NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Mercy Corps AgriFin and its partners have long been at the forefront of supporting African Agtech, fintech development, and digital climate-smart agricultural services in the region. Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by technology startups and their investors over the past few years, particularly those aimed at improving the lives of small-scale producers and enhancing rural economies, the commitment remains steadfast. This pivotal moment calls for reflection and support for determined founders and teams striving to make a lasting impact.

What is Solar & Storage Live Cape Town?

Building on years of energy expertise, we proudly introduce an event that’s engineered to capture the essence of South Africa’s energy evolution, focusing on the transformative power of solar energy, cutting-edge battery storage solutions, the forefront of clean energy advancements and disruptive market forces that are propelling South Africa’s energy transition.

Solar & Storage Live is Cape Town’s largest renewable energy exhibition that celebrates the technologies at the forefront of the transition to a greener, smarter, more decentralised energy system.

We are pleased to invite you to the informational webinar on the first-ever Global LEAP Awards competition for solar generators funded by ZE-Gen. ZE-Gen is a collaborative initiative by The Carbon Trust and Innovate UK, with funding from the IKEA Foundation and UK Government via the Transforming Energy Access platform.

During the session, we will:

– Provide an overview of the Competition
– Guidance on eligibility criteria, nomination and administration processes
– Insights into the evaluation framework and timelines
– Live Q&A with Global LEAP Team

Session details:

Date: Wednesday, 15th October 2025

Time: 3:00pm EAT.

Registration link: https://clasp.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T6XqHItzRk2KWHkc1e0fUg

We look forward to your participation.

Transform your big ideas into actionable strategies! You’ll discover the secret to selecting indicators that actually matter—those that capture real change rather than just easy-to-measure outputs.

Learn how to design data collection systems that tell your compelling impact story from day one, while mastering the proven frameworks that leading organizations use to scale their influence and attract funding.

Time: 10:30 PM