Gender Smart
Podcasts | September 1, 2023
Democratizing gender lens investing in Latin America
Pro Mujer’s Carmen Correa joins host Monique Aiken to share how the pioneering Latin American microfinance institution’s bonds are democratizing gender lens investing …
Gender Smart | August 24, 2023
Local investors help Ditiro Capital raise $14.5 million for job creation in South Africa
ImpactAlpha, August 24 – South Africa has an abundance of minerals, renewable energy and other natural resources. It also has a struggling economy, …
Pro Mujer CEO Carmen Correa with a client | Photo credit: Pro Mujer
Gender Smart | August 21, 2023
With gender bonds, Pro Mujer puts Argentina’s capital markets to work for female entrepreneurs
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 21 – The amounts are small, but the implications could be profound. When micro lender Pro Mujer earlier this year distributed …
Photo credit: Zuri Health
Investing in Health | July 26, 2023
Five35 Ventures backs Zuri Health to expand mobile healthcare in Africa
ImpactAlpha, July 26 – Kenya-based Zuri has a mobile app to help patients connect with doctors and local healthcare services. It also offers …
Photo credit: Gram Vaani
Dealflow | July 14, 2023
Deal spotlight: A social media platform for India’s poor
ImpactAlpha, July 14 – The founders of Delhi-based Gram Vaani had a vision for giving India’s rural poor a greater voice and agency. …
Photo by BlueOrchard.
Inclusive Economy | June 29, 2023
BlueOrchard secures $100 million to back underserved small enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean
ImpactAlpha, June 30 — Swiss impact investor BlueOrchard, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada and IDB Invest, is launching a private debt fund …
Photo by Kubik.
Low-carbon transition | June 26, 2023
Kubik scores $3.3 million to upcycle plastic waste into low-carbon building materials
ImpactAlpha, June 26 — Buildings account for 40% of total global carbon emissions, because of how building materials are produced, what materials are …
Image credit: Aviom
Frontier and Growth Markets | June 14, 2023
Aviom Housing Finance scores $30 million to help low-income Indians become homeowners
ImpactAlpha, June 14 – Aviom Housing Finance offers affordable housing loans to low-income families in India, many of whom work in the informal …
Gender Smart | May 23, 2023
2X Challenge mobilizes $27 billion for women and girls’ economic resilience and inclusion
ImpactAlpha, May 23 – Development finance institutions of the G7 set a small but significant goal five years ago: within two years, invest …
Gender Smart | May 22, 2023
Bringing women to the forefront of sustainable development
The following is an excerpt from “Working to restore: Harnessing the power of regenerative business to heal the world,” by Esha Chhabra. In …
Photo credit: NicNax, an SME.NG portfolio company
Catalytic Capital | May 10, 2023
Visa provides catalytic ‘working capital’ grant to three women-led funds in Africa
ImpactAlpha, May 10 – Female fund managers control just a sliver of private equity and venture capital assets globally, much less in Africa. …
Gender Smart | May 3, 2023
Anthemis scores backing from Visa and BMO for women-focused fintech fund
ImpactAlpha, May 3 – Despite growing recognition of gender-based investing, the needle on how much women-led startups raise hasn’t moved in years. In …
Gender + Climate | April 11, 2023
With climate + gender fund, Suzanne Biegel is heading for change
If and when we have met the climate challenge, a key success factor will be clear: women. If you share that thesis, you …
Photo credit: Native Women Lead
Dealflow | April 7, 2023
Deal spotlight: For female fund managers, catalytic grants are about more than money
ImpactAlpha, April 7 – Catalytic capital comes in many varieties, but the purpose is the same: to spur investment to people, places and …
Photo credit: Native Women Lead
Return on Inclusion | April 6, 2023
Native Women Lead secures backing from Comcast to finance Indigenous women-owned businesses
ImpactAlpha, April 6 – Indigenous women-owned businesses employed more than 61,000 people and generated $11 billion in revenues last year. Women are the …
Innovative Finance | March 29, 2023
Using social bonds to address gender and racial inequities (podcast)
Corporate, nonprofit and municipal issuers are designating bond proceeds to support organizations that increase access to finance for women and people of color. …
Investing in Health | March 27, 2023
Mamotest secures $3.3 million for breast cancer screening in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, March 27 – Breast cancer survival rates are significantly lower in many emerging markets than in high-income countries. Startup Mamotest want to …
Kampala, Uganda
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 15, 2023
Inua Capital secures $8 million to offer flexible capital for small businesses in Uganda
ImpactAlpha, March 15 – Kim Kamarebe founded Inua Capital to provide growth equity and mentorship to Uganda’s small businesses that are creating jobs …
Gender + Climate | March 8, 2023
Frontline communities hold the keys to inclusive gender and climate finance
Good green jobs. Better climate solutions. Food security. Resilient supply chains. Increased wealth in low-income communities. And increased returns for more stakeholders. Those …
Impact Investing | March 8, 2023
Trillion-dollar opportunity: Tackling women’s digital exclusion in the developing world
For all the optimism contained in International Women’s Day, the reality is that in most places around the world, the gender gap isn’t …
Podcasts | March 3, 2023
Sana Kapadia on the alpha opportunity for investors who are gender smart
2x Global’s Sana Kapadia joins host Monique Aiken to ring in Women’s History Month and talk about the state of gender-lens investing. Plus, …
Photo by Amplifica.
Women Entrepreneurs | January 17, 2023
Amplifica Capital raises $11 million to invest in women tech founders in Latin America
ImpactAlpha, January 17 — Mexico City-based Amplifica Capital has raised $11 million for its first venture capital fund. The fund will make early-stage …
Photo by Herself Health.
Investing in Health | January 9, 2023
Herself Health scores $7 million to provide value-based care to older women
ImpactAlpha, January 9 — St. Paul, Minn.-based Herself Health is looking to deliver advanced primary care to women with Medicare and Medicare Advantage …
Gender Smart | December 14, 2022
IIX raises $50 million for fifth Women’s Livelihood Bond
ImpactAlpha, December 14 – Singapore-based IIX has raised $50 million for the fifth bond in its Women’s Livelihood Bond series. The bond will …
Photo credit: Calinounou
Dealflow | December 12, 2022
WIC Capital backs Calinounou’s home services in Senegal
ImpactAlpha, December 12 – Senegal-based Calinounou offers an online recruitment and booking service for home cleaning, care and cooking services aims to professionalize …
Photo by MEDA.
Dealflow | December 9, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal spotlight: Financing women-led small businesses in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 9 — Small businesses are drivers of jobs and inclusive economic growth. In Africa, where more than half of small businesses …
Photo by MEDA.
Women Rising | December 6, 2022
How Mastercard Foundation’s $200 million Africa Growth Fund invests at the intersection of gender lens and good jobs
ImpactAlpha, December 6 — An African consortium led by Mennonite Economic Development Associates, the international development organization known as MEDA, will manage Mastercard …
Photo credit: Tamul Plates
Good Jobs | November 17, 2022
Upaya Social Ventures exits India-based maker of sustainable tableware
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – Upaya Social Ventures made a $27,000 equity investment in Tamul Plates in 2015, helping the all-natural disposable plate and …
Satgana's founding team | Photo by Satgana.
Gender + Climate | November 1, 2022
Satgana raises funds for climate tech startups in Africa and Europe
ImpactAlpha, November 2 — Luxembourg-based Satgana, which means “a good company” in Sanskrit, has raised an undisclosed amount in a first close from …
Suzanne Biegel | Photo credit: Carmen Correa
Gender + Climate | October 24, 2022
Gender lens + climate finance = broader reach
ImpactAlpha, October 24 – Gender-lens investing’s next big thing: integrating gender considerations across climate action and other investment themes. Investors channeled more than $600 …
Photo by OnImpact.
Conservation | October 20, 2022
New Forests’ African Forestry Impact Platform secures $200 million from development finance institutions
ImpactAlpha, October 20 — Nearly 10 million acres of forests in Africa, one of Earth’s most important carbon sinks and soil, are disappearing …
Gender Smart | October 19, 2022
Six ways to support women entrepreneurs in the Global South
More than ever, women are starting their own businesses, particularly in parts of the Global South, where women remain key drivers of economic …
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 …
Women Rising | September 12, 2022
Janngo Capital secures €34 million for its African gender-lens fund
ImpactAlpha, September 12 — Fatoumata Ba launched Janngo Capital at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 to help bridge the capital …
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 …
Gender + Climate | August 23, 2022
Don’t panic. Include more women as decision-makers
Recession? Inflation? War? Climate change? The world is entering increasingly turbulent and unpredictable territory. Stock market gyrations suggest investors are torn on the …
Gender Smart | June 21, 2022
Delivering higher returns and stronger impact with ‘The XX Edge’
At a breakfast meeting in Singapore a few years ago, Patience Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber were speaking to asset owners and entrepreneurs about …
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 …
Original image generated by DALL-E, Open AI's neural network that creates images from text captions.
Gender Smart | June 9, 2022
Merger of GenderSmart and 2X Collaborative aims to mainstream integration of gender in finance
Two of the leading organizations in the development of “gender lens investing” are joining forces. The 2X Collaborative, led by Jessica Espinoza, builds …
Washington, D.C. | Photo credit: Drew Petrimoulx
Institutional Impact | May 24, 2022
Tracing a line from the lack of diversity in asset management to the undoing of Roe v. Wade
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 …
Illustration by Cayaba Care.
Investing in Health | May 23, 2022
Black-led Cayaba Care raises $12 million to reduce maternal morbidity
ImpactAlpha, May 23 — Maternal morbidity describes short- or long-term health issues during and after pregnancy, labor and delivery. In the U.S., more …
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 …
(left to right) Sarah Sclarsic and Sierra Peterson of Voyager Ventures
Gender + Climate | April 7, 2022
Women-led Voyager Ventures raises a $100 million climate tech fund
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 7 – Voyager Ventures has raised a $100 million climate tech fund. The first fund from Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic attracted …
Photo credit: Women's World Banking.
Gender Smart | April 5, 2022
Women’s World Banking raises $103 million to invest in financial inclusion for women
ImpactAlpha, April 5 — New York-based nonprofit Women’s World Banking has raised $103 million for its second fund to invest in providers of …
Gender Smart | March 30, 2022
Insitor’s second Impact Asia Fund secures $42 million for early-stage investments
ImpactAlpha, March 30 — Singapore-based Insitor Partners launched in 2009 to help bridge the gap in venture funding for early-stage companies in Asian …