, 2023
Four ways new AI tools can boost climate finance in emerging markets
We are entering a new era of artificial intelligence-led innovation. In emerging markets, one of the potential benefits of AI is that it …
Climate Finance | January 31, 2023
Obvious Ventures backs Senken to finance reforestation through ‘carbon forwards’
ImpactAlpha, January 31 – Berlin and Cape Town-based Senken is a blockchain-based carbon credit trading platform. Its next offering is a form of …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | December 5, 2022
What OpenAI’s new chatbot knows about impact investing
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 5 – You may be pleased to learn that our new artificial-intelligence overlords are hip to impact investing. Take a look …
Impact Investing | November 3, 2022
A new kind of carbon credit incentivizes fossil fuel producers to ‘keep it in the ground’
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 3 – ‘Keep it in the ground’ has long been a rallying cry for climate activists. A new company is creating …
Gregory Landua, co-founder of Regen Network. Photo: Dan Keeler
Blockchain/AI/IoT | October 6, 2022
Building and musing about blockchain-based regenerative finance in Medellin
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 6 – Blockchain eco-warriors descended on Medellin, Colombia last week to stake a claim for the role the technology can play in …
Photo by Jingming Pan on Unsplash
Climate Finance | September 22, 2022
A safe, low-carbon way to store your gold: Leave it in the ground
What’s the most eco-friendly way to mine gold? Not to mine it. Nature’s Vault, a blockchain-based finance company headquartered in Singapore, is buying …
a crypto mining "rig"
Blockchain/AI/IoT | September 15, 2022
Ethereum transition points the way to a carbon-free blockchain
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 15 – By the time you read this, energy consumption equivalent to that used annually by Chile and the carbon footprint of Hong …
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 …
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 …
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: …
Climate Finance | May 25, 2022
a16z leads Flowcarbon’s $70 million round to improve voluntary carbon market transparency
ImpactAlpha, May 25 – Carbon + crypto is a hot combination. Look at the boldface names behind Flowcarbon, a startup that tokenizes certified carbon …
Photo credit: VOS.
Blockchain/AI/IoT | May 18, 2022
Soluna scores $35 million from Spring Lane Capital to use wasted clean energy for crypto mining
ImpactAlpha, May 18 — If crypto doesn’t save the earth, it may destroy it. By some estimates, Bitcoin and other crypto mining consumes …
Photo credit: Global Conservation.
Climate and Clean Tech | May 9, 2022
Pachama scores $55 million to verify forest-based carbon credits
ImpactAlpha, May 9 — Pachama, which uses satellite imaging and artificial intelligence to monitor carbon stored in forests, has raised $55 million in …
Photo by Dmitry Bukhantsov on Unsplash
Climate Finance | March 3, 2022
NCX secures $50 million to expand its market for forest-based carbon offsets
ImpactAlpha, March 3 — NCX, formerly known as SilviaTerra, connects landowners who commit to not cutting down their trees with corporations looking to …
Photo: funnyangel (Shutterstock)
Dealflow | February 24, 2022
Nori raises $7 million for its blockchain-based carbon marketplace
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 24 – Seattle-based Nori matches farmers sequestering carbon through regenerative agriculture practices with corporate and individual buyers, like Shopify and the musician …
Photo credit: The Indian Wire.
Impact Investing | February 24, 2022
TPG Rise rolls up Element Markets and Bluesource to go big on carbon credits
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 24 – TPG Rise, which last year raised more than $5 billion for a climate fund, is set to become one …
From The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Climate Finance | February 8, 2022
Positive externalities: Carrots as well as sticks for the carbon era
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 8 – Putting a price on carbon is only the beginning. With prices on Europe’s emissions trading scheme topping $100 a ton …
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 …
Climate Finance | January 27, 2022
Climate is a crypto play as action moves from TradFi to DeFi to ReFi
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 27 – If blockchain was a solution in search of a problem, it may have found it in climate change. The …
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: Sofar Ocean
Dealflow | November 2, 2021
Sofar Ocean nets $39 million for ocean-data collection
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 2 – Sofar Ocean’s fleet of solar-powered buoys are equipped with sensors that transmit wind, wave, and temperature data to customers …
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 …
Photo credit: IndustryWired.
SDGs | September 28, 2021
Blue Bear closes $150 million fund for AI-enabled climate infrastructure
ImpactAlpha, September 27 — The Los Angeles-based fund received commitments from Goldman Sachs’ AIMS Imprint, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, ZOMA Capital, McKnight Foundation, and …
Dealflow | September 22, 2021
Blockchain music streaming service Audius raised $5 million from Nas, Katy Perry and other creators
ImpactAlpha, September 22 – Mainstream streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are notorious for stiffing the musicians who drive the platforms’ popularity. …
Tommy Johnson and Fennie Wang of Made with Black Culture
The Reconstruction | June 14, 2021
The Reconstruction: Certifying products made with Black culture to build an ethical marketplace – on blockchain
ImpactAlpha June 14 – Made with Black Culture is developing a certification process to authenticate products of Black culture. Through a blockchain-based cryptographic …
Climate Finance | May 18, 2021
Bitcoin’s energy consumption has crypto investors seeking green alternatives
ImpactAlpha, May 18 – Elon Musk sent the cryptocurrency world reeling last week when he backpedaled on Tesla’s offer to accept Bitcoin as payment …
Photo by André François McKenzie on Unsplash
Sustainable Snapshot | May 18, 2021
Add “crypto” to the list of new ESG exchange-traded funds
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha is pleased to partner with Sustainable Research and Analysis LLC to provide timely market snapshots of trends and developments affecting the sustainable …
Climate Finance | April 26, 2021
Congruent Ventures raises $175 million for early-stage climate tech
ImpactAlpha, April 26 – Trillion-dollar green infrastructure plans and corporate net-zero pledges? “Fuel on the fire or, these days, electrons in the battery,” …
Climate Finance | February 17, 2021
Farmers harvest ‘soil carbon’ to meet rising corporate demand for emission offsets
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 17 – Candidates in last year’s U.S. Senate race in Iowa were asked in a televised debate to cite the clearing …
Impact Tech | December 8, 2020
Can fintech startups combat climate change?
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 8 – Financial technology has transformed how we pay for things, invest, raise money, and assess risk. A new focus: making …
2030 Finance | April 29, 2020
EV charging-as-a-service provider AMPLY Power locks in $13.2 million
ImpactAlpha, April 29 – Mountain View, Calif-.based AMPLY Power provides charging infrastructure and optimization software for commercial electric vehicle fleets, including East Contra …
Africa | March 11, 2020
Field Intelligence raises $3.6 million for Africa’s pharmaceutical supply chain
ImpactAlpha, March 11 – Africa’s healthcare systems are wrought with inefficiencies. The startup Field Intelligence is addressing the availability of pharmaceuticals with software …
Asia | November 26, 2019
CloudFactory raises $65 million, providing a partial exit for Dolma Impact
ImpactAlpha, November 26 – It took four years for Dolma Impact Fund to raise its $37 million first fund. It only took two …
2030 Finance | October 30, 2019
National Grid makes three investments to boost operational resilience
ImpactAlpha, October 30 – California’s main electricity supplier is grappling with tens of billions of dollars in wildfire damages and forced power shut-offs …
Asia | October 23, 2019
Indonesia’s BMT Bina issues “sharia compliant” bond on blockchain
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 23 – Faith-based investing is not only on the rise, it’s on the cutting edge. Indonesian Islamic microfinance cooperative BMT Bina Ummah raised $50,000 …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | October 9, 2019
Soil Scout closes seed round to monitor and track soil health
ImpactAlpha, October 9 – Healthy soil is a critical resource for carbon capture and essential to food security. Helsinki-based Soil Scout is among …
Agrifood Tech | October 7, 2019
Better Ventures closes $32 million fund to spur early impact tech
ImpactAlpha, October 7 – Breakthrough technology is time and resource intensive to get off the ground. Since 2011, the founders of Better Ventures …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | October 1, 2019
Can blockchain play matchmaker in financing the U.N. Global Goals?
ImpactAlpha, October 1 – Trillions of dollars are needed each year to achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Billions are currently being invested. “Rather …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | September 19, 2019
Omidyar Network backs Picterra to democratize geospatial mapping
ImpactAlpha, September 19 – Swiss startup Picterra is helping city planners, farmers and humanitarian aid organizations take advantage of growing volumes of satellite and …
Africa | August 21, 2019
Building credit with blockchain at the base of the economic pyramid
ImpactAlpha, August 21 – Credit systems in mature markets are imperfect. In many developing economies they don’t exist at all, keeping billions of people …
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 …
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, …