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

100x Impact Accelerator, a global impact accelerator based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), has announced its first-ever cohort of social ventures. This follows a rigorous selection process that commenced in January 2023 when the Accelerator was launched.

The diverse cohort consists of social ventures spanning a range of sectors, geographies, and demographics. These include Afya Pamoja, an innovative healthcare platform raising citizens’ voices to improve healthcare in Tanzania; Darsel, a Jordanian AI-powered solution that helps students to learn mathematics; Gramhal, a tech non-profit that designs digital solutions for agricultural communities in India; Taleemabad, a Pakistani EdTech venture creating higher quality curriculum for schools; Unlocked Labs, a US-based tech training platform for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. The cohort also includes Karya, Labhya, and Rocket Learning, all delivering impact across different sectors in India.

Eighty-seven percent of the selected organisations operate in emerging markets – driving impact where it is needed most, and a significant number of them (75 per cent) are led by visionary female founders or co-founders.

Leslie Labruto, Director of 100x Impact Accelerator, said: “This is a huge milestone for impact start-ups, and we are very pleased to welcome these exceptional ventures to 100x. Our objective is to work closely with these visionary entrepreneurs as they grow into social unicorn organisations. We cannot wait to supercharge these game-changing ventures together with our growing community.”

Leslie added, “For so long, social ventures, particularly those working with underserved communities, have struggled because the playing field for resources and opportunities is simply not levelled. We want to partner with these organisations to unlock their potential and skyrocket their impact to the next level.”

Each organisation will receive £150,000 in capital and be part of a 12-week programme focusing on scale, impact measurement, and fundraising strategies. The Cohort will access bespoke mentorship, world-class research, expertise, and a global network of dynamic thinkers powered by LSE.

Richa Gupta, the Co-founder and CEO of Labhya, one of the selected organisations, said: “This catalytic opportunity from 100x will contribute to a larger movement towards vulnerable children’s quality education and wellbeing worldwide. We are relentless, we are hungry, and we are determined to empower 30 million children as effective learners by 2030, enabling them to overcome poverty-related challenges.”

The programme starts in September 2023 with one week of in-person sessions at LSE. This will be followed by 10 weeks of virtual programming and expert advisory. The Cohort will then showcase their solutions and successes to a network of philanthropists, impact investors, policy advisers and media at an annual Summit Day in London on 28 November 2023.

Photo courtesy of UN Women/Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning Programme.