Open Capital

🚨 22 days left to the close of the first Call for Applications for the Seed Lab initiative. Don’t miss out, apply today! The Seed Lab aims to support #AgriSMEs under the African Development Bank Group’s Agri-Food SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism’s (ACFM) Technical Assistance Window, delivered through Open Capital’s Agri-SME Support Program. Join over 140 agri-SMEs from 20+ countries as we dive deep into your business model, refine growth strategies, and prepare you to access finance and have deeper impact in your markets. For example, you will learn how to develop a market-oriented value proposition and a winning strategy to strengthen and scale your business.   Learn more about the Seed Lab initiative here, and apply: https://lnkd.in/dUd9PSUT   #AfDB #OCA #ACFM #ACFMSL #AgriSMEs #Africa

Join Open Capital’s Senior Project Leader, Remy Olsen, at the Africa Impact Summit this week! Remy will be part of a panel discussion titled "Catalyzing Impact: Harnessing Catalytic Capital for Social Impact in Africa" and will speak about Open Capital's experience in helping catalyze patient and catalytic capital in the market and key characteristics needed in catalytic capital to help increase the successes of these investments. #AfricaImpactSummit24 #ImpactInvesting #InnovativeFinance #CatalyticCapital #AVPA

🚨 25 days left until the close of the first Call for Applications for the Seed Lab initiative. Don’t miss out, apply today!   The Seed Lab aims to support #AgriSMEs under the African Development Bank Group’s Agri-Food SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism’s (ACFM) Technical Assistance Window, delivered through Open Capital’s Agri-SME Support Program.   Join over 140 agri-SMEs from 20+ countries as we dive deep into your business model, refine growth strategies, and prepare you to access finance and have a deeper impact in your markets. For example, you will learn about the different sources of funding available to you, funder preferences, expectations, and decision-making criteria, and how to secure the financing your business needs.    Learn more about the Seed Lab initiative by visiting our website, and apply: https://lnkd.in/dUd9PSUT #AfDB #OCA #ACFM #ACFMSL #AgriSMEs #Africa

Are you eager to make impact and drive transformative change? We are looking for dynamic and ambitious recent graduates to join our team as #Analysts in #Kenya, #Zambia, and #Senegal. This will be an exciting opportunity to work with a diverse team driven towards a great vision and impact work across #SubSaharanAfrica. You will have access to continuous learning opportunities, mentorship from senior team members, growth in your professional network, and exposure to various sectors during projects/assignments. Learn more here and apply: https://lnkd.in/db_DrD6B

Open Capital is proud to have supported the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA), an innovative results-based financing programme managed by Nefco - the Nordic Green Bank. With funding from #Denmark, #Germany, #Norway, and #Sweden, BGFA supports off-grid energy companies across #SubSaharanAfrica, focusing on solar home systems, mini-grids, productive use of energy (PUE), and battery rental value chains.   BGFA contracted Open Capital to assess the programme's capital mobilisation efforts, emphasizing the role of private capital. Our findings highlight BGFA's catalytic impact on portfolio companies, enabling them to scale operations, improve revenue, boost credibility, and attract further investment.   BGFA’s EUR 126 million funding commitment has been instrumental in advancing energy access across Sub-Saharan Africa. By April 2024, 20 companies in the BGFA portfolio had mobilized EUR 80.6 million in additional financing, mainly from private international sources, underscoring BGFA's significant contribution to financial mobilisation. Learn more in this blog post that also highlights 4 potential avenues for addressing the funding challenge ahead: https://lnkd.in/dgB65CvK Nefco - the Nordic Green Bank | Sida Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark | Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation | KfW | Power Africa | NIRAS International Consulting | REEEP - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership Lornah Gacheri Mutegi, F.A., Duda Slawek, Chileshe Lungu, Vidur Dhingra, and Jason Gikonyo

Open Capital, Shell Foundation, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), are proud to have conceptualized, designed and set-up the Energy Access Institutions Facility (EAIF), a $25m initiative set to drive transformational change in the Distributed Renewable Energy sector by supporting Market Institutions with essential funding and technical assistance. Learn more about the facility here: https://lnkd.in/dtxbemfb

Announcement: Launch of the Seed Lab’s first Call For Applications The Seed Lab is a key initiative to support #agriSMEs under the African Development Bank Group’s Agri-Food SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism’s (ACFM) Technical Assistance Window, delivered through Open Capital’s Agri-SME Support Program. The deadline for the first Call for Applications is Monday, 5th of August at 6pm GMT; applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. Unlock your Agri-SME's potential with the Seed Lab, a comprehensive, cohort-based capacity building initiative crafted by the African Development Bank and Open Capital. Leveraging decades of experience supporting Agri-SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa, this exclusive ~3-month program is designed to propel your business forward. Join over 140 agri-SMEs from 20+ countries as we dive deep into your business model, refine growth strategies, and prepare you to access finance and have deeper impact in your markets. Led by industry leaders, the Seed Lab equips you with essential skills in strategic planning, financial management, business operations, and leadership, to support sustainable growth and measurable impact. To be eligible for the Seed Lab, your business must meet the following criteria: ➡ Geographic location: Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, or Nigeria ➡ Sector: Agribusinesses operating in food system value chains, and supporting ecosystem players, e.g., agricultural producers, input & equipment providers, processors, marketplaces, Ag-tech businesses, etc... ➡ 2023 annual revenues: US $100,000-$500,000 ➡ Number of full-time employees: 5-50 ➡ Capital raise target: US $50,000-$750,000 ➡ Gender and climate integration: Prioritization will be given to SMEs with integrated gender-inclusive and climate-resilient practices For more information visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dUd9PSUT #AfDB #OpenCapital #ACFM #ACFMSL #AgriSMEs #Africa

Ahead of #WorldMSMEDay, we celebrate the pivotal role #MSMEs play in Africa’s food systems. MSMEs play a key role in inclusive growth and food security, in many ways, also creating market linkages for smallholder farmers, who make up 60% of the workforce and contribute over 80% of domestic food production. At Open Capital, we are committed to empowering African Agri-SMEs! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dBxZ76XZ #MissingMiddle | #WorldMSMEDay | #FoodSecurity | #AgriSMEs | Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN)

🌟 Discover why top leaders across our network invest their capital and expertise in the #MissingMiddle, and why you should too! Read the wise words of: Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director at International Trade Centre Liz Wilson, Deputy CEO at Small Foundation Atul Tandon, CEO at Opportunity International Neil Edward Wood, Partner at Open Capital Chris Isaac, Chief Investment Officer at AgDevCo Ayodeji Balogun, Group CEO at AFEX 👉 Explore their approaches here: https://lnkd.in/dp5CsCMy

📣 With #WorldMSMEDay around the corner, our network of institutions is raising its collective voice about the enterprises that move food from farm to fork across the globe everyday. 🥗 Sometimes referred to as the #MissingMiddle, these businesses are often overlooked by the financial institutions that can fund their growth. Follow #MissingMiddle and click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eyEKyfQs Discover the partners of the #MissingMiddle : International Trade Centre, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), AGRA, Argidius Foundation, Palladium: Make It Possible, AFEX, SCOPEinsight, AgriGRADE, Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, Small Foundation, Heifer International, Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF), AgDevCo, TechnoServe, Opportunity International, Samawati Capital Partners, MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates)