Impact Tech
Dealflow | March 18, 2024
Westbound raises $100 million to back tech ventures built by, for or with underrepresented people of color
Westbound Equity Partners launched in 2019 as Concrete Rose Capital to close the racial wealth gap by providing financial and social resources to …
Agrifood Tech | March 14, 2024
KAS snags $3 million for low-cost production of aquaculture ingredient
Astaxanthin is used in aquaculture feed to enhance the health and pigmentation of farmed fish and shrimp. Synthetic astaxanthin is cheaper than natural …
Dealflow | March 13, 2024
IBM commits $45 million for AI-powered climate resilience solutions
Startup accelerators backing early-stage AI-driven solutions geared towards making cities safer, more resilient and sustainable aren’t new (see, “Urban-X aims to accelerate startups …
Financial Inclusion | March 13, 2024
IFC extends $20 million to Burundian bank to bolster small business lending
The International Finance Corp. and a group of institutional investors have extended a $20 million loan to Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura to …
Latin America | March 12, 2024
Potencia Ventures backs Trampay to bank gig economy workers in Brazil (video)
On-demand delivery of food, packages and other products provides much-need income for millions of workers in Brazil. For such gig workers, schedules and …
Investing in Health | March 11, 2024
Pharma company Eisai backs South African health tech venture RecoMed
Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai launched subsidiaries in South Africa and Kenya in 2022 to supply drugs for cancer, dementia and other non-communicable diseases. …
Impact Tech | March 7, 2024
VilCap and IBM propel new technologies as a catalyst for life-improving services
The explosion of new technology and AI solutions promising improved efficiency, creativity, and sustainability coincides with record inflation, pessimism around economic resilience, and …
Impact Tech | March 6, 2024
Musk plays savior, Andreessen goes Marxist – and we should all be grateful
We need an impact source code for AI. How we structure the business of AI, along with the algorithms, could be the most …
Climate Finance | March 6, 2024
Carbon Equity raises €100 million for a climate tech fund of funds
ImpactAlpha, March 6 — Amsterdam-based Carbon Equity launched in 2021 to provide access to venture capital and private equity impact investment funds for …
Financial Inclusion | March 6, 2024
Wagely inks $23 million to help Asia’s workers with cash stability and financial health
ImpactAlpha, March 6 – Indonesia and Bangladesh have nearly 200 million wage workers. Unexpected expenses force many to resort to expensive payday loans. …
Dealflow | March 5, 2024
Stepful scores $12 million to upskill workers for entry-level healthcare jobs
ImpactAlpha, March 5 — Detroit-based Stepful has provided on-line and in-person training for medical assistant, pharmacy, ultrasound technician, and other healthcare jobs. More …
Climate and Clean Tech | March 4, 2024
LanzaJet secures $30 million from Southwest Airlines for sustainable aviation fuel
ImpactAlpha, March 4 — LanzaJet is a subsidiary of Chicago-based LanzaTech, which uses microbes to convert industrial carbon emissions into sustainable fuel and …
Clean Energy | March 4, 2024
Fervo Energy gets $244 million to meet demand for clean energy with geothermal
Impactalpha, March 4 — The techniques used for oil fracking also can be used to harness geothermal energy, a steadier, more consistent source …
Inclusive Economy | March 4, 2024
Overheard at Sankalp: Public equity for African small businesses, accelerating circular enterprises, financing women-led ventures
ImpactAlpha, March 4 – The theme of the Sankalp Africa Summit in Nairobi was “igniting Africa’s potential for a just transition.” As always, financing …
Return on Inclusion | February 29, 2024
Sorenson Impact backs Redemption’s purchase of Holladay Bank to create a new Black-owned bank
ImpactAlpha, February 29 — The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., impact investor. In King’s last public address before he was assassinated, he …
Climate Finance | February 29, 2024
Blue Earth Capital takes stake in Nepra to expand waste recycling in India
ImpactAlpha, February 29 — Gujarat-based Nepra Resource Management deploys nearly 2,000 pickers to deliver dry waste to five waste recycling facilities. “Responsible waste …
Impact Investing | February 27, 2024
Risks and opportunities in early-stage climate tech in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 26 – Climate concerns figured prominently in conversations among investors, development agencies, startups and corporations at this week’s Africa Tech Summit …
Dealflow | February 27, 2024
South Africa’s Hohm Energy nets $8 million to meet demand for solar power
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 27 – South Africans have endured years of rolling blackouts as the country’s aging coal plants falter. The outages have shaved …
Latin America | February 26, 2024
Blue like an Orange provides $18 million in financing to Mexican lender Fuentebuena
ImpactAlpha, February 26 — Monterrey-based Fuentebuena works with more than 150 municipalities in Mexico to provide payroll loans to unbanked and underbanked city …
Impact Tech | February 23, 2024
‘Deep tech’ impact investing in India
ImpactAlpha, February 23 – India is emerging as a hub for high-value, deep science tech startups working on breakthrough solutions to climate change, …
Climate and Clean Tech | February 21, 2024
Eli snags $6.8 million to help consumers electrify their homes
ImpactAlpha, February 22 – Sales of heat pumps have outpaced gas furnaces in the US for the second year in a row. But …
Dealflow | February 21, 2024
AtmosZero raises $21 million for zero-carbon industrial boilers
ImpactAlpha, February 21 — Coal- and gas-fired boilers have generated steam power and heat for buildings and industrial processes since the Industrial Revolution. …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | February 20, 2024
These VCs are betting on AI to upskill workers and expand pathways to good jobs
The advent of generative artificial intelligence isn’t all doom and gloom for employees. Played right, AI could open pathways to higher-skilled jobs for …
Dealflow | February 20, 2024
Kairos Aerospace scores $52 million to help oil and gas companies reduce methane leaks
ImpactAlpha, February 20 — Restricting leaks of methane, a greenhouse 80 times more potent than CO2, was a key focus at the COP28 …
Blockchain/AI/IoT | February 20, 2024
Notes on AI and education for impact investors and social entrepreneurs
What is a tsunami? Imagine a cubic meter of seawater. Imagine the weight of it. It weighs more than you probably think it …
Dealflow | February 15, 2024
Hippo Harvest scores $21 million for greenhouse-grown produce
ImpactAlpha, February 15 — San Francisco-based Hippo Harvest is still standing after the shakeout of other controlled-environment produce producers. The company’s leafy greens …
Sponsored | February 15, 2024
Sophisticated financing and smarter partnerships: How investors are forging new roadmaps for health impact
Editor’s note: This guest post is sponsored by Impact Ventures by J&J Foundation, which supports ImpactAlpha’s Investing in Health coverage. In partnership with Impact Ventures, ImpactAlpha is exploring the …
Climate and Clean Tech | February 15, 2024
Lilac Solutions raises $145 million for green lithium production
ImpactAlpha, February 15 – Lithium prices have fallen steeply as US electric-vehicle adoption has wobbled. But green, efficient and economical lithium extraction to …
Climate and Clean Tech | February 14, 2024
Catalyst Fund seeds nine African climate tech startups
ImpactAlpha, February 14 – The impact tech fund of BFA Global invested $1.8 million in companies that “directly empower farmers, healthcare providers, waste …
Climate and Clean Tech | February 13, 2024
India’s growing appetite for electric vehicles
ImpactAlpha, February 13 – The US is sending mixed signals about consumer EV adoption. In India, where most vehicle sales are two- and …
Financial Inclusion | February 12, 2024
First Circle backs Egypt’s Balad for cross-border payments
ImpactAlpha, February 12 – Egyptians living abroad send more than $30 billion a year to friends and family back home. Most of the …
Gender Smart | February 8, 2024
Village Capital partners with Standard Chartered to catalyze capital to African women in tech
ImpactAlpha, February 8 – Female founders receive just 2% of venture capital in Africa (and about the same globally). Standard Chartered bank launched …
Agrifood Tech | February 7, 2024
Spain’s Heura raises €40 million for ‘clean’ plant-based meat
ImpactAlpha, February 7 – It’s been a tough couple years for companies trying to offset global meat consumption with alternatives made from plants. …
Investing in Health | February 7, 2024
India’s Aarogya Tech scores $1.8 million for chronic disease prevention and management
ImpactAlpha, February 7 – Non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cancer are responsible for more than 60% of deaths in India. Without interventions, they …
Clean Energy | February 6, 2024
Brookfield’s second Global Transition Fund raises $10 billion for decarbonization and data centers
ImpactAlpha, February 6 — After raising its inaugural $15 billion Global Transition Fund in 2022, Brookfield has identified a pipeline of investment opportunities, …
Inclusive Economy | February 5, 2024
Impaqto Capital backs Sinba’s recycling services in Peru
ImpactAlpha, February 5 – Sinba provides recycling services for 1,500 residential customers and 70 companies, including Starbucks, Nestle and Coca-Cola. Its services help …
Investing in Health | February 5, 2024
Accompany Health scores $56 million to provide health services for low-income patients
ImpactAlpha, February 5 – Physician Rahul Rajkumar started Accompany Health to “place social determinants of health front and center” and to help underserved …
Dealflow | February 2, 2024
Deal Spotlight: Can school buses balance the electric grid?
ImpactAlpha, February 2 — The $1.3 billion valuation for electric school bus maker Zum reflects not only the value of giving kids a …
Dealflow | February 1, 2024
Zum raises $140 million for school bus batteries on wheels
ImpactAlpha, February 1 — School buses are the largest source of mass transit in the US, transporting over 20 million students to and …
Climate and Clean Tech | January 31, 2024
Is the EV glass half-full or half-empty?
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 31 – “Nobody said it was easy,” as Coldplay reminds us. “No one ever said it would be so hard.” That’s how …
Agrifood Tech | January 31, 2024
Aquaconnect raises $4 million to link India’s fish farmers to supplies and markets
ImpactAlpha, January 31 – Chennai-based Aquaconnect supports fish and shrimp farmers with remote monitoring and access to cold storage, logistics and buyers. The …
Climate and Clean Tech | January 30, 2024
Sweden’s H2 Green Steel hauls in more than $5 billion for green steel plant
ImpactAlpha, Jan. 30 – H2 Green Steel’s massive raise included $4.6 billion in debt funding from a consortium of global banks and $325 …
Investing in Health | January 29, 2024
Cross-Border Impact Ventures raises $90 million and starts to put it to work in five companies
ImpactAlpha, January 29 – Cross-Border Impact Ventures launched in 2021 to invest in health interventions for women and children. The The Toronto-based impact …
Agents of Impact | January 26, 2024
Ines Schiller, Vyld: Reengineering the tampon – and the ethos of biotech
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Ines Schiller got the idea for seaweed tampons while training in South Africa to be a marine environment guide. …
Inclusive Economy | January 26, 2024
Deal Spotlight: ‘Missing middle’ lending to social enterprises in Latin America (video).
ImpactAlpha, January 26 — In Peru, Shanantina works with Indigenous communities to cultivate sacha inchi, a nut native to the Amazon. Cedros Cafe, …