Smart Cities
Emerging and Growth Markets | February 16, 2023
BuuPass raises $1.3 million to improve Kenya’s mass transit system
ImpactAlpha, February 16 – Kenya’s long-distance bus services, which are privately operated, haven’t kept pace with the online trends of its passengers. Bus …
Dealflow | February 7, 2023
Bike Bazaar closes $30 million to finance e-scooters in India
ImpactAlpha, February 7 – Bike Bazaar started out providing financing for the popular two-wheel vehicles in India. It used financing as a means …
Urban Innovation Fund's founders Julie Lein and Clara Brenner. Photo by Urban Innovation Fund.
Smart Cities | August 16, 2022
Urban Innovation’s smart cities fund secures $121 million
ImpactAlpha, August 16 — As many as five out of six people in the U.S. live in urban areas. San Francisco-based Urban Innovation …
Photo by BlocPower.
Catalytic Capital | July 26, 2022
BlocPower secures a $3 million guarantee from Kresge Foundation to green and electrify buildings
ImpactAlpha, July 26 — Troy, Mich.-based Kresge Foundation has committed a $3 million guarantee to BlocPower. The foundation’s commitment supports a loan-loss reserve …
Photo by NewLab.
Impact Tech | July 21, 2022
Vektor Partners raises €50 million to invest in the future of mobility
ImpactAlpha, July 21 — More than $100 billion in investment has flowed to “mobility” in just the last two years. London-based Vektor is …
Motorists line up to wait for fuel in Nairobi | Photo credit: Abraham Namiti
Emerging 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: Revel.
Smart Cities | February 24, 2022
BlackRock leads Revel’s $126 million funding to expand EV charging in major U.S. cities
ImpactAlpha, February 24 — Brooklyn-based Revel, which since 2018 has managed a fleet of bright blue electric mopeds, wants to make it easier …
Photo credit: Gogoro.
Smart Cities | January 19, 2022
Engine No. 1 backs Taiwanese electric scooter maker Gogoro
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Taipei-based Gogoro builds zero-emission and electric smartscooters with swappable batteries. It recently brought its battery swapping stations to mainland …
The BlocPower team | Photo credit: BlocPower.
Climate Finance | January 18, 2022
BlocPower secures $30 million from Microsoft to retrofit old city buildings
ImpactAlpha, January 18 — Brooklyn-based BlocPower has worked with utilities, government agencies and property owners to retrofit more than 1,200 buildings for low- …
Photo by Willie Davis/Con Edison.
Climate Finance | November 24, 2021
A $55 million credit facility will help Urban Energy develop community solar in NYC
ImpactAlpha, November 24 — Brooklyn-based solar developer Urban Energy is accelerating clean distributed energy for the city’s buildings, which account for over 70% …
Photo credit: Revel.
Climate Finance | November 10, 2021
Inspiration secures $200 million from ArcLight to help commercial fleets go electric
ImpactAlpha, November 10 — Washington, D.C.-based Inspiration, launched this year, provides financing, leasing and charging infrastructure services for companies looking to electrify and …
Copenhagen, Denmark
Smart Cities | October 14, 2021
2150 raises nearly €270 million to reimagine cities
ImpactAlpha, October 14 — Europe-based 2150, launched earlier this year by Danish real estate fund manager NREP, is looking for tech companies making …
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 …
Climate Finance | July 19, 2021
Generate raises $2 billion amid sustainable infrastructure push
ImpactAlpha, July 19 – Project finance is in hot demand as corporations, governments and other organizations scramble to green their operations. That’s fueling …
Photo credit: Aquagenuity
Dealflow | June 30, 2021
Aquagenuity closes $1.7 million seed round to prevent water-related crises
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – The Flint water crisis was a wakeup call that safe drinking water is not a given, especially in underserved …
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” …
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 …
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. …
Climate Finance | March 16, 2021
Dutch solar electric car startup Lightyear raises $48 million
ImpactAlpha, March 16 — Lightyear is going to market with Lightyear One, a self-charging electric vehicle with built-in solar cells that was featured …
Dealflow | December 22, 2020
DFC approves $500 million financing for Safaricom-led Ethiopian telecom project
ImpactAlpha, December 22 — The U.S. International Development Finance Corp. approved a $500 million loan for companies seeking a telecommunication license in Ethiopia, …
Clean Energy | November 16, 2020
Envoy secures $11 million to boost access to electric vehicles
ImpactAlpha, November 16 — For California to become carbon neutral by 2045, 76% of cars on the road will need to be electric. …
Dealflow | November 16, 2020
‘Healthy living’ SPAC Better World Acquisition Corp. launches on Nasdaq
ImpactAlpha, November 16 — A new special purpose acquisition company is looking to raise $110 million to acquire and take public a company …
Africa | November 2, 2020
Data Integrated gives Kenya’s taxi operators a digital upgrade
ImpactAlpha, November 2 – In a country where mobile money is ubiquitous, Kenya’s Data Integrated is helping bus operators and communal taxis, or …
2030 Finance | October 19, 2020
Electric bus maker Proterra raises $200 million
ImpactAlpha, October 19 – Burlingame, Calif.-based electric bus maker Proterra has raised $200 million, backed by Cowen Sustainable Advisors, Soros Fund Management, Generation …
Dealflow | July 27, 2020
Demo Day for a COVID-focused accelerator opens to the public
ImpactAlpha, July 27 – Demo days have become Silicon Valley legend, or cliche, by now: anxious startup founders pitch business plans honed over …
2030 Finance | July 13, 2020
Rivian hauls in $2.5 billion to seize momentum for electric trucks
ImpactAlpha, July 13 – Rivian’s latest round, led by T. Rowe Price, brings the Michigan-based company’s total funding to about $6 billion. Investors …
Dealflow | June 9, 2020
Tembici raises $47 million to expand e-bike sharing in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, June 9 – Brazil’s Tembici is riding the trend toward green, sustainable mobility in fast-growing emerging-market cities. The micro-mobility company raised its …
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 …
Features | February 10, 2020
Talking trillion-dollar sustainability disruptions with Obvious Ventures’ Andrew Beebe
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 10 – New solutions often look impossible, or at least implausible, before they seem, well, obvious. Beyond Meat was a contrarian …
Africa | January 6, 2020
CityTaps raises funding to increase clean water access
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 6 – Water is a hot topic. This summer, thousands gathered at the annual World Water Week conference in Stockholm, where …
2030 Finance | December 11, 2019
Spring Lane Capital closes $156.5 million to fund sustainable facilities
ImpactAlpha, December 11 – Traditional project finance, which pays for infrastructure for waste or energy projects, isn’t designed for the growing number of …
Dealflow | November 6, 2019
New Zealand’s Enterprise Angels locks down $13 million for impact fund
ImpactAlpha, November 6 – New Zealand isn’t the easiest market for impact investing and fundraising. It’s small, and investors note a slim deal …
Dealflow | November 4, 2019
Socially Determined raises $7.3 million to shed light on factors influencing health
ImpactAlpha, November 4 – There’s growing recognition that an individual’s health isn’t merely influenced by germs or genes. Issues like financial stability and …
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 …
Dealflow | September 3, 2019
Access Ventures seeks new ways to lower costs for the housing insecure
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 3 – It’s expensive to be poor in America. Low- and moderate-income communities face a shortage of at least 7.2 million …
2030 Finance | July 24, 2019
German mobility company FlixBus closes $560 million for global expansion
ImpactAlpha, July 24 – FlixBus launched in 2013 after the deregulation of Germany’s bus market with the goal of improving sustainable transit and connectivity between smaller …
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, …
Agrifood Tech | July 2, 2019
Fifty Years’ $50 million fund signals tech’s turn toward impact
ImpactAlpha, July 2 — Fifty Years, the mission-driven San Francisco venture capital firm, has two impact strategies: finding tech entrepreneurs tackling the world’s …
Dealflow | June 26, 2019
Israeli tech venture Venn secures $40 million to strengthen urban communities
ImpactAlpha, June 26 – Tel Aviv-based Venn launched in 2016 with a vision of using tech to enable happier, more inclusive city-living. The company has …
Features | June 24, 2019
Nigeria motorcycle ride-hailing service MAX.ng raises $7 million
ImpactAlpha, June 24 – Transit startup MAX.ng is known for its motorcycle ride-hailing service, a growing transport trend in Africa’s traffic-choked cities, like its home …
2030 Finance | June 12, 2019
Spacemaker raises €22 million to help urban developers build sustainably
ImpactAlpha, June 12 – Surging global urbanization “makes it necessary to build higher, denser and faster than before—while also providing high living quality and sustainable …
2030 Finance | June 5, 2019
City of London invests £100 million in local venture and loan funds to cultivate entrepreneurship
ImpactAlpha, June 5 – London-based tech investor MMC Ventures and social enterprise lender FSE Group have clinched £100 million ($127 million) from London’s Mayor’s office …
Originals | May 22, 2019
How Zipline raised $190 million to build a global drone logistics network, starting in Rwanda and Ghana
ImpactAlpha, May 22 — Improving emergency medical care in frontline clinics in sub-Saharan Africa has not typically been the kind of challenge that …
Africa | May 14, 2019
Uganda’s SafeBoda raises Series B funding to improve motorcycle taxi safety
ImpactAlpha, May 14 – Road traffic accidents are responsible for 225,000 deaths in Africa each year. That’s more than 60 road fatalities on the continent …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | May 2, 2019
Urban-X cohort targets smart infrastructure, electric transportation and city waste
ImpactAlpha, May 2 — Urban-X, a partnership between smart-city venture firm Urban Us and BMW-Mini, graduated its fifth class of smart-city startups in its Brooklyn offices. …