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

Black Women-Led Infrastructure Investor Launches in South Africa

The firm’s immediate focus will be on delivering public-private partnership projects across sectors including social infrastructure, healthcare, etc.

Source

African Business (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Investing

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

infrastructure, partnerships

Female-Led First Circle Capital Raises $10.9 Million for Pan-African Fintech Fund

The fund is dedicated to investing in early-stage fintech startups across Africa.

Source

Launch Base Africa (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Finance, Investing, Technology

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

fintech, startups, venture capital

Japanese VCs Launch USD $20 Million Early-Stage Startup Fund for Africa & MENA

The fund will invest in four key sectors: finance, mobility, distribution, and sustainability. Furthermore, it will focus on areas such as mobile payments, microlending, digital retail, logistics, and agri-tech.

Source

WAYA Media (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Investing

Region

North Africa & Near East

Tags

agtech, digital payments, distribution, e-mobility, financial inclusion, impact investing, microfinance, startups, venture capital

Degas Limited Pledges $100 Million to Make Ghana Africa’s First AI-Powered Agricultural Hub

Degas’ platform combines AI-driven satellite monitoring and agriculture techniques. The results, according to Makiura, are drawing strong interest from Japanese investors.

Source

TechAfrica News (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Agriculture, Investing, Technology

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

agtech, artificial intelligence, smallholder farmers

Women, Wealth and Climate Resilience: The Transformative Power of Asset Creation in Africa

Climate vulnerability is a key factor behind the challenges facing women and girls in Africa. Yet as Jo Opot at Gather Ventures explains, the impact of investments aimed at building their climate resilience often fades too quickly, as poverty and tradition pull them back into household and caregiving duties. She argues that this problem represents a failure to address underlying power dynamics, and proposes a critical yet often overlooked solution — asset creation — exploring how it can advance both climate resilience and the quality of life for women and girls.

Categories

Environment, Investing

Tags

climate change, gender equality, impact investing, women entrepreneurs

500 Global and UNDP Launch New Innovation Programs to Boost Africa’s Ecosystem

The launch is the latest in a series of firm actions to reinforce support for the African venture ecosystem.

Source

UNDP (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Investing

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

business development, development finance, global development, innovation, poverty alleviation, SDGs, startups, venture capital

54 Collective, Formerly Founders Factory Africa, Shuts Down Venture Studio Amid Mastercard Foundation Dispute

54 Collective, the venture firm formerly known as Founders Factory Africa, has shut down its venture studio operations as its partnership with the Mastercard Foundation ended in legal action.

Source

Disrupt Africa (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Investing

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

agtech, business development, healthcare technology, NGOs, partnerships, scale, startups, venture capital

Miller Center Capital Supports Altitud to Expand Economic Opportunities for Women in Mexico

For more than a decade, Altitud has provided affordable credit to women who are starting sewing enterprises, which is often their first step toward financial independence.

Source

Miller Center for Global Impact (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Investing, Social Enterprise

Region

Global

Tags

financial inclusion, impact investing, lending, microfinance, MSMEs, women entrepreneurs