Inclusive Economy
Photo credit: Innovationsoftheworld.com
Financial Inclusion | January 25, 2022
Finclusion Group raises $20 million to become a credit-first neobank
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — Singapore-based fintech Finclusion Group, which offers credit and financial services through consumer brands in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and …
Inventa co-founders, from left, Fernando Carrasco, Marcos Salama and Laura Camargo | Inventa.
Dealflow | January 25, 2022
Inventa scores $20 million to connect small Brazilian retailers with global suppliers
ImpactAlpha, January 25 — São Paulo-based Inventa, launched last year, has built a digital marketplace for Brazilian small businesses to purchase inventory. Inventa …
Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia | Photo credit: Mosaic
Return on Inclusion | January 24, 2022
Black-owned developer Mosaic raises $10 million for equitable real estate in Philadelphia
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 24 – Led by Leslie Smallwood-Lewis and Greg Reaves, Mosaic focuses on projects in neighborhoods largely left out of Philly’s development boom. …
Photo credit: Copia Global.
Africa | January 20, 2022
Copia Global secures $50 million to deliver goods to rural African consumers
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — African economies rely heavily on spending by the continent’s approximately 750 million low- to middle-income consumers. Kenya’s Copia Global, …
Photo credit: Lyra Health.
Investing in Health | January 20, 2022
Lyra Health raises $235 million to help employers provide mental health benefits
ImpactAlpha, January 20 — Burlingame, Calif.-based Lyra Health works with companies like Uber and Morgan Stanley to provide mental health benefits for 10 …
Photo credit: Krishi Jagran.
Smallholder Agriculture | January 19, 2022
Arya raises $60 million to expand agri-commerce for India’s smallholder farmers
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Arya helps India’s smallholder farmers transport and store their crops and provides working capital until they sell their crops. …
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 …
Community Finance | January 15, 2022
Solar proves a pathway for private capital to flow into low-income communities
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 13 – The race is on to install solar panels, lay in chargers for electric vehicles and retrofit housing for energy …
Photo credit: Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia.
Climate Finance | January 13, 2022
Circulate Capital aims to build plastic waste recycling infrastructure in underserved Indonesia
ImpactAlpha, January 13 — Indonesia generates around 7.8 million tons of plastic waste annually. 4.9 million tons of plastic waste is mismanaged — uncollected, …
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 …
Photo credit: Novo.
Dealflow | January 12, 2022
Novo snags $90 million to provide banking services for U.S. small businesses
ImpactAlpha, January 12 — Miami-based neobank Novo provides bank accounts without fees or minimum balances for approximately 150,000 small businesses owners, entrepreneurs and …
Photo credit: Tul
Latin America | January 12, 2022
Tul raises $181 million to digitalize independent hardware stores in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, January 12 – Bogotá-based Tul helps Colombia’s mom-and-pop hardware stores source products from large construction suppliers like ArcelorMittal and Cemex. It launched …
Illustration by Career Karma.
Dealflow | January 11, 2022
Career Karma raises $40 million to reskill workers for digitally-based careers
ImpactAlpha, January 11 – Nine out of 10 employers see or expect to see skill gaps in their workforce. San Francisco-based Career Karma …
Actors Asia Kate Dillon (left) and Damian Lewis (right) of TV show Billions | Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Creative Economy | January 10, 2022
We’ll know impact investing has arrived when it snags its own parody series on Netflix
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 10 – Maybe it’s the brash head of the star-studded social impact fund who went to federal prison for his role in …
Photo credit: Aroon Deep.
Dealflow | January 10, 2022
India’s Dunzo rakes in $240 million for quick local grocery delivery
ImpactAlpha, January 10 — Bangalore-based delivery platform Dunzo helps small and local businesses fill online orders for food, medicine and consumer goods in 300 …
The Reconstruction | January 8, 2022
On anniversary of Capitol attack, stakeholders hold corporations accountable for democracy
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 6 – Add political stability to the list of systemic risks that keep investors up at night. ‘Political risk’ has historically …
Photo credit: mPharma.
Dealflow | January 6, 2022
Ghanaian pharmacy venture mPharma raises $35 million to expand drug access in Africa
ImpactAlpha, January 6 — Accra-based mPharma, launched in 2013, has partnered with more than 155 hospitals, 850 pharmacies to deliver telehealth services and …
The Plug's Sherrell Dorsey | Image credit: Mecca Gamble Photography
The Reconstruction | January 5, 2022
The Plug’s Sherrell Dorsey centers communities of color in the future of work
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 5 – Growing up in Seattle, journalist Sherrell Dorsey was surrounded by engineers and technologies of all colors and creeds. In professional …
Photo credit: Slang.
Dealflow | January 4, 2022
Slang secures $14 million to upskill English-language skills for Latam workers
ImpactAlpha, January 4 — In Latin America and elsewhere, proficient English speakers are more likely to secure a job. Boston, Mass.-based Slang provides …
Left to right: Felicity Gooding, Jenna Palumbo and Nicola Forrest. Photo credit: Minderoo Foundation.
Dealflow | December 22, 2021
Minderoo Foundation launches $100 million women-led strategic impact fund
ImpactAlpha, December 22 — Minderoo Foundation has invested in six entities to date, including Toronto-based Ulula, which makes software to help companies engage …
photo: New Voices
Entrepreneurship | December 22, 2021
New Voices secures $97 million for its second fund for women of color entrepreneurs
Dec. 22, ImpactAlpha – Richelieu Dennis launched the venture firm New Voices to plug a funding gap for women of color entrepreneurs after …
Photo credit: AllAfrica.com
Climate Finance | December 21, 2021
Ford Foundation commits $3 million to support natural resource governance in West Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 21 — Extraction of metals, minerals and fossil fuels in West Africa has hurt local economies, exacerbated environmental problems and contributed …
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 …
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 …
A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament's Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq testifying in front of a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee in London | Photo credit: AFP PHOTO / PRU
Institutional Impact | December 16, 2021
Not Cricket: Diversity in asset management must be more than woke signaling
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha contributing editor Imogen Rose-Smith, a longtime senior writer for Institutional Investor, contributes a bi-weekly column on the policies, practices and strategies of …
Photo credit: Laboratoria
Gender Smart | December 16, 2021
More than 200 funds apply a gender lens and most are setting firm quotas
ImpactAlpha, December 16 – The fourth edition of the Project Sage survey found 206 investment funds that incorporate a gender theme in their …
Photo credit: East African Business Week.
Dealflow | December 16, 2021
Aceli Africa raises $27 million to boost lending to agribusinesses in East Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — More than half of East Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but loans to grow their businesses are …
Photo credit: Elsevier.
Investing in Health | December 16, 2021
Medical Credit Fund raises $36.7 million to finance health clinics in Africa. second digital finance fund
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — Nairobi-based debt provider Medical Credit Fund has since 2009 made loans of more than €120 million ($135.5 million) to …
Democracy and Power | December 15, 2021
Turning pandemic profits into ‘democracy dividends’
Even as the recent discovery of the Omicron variant drags out the Covid pandemic, the richest Americans are still doing incredibly well. The …
Impact Investing | December 13, 2021
Impact brain trust delivers proposals for mobilizing capital for a just transition
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 13 – Mandatory impact accounting. Harmonized sustainability standards. And broadened powers for multilateral development banks and development finance institutions to absorb …
Donna Parr and Annie Thériault. Photo credit: Cross-Border Impact Ventures.
Investing in Health | December 13, 2021
Cross-Border Impact Ventures’ healthtech fund raises $30 million
ImpactAlpha, December 13 — Toronto-based venture firm Cross-Border Impact Ventures is looking to raise up to $200 million to invest in up to …
Photo credit: Noble Network of Charter Schools.
Dealflow | December 13, 2021
Equitable Facilities Fund secures $300 million to finance Black schools leaders
ImpactAlpha, December 13 — Equitable Facilities Fund, a New York-based nonprofit social impact fund, has since 2018 deployed $585 million in low-cost and …
Photo credit: iStock/dragana991.
The Reconstruction | December 13, 2021
Amazon launches accelerator program for affordable housing developers of color
ImpactAlpha, December 13 — Black Americans make up nearly half of the people living in federally financed affordable housing. But only 2% of …
Photo credit: TechCabal.
Dealflow | December 9, 2021
Flutterwave backs Côte d’Ivoire digital payments processor CinetPay
ImpactAlpha, December 9 — Lagos-based Flutterwave, helps merchants, banks and other businesses transact across borders and currencies. The digital payments platform, which has …
Photo credit: Shutterstock.
Climate Finance | December 9, 2021
‘Community Choice’ raises $2.2 billion with clean energy bonds in California
ImpactAlpha, December 9 — San Francisco Bay Area-based California Community Choice Financing Authority was set up earlier this year to help energy suppliers …
Climate and Clean Tech | December 8, 2021
Third Derivative launches carbon removal partnership and new cohort
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 8 – Third Derivative selected 16 startups for its latest cohort, dubbed Cohort 419 for the peak level of atmospheric CO2 …
Community Finance | December 6, 2021
Secondaries fund secures $11.5 million to create a market for CDFI loans
ImpactAlpha, December 6 – The Aspen Institute and the Microfinance Impact Collaborative launched the Entrepreneur Backed Assets Fund last year to enable community …
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 …
Signals | December 1, 2021
Can the recovery catalyze a business revival on the Navajo Nation?
ImpactAlpha, December 1 – The Navajo Nation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, is one of the hardest places to …
Photo credit: Telus.
Corporate Impact | December 1, 2021
TELUS’ $100 million Pollinator Fund for Good adds three portfolio companies
ImpactAlpha, December 1 — Canadian telecommunications company TELUS launched Pollinator Fund for Good last year to invest in local and international impact startups …
Photo credit: European Journalism Observatory.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Media Development Investment Fund backs Pluralis to invest in independent media in Europe
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — The decline of independent global news outlets has accelerated with rising news censorship and danger for journalists. MDFI’s Emerging …
Photo credit: Global Banking Finance.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Jefa raises $2 million for fintech services for women in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — Women make up more than half of the world’s unbanked population. Jefa, a Mexico City-based neobank, is helping women …
Photo credit: Paul Langlois-Meurinne.
Dealflow | November 30, 2021
Nigerian B2B marketplace Sabi raises $6 million to support Africa’s informal businesses
ImpactAlpha, November 30 — Lagos-based Sabi is among a wave of enterprise tech ventures applying technology to fix market failures and inefficiencies. Sabi’s …
Capitalism Reimagined | November 23, 2021
Capitalism Reimagined: Seven dimensions of a better economic system
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 23 – In the not-too-distant future, a powerful and diverse movement has succeeded in redesigning the rules, practices, narratives and power relationships …
EarlyBird founders Caleb Frankel and Jordan Wexler. Photo credit: EarlyBird.
Dealflow | November 23, 2021
EarlyBird raises $4 million to help parents invest for their children
ImpactAlpha, November 23 — The Chicago-based fintech EarlyBird is on a mission to help low- and middle-income American families build generational wealth. Its …