Dealflow
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. …
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 …
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 …
Photo credit: Ubiquitous Energy.
Climate Finance | January 18, 2022
Ubiquitous Energy scores $30 million for solar-powered windows
ImpactAlpha, January 18 — Redwood City, Calif.-based Ubiquitous Energy was founded in 2011 by MIT and Michigan State University scientists and engineers looking …
Marcus Whitney | Photo Credit: Jumpstart Nova.
Dealflow | January 18, 2022
Jumpstart Nova raises $55 million to invest in Black healthcare founders
ImpactAlpha, January 18 — If venture capital for Black entrepreneurs has historically been scarce, venture funding for Black healthcare founders has been almost …
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- …
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 …
Impact Management | January 13, 2022
60 Decibels raises $8.8 million to measure stakeholder impact at the source
ImpactAlpha, Jan 13 – 60 Decibels deploys more than 800 researchers in 67 countries to collect data directly from customers and suppliers. U.K. …
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, …
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 …
An Atlas composting facility in San Antonio, Texas
Dealflow | January 12, 2022
Generate acquires Atlas Organics amid growing demand for composting
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 12 – Sustainable infrastructure company Generate Capital has acquired Atlas Organics in a deal that will inject $200 million into the …
aqua-spark | January 12, 2022
Aqua-Spark backs Lake Harvest to expand sustainable aquaculture in Africa
ImpactAlpha, January 12 — Aqua-Spark is launching a subsidiary to help build out local and regional aquaculture supply chains in Africa. The investment …
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 …
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 …
Photo credit: Silicon Ranch.
Dealflow | January 11, 2022
Silicon Ranch secures $775 million for clean energy in rural communities
ImpactAlpha, January 11 — Nashville-based Silicon Ranch provides clean energy, carbon and battery storage for rural communities in the U.S. and Canada, with …
photo: Steppinstars, Pixabay
Dealflow | January 10, 2022
Blackstone injects $3 billion into Invenergy to expand clean energy projects
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 10 – Mega funds are hunting for mega opportunities, we wrote in our lookahead at climate finance in 2022. Now comes Blackstone Infrastructure …
Photo credit: World Orgs.
Climate Finance | January 10, 2022
Roadrunner raises $70 million from General Atlantic to manage waste and recycling
ImpactAlpha, January 10 — Roadrunner Recycling’s technology can predict waste generation and size companies’ storage and recycling needs. The Philadelphia-based company claims to …
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 …
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 …
Photo credit: mPower Technology.
Climate Finance | January 6, 2022
Cottonwood Technology Fund raises $75 million for deeptech impact
ImpactAlpha, January 6 — Santa Fe, N.M.-based impact venture fund Cottonwood Technology Fund received backing from more than 40 new LPs from the …
Photo credit: LanzaTech.
Climate Finance | January 6, 2022
Carbon recycler LanzaTech is looking to go public
ImpactAlpha, January 6 — LanzaTech captures industrial carbon emissions and converts it into sustainable fuel and chemicals to make materials such as textile, …
Doron Myersdorf | Photo credit: StoreDot.
Impact Investing | January 5, 2022
Israel’s StoreDot secures $60 million for ‘extreme fast charging’ EV batteries
ImpactAlpha, January 5 — Tel Aviv-based StoreDot, launched in 2012, set out to prove its Li-ion battery technology can charge a vehicle in …
Photo credit: Ambercycle.
Impact Investing | January 5, 2022
Ambercycle scores $21.6 million to recycle textile waste
ImpactAlpha, January 5 — More than half of all garments are thrown out within a year. L.A.-based Ambercycle converts end-of-life textile waste into …
Photo credit: Diane Bondareff.
Education Tech | January 4, 2022
TPG Rise sells its stake in EverFi to Blackbaud
ImpactAlpha, January 4 — EverFi, which sells subscription packages to schools and companies for training on sexual assault and harassment prevention, social and …
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 …
Photo credit: TIPA.
Climate Finance | January 4, 2022
Tipa raises $70 million for compostable plastic packaging
ImpactAlpha, January 4 — The global market for waste management could reach more than $700 billion by 2030. Helping get the ball rolling …
Photo credit: Community Medical Services
Investing in Health | December 23, 2021
FFL Partners and Two Sigma Impact acquire Community Medical Services’ opioid treatment program
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 23 – Less than half of the 4.6 million opioid users in the U.S. are diagnosed, and less than half of those …
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 credit: Community Energy Solar.
Climate Finance | December 22, 2021
AES Corp. acquires Community Energy Solar
ImpactAlpha, December 22 — The deal provides an exit for SJF Ventures, a Durham, N.C.-based impact manager that invested in Community Energy Solar’s …
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: MAX.
Climate Finance | December 21, 2021
Nigeria’s MAX secures $31 million to upgrade ride-hailing drivers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, December 21 — Lagos-based MAX offers drivers subscriptions to packages that include low to zero-emission vehicles, healthcare, insurance, maintenance and e-hailing apps. …
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 …
Policy Corner | December 21, 2021
Tipping Point Fund for Impact Investing promotes impact transparency and accountability
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 21 – The half-dozen grantees of the Tipping Point Fund for Impact Investing will split $950,000 to advance impact investing market infrastructure …
Photo credit: UNOPS.
Climate Finance | December 20, 2021
Ares raises $2.2 billion for climate infrastructure investments
ImpactAlpha, December 24 — Ares Climate Infrastructure Partners Fund secured $1.4 billion in commitments to provide equity, preferred equity and structured debt for …
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: Global Recycling.
Climate Finance | December 20, 2021
UBQ Materials raises $170 million to produce thermoplastics from waste
ImpactAlpha, December 20 — Nearly three-quarters of the more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste produced each year ends up in …
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 …
Illustration by Amelia Bates/Grist.
Climate Finance | December 16, 2021
Carbon America scores $30 million to capture and sequester carbon
ImpactAlpha, December 16 — Arvada, Colo.-based Carbon America provides development, financing and management services for carbon capture and sequestration project partners. “Carbon Capture …
Climate and Clean Tech | December 15, 2021
Harley-Davidson rides into electric future with LiveWire spin-off
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 15 – Another icon of the fossil fuel-era is spinning off a “ReNewCo” to reap the rich valuations and easy access …
A renewable natural gas plant | Photo credit: Shutterstock.
Climate Finance | December 15, 2021
Generate backs Amp Americas to convert dairy waste into renewable natural gas
ImpactAlpha, December 15 — Chicago-based Amp Americas builds and manages anaerobic digesters to convert dairy waste into renewable natural gas, while reducing emissions …
Photo credit: Toyota.
Clean Energy | December 15, 2021
An EV laggard, Toyota commits $35 billion to all-electric vehicles by 2030
ImpactAlpha, December 15 — Automakers GM and Ford are embracing the all-electric future. Toyota is raising its game more modestly, announcing it will …
Catalytic Capital | December 14, 2021
Women’s Livelihood Bond from Impact Investment Exchange closes at $30 million
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Proceeds from the fourth bond will support social enterprises that can impact 500,000 underserved women and girls in India, …
Photo credit: Agribusiness Matters.
Dealflow | December 14, 2021
AgroStar secures $70 million to add stores for Indian farmers
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Pune-based AgroStar launched in 2013 to help small farmers secure seeds, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs at affordable prices. …
Photo Credit: Tomorrow.io.
Climate Finance | December 14, 2021
Weather forecasting company Tomorrow.io to go public via SPAC
ImpactAlpha, December 14 — Weather disasters in the U.S. caused more than $100 billion in damages last year. Boston-based Tomorrow.io, formerly ClimaCell, uses …