Five exceptional ecosystem builders have been selected to advance to the next phase of Village Capital’s Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa program. Supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), this Village Capital initiative aims to amplify the impact of climate-supporting entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
Building on the success of the initial phase, which assisted 14 ecosystem builders across five countries, the 2025 phase will empower these organizations to run investment-readiness programs and direct capital to 30 climate-focused startups that are driving impactful solutions.
The selected ecosystem builders are:
- Catalyst Fund (Kenya): This pre-seed fund and accelerator invests in tech startups that offer climate adaptation solutions to enhance the resilience of communities in Africa.
- Reach for Change Foundation (Ghana): A social enterprise that supports local social entrepreneurs.
- Ennovate Ventures (Tanzania): A venture factory that supports early-stage, innovative businesses.
- Emerge Livelihoods (Malawi): An impact hub that fosters a thriving ecosystem, enabling individuals and communities to become self-reliant.
- IdeiaLab (Maputo, Mozambique): With a 14-year track record, this organization develops and enables entrepreneurial potential.
“We are committed to reimagining capital deployment and building a more connected ecosystem where ESOs play a pivotal role in driving entrepreneurship and facilitating access to capital,” said Susan Nakami, Region Lead for Africa at Village Capital.
Each organization will receive up to US$260,000 to support their efforts, including strengthening their team capacity, organizing workshops for climate-focused ventures, and providing re-grants to startups in their local markets. “We are proud to walk alongside these organizations every step of the way, co-designing tailored accelerator programs for startups in their markets and empowering them to deliver scalable solutions to climate challenges,” Nakami added.
This initiative is set to significantly bolster the capabilities of these ecosystem builders, enabling them to foster sustainable entrepreneurship and address climate challenges across Africa.
