Notes from a changing world...
February 2022
This is one of the best times to invest in Africa and more and more investors across the globe are gaining an understanding of this and thus deploying funds through private capital across the continent.
  1. Despite an influx of investment into the continent, it is usually done very traditionally and methodically and mainly towards a handful of sectors. In addition to that, the capital is funneled to startup and early-stage companies in the form of venture capital or private equity.
  2. There is inadequate liquidity due to limited existence. Because the exit value chain in emerging markets is not fully developed, there are limited exit opportunities for Early Stage VCs due to an inadequately developed late-stage VC/PE ecosystem. This is because there are limited large local firms looking for a market for acquisitions and illiquid public markets make it difficult for late-stage VC/PE firms to exit.
  3. There is a significant shortage of growth capital for businesses looking to raise non-dilutive cash-flow-based funding for expansion, such as debt. As a result, companies that have validated their business models and are poised for growth are stagnating and unable to raise growth capital best suited to their needs, leading to erosion of value for early-stage investors.
  4. Therefore, due to the limited number and range of investors in most emerging markets and because businesses need a blend of equity, quasi-equity, and debt, there is an increasing need for fund managers to invest across the capital structure of a business. Moreover, self-redeeming instruments can address the liquidity constraints while equity and equity-like instruments can provide the ‘kicker’ to enhance the fund return.
  5. Given the relatively small market sizes and challenges in raising capital, businesses in emerging markets take longer to scale up. This means that the traditional fund life terms may not be best suited for emerging markets and that there is a need for funds with long life terms.
CELEBRATIONS
Aavishkaar Capital in partnership with KfW launched the “ESG First Fund”
worth $250 million dollars.
Happening in the Ecosystem
Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
The ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) is an international accelerator for hardware-led social innovation. ISHOW is open to individuals and organizations who are focused on creating hardware solutions with positive social and/or environmental impact. 
To leverage innovative solutions, GIIF is organizing an agriculture Insuretech innovation challenge to be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2022 alongside the Sankalp Africa 2022 Summit. Through the Africa AgTech & Inclusive Insurance Challenge, GIIF will celebrate and support young entrepreneurs who are working at the intersection of agriculture, insurance, climate, and gender to build resilience for smallholder farmers.
Sankalp will facilitate a Deal Room at the Sankalp Africa Summit 2022, exclusively for impact businesses that are looking to raise capital. The Deal Room is a platform that will connect high-potential companies with angel investors, venture capital, and private equity companies to help them raise capital and accelerate their growth.
Sankalp is facilitating a Female Founders' Showcase at the Sankalp Africa Summit 2022, exclusively for women-founded businesses that are looking to raise capital. The showcase will connect high potential Female Founders' companies with angel investors, venture capital, and private equity companies to help them raise capital and accelerate their growth.
This is for all the game-changing female entrepreneurs of Sub-Saharan Africa! Is your innovation driving positive change by bringing better health and nutrition to everyone? Harvest a healthier future by applying for the Bayer Foundation Women Empowerment Award 2022. Lace up your gloves, Get in the Ring, and grab the spotlight for a chance to win €25,000!
This initiative will support innovative startups with scalable business and dignified job-creating models by providing them financial capacity building and go-to-market support.
Always wanted to start your organization that makes a difference? You know what change society needs, Kanthari gives you the tools. Kanthari provides a 12-month scholarship-based training, equipping leaders with tools required to create social impact.
The Keeling Curve team is looking for projects with a proven track record of taking greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere. They’ve developed five categories, each one addressing a specific sector of climate innovation. They will award $25,000 to two projects in each category annually.
ERA gives you a chance to grow your business with the help of their operating partners and mentors.
Events/Webinars
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
Register for the Africa AgTech and inclusive insurance challenge information session and live Q&A. This session is for enterprises that are working at the intersection of agriculture, insurance, climate, and gender to build resilience for smallholder farmers. Register Now
Thursday, February 10th, 2022
Join us for the ASME ISHOW Information Session on February 10 at 9 am EST. Learn about the ISHOW approach, how to apply, and how to get involved. Register Now
Tuesday to Friday, March 1st - 4th, 2022
Register for the Sankalp Africa Summit 2022. The Sankalp Africa Summit is the region’s largest annual inclusive development platform focused on entrepreneurship and impact investing. Join over 1,200 stakeholders entrepreneurs, investors, entrepreneur support organizations and other sustainable development practitioners from across the ecosystem. Expect the best content coming from sub-Saharan Africa, and premier networking opportunities. This year, Sankalp will be an unconventional hybrid event on March 1-4, 2022. Don’t miss out! Register Now
Wednesday and Thursday, March 9-10, 2022
The ICTforAg 2022 Conference will take place virtually from March 9-10, 2022, and convene the leading stakeholders from the agri-tech and agri-food space across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The conference will explore how data, technologies, & digital innovations are remaking the agri-food space around the world, and what collectively we can do to ensure the potential of digital technologies benefits all market actors and countries. Register Now
Resources
Most impact investors report meeting or exceeding their impact performance metrics, but is this truly the case? Read more
In October 2021, Intellecap and MIT D-Lab teamed up to organize the Co-design Sprint: Towards gender inclusive investment practices. The sprint addressed co-design challenges from six impact investors: Aavishkaar, UC Impact, Acumen, Villgro, Omidyar India, and Accion Venture Lab, who were in the process of exploring how to develop more inclusive gender investing practices. Learn more
A Business Case for a circular textiles economy. The potential of the circular economy continues to grow in the Textile & Apparel industry. Brands are increasingly looking to adopt circular business models however there are many real and perceived barriers associated with their adoption. Learn more
How to generate sustainable revenues by contributing to positive social and environmental change. Ways of thinking, being and working which contribute to the paradigm shift for a green, fair and healthy world. Read more
Jobs
GrowthAfrica is looking for new team members with the passion and experience in supporting Ethiopian entrepreneurs grow and scaling their businesses. They are looking for talented and experienced new colleagues interested in joining one of Africa's leading accelerators and entrepreneur support organizations on a mission to accelerate economic growth and job creation through entrepreneurship. Apply Now

myAgro is seeking a Regional Growth Manager to develop and execute expansion strategies to achieve myAgro’s goal of reaching 1 million small-scale farmers by 2025. Apply Now

Global Communities is seeking a Technical Advisor to join their Technical Excellence Learning, Innovation, and Impact team. This position may be based at any of their Global Communities offices. They are also open to considering a fully remote arrangement. Apply Now
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Sankalp Forum was initiated in India in 2009 by Intellecap, part of the Aavishkaar Group, to create a thriving ecosystem for business-led inclusive development. Over the past 10 years, Sankalp has built one of the world's largest impact enterprise focused platforms that has showcased and discovered 1800+ entrepreneurs, through 25 editions and has connected them to 600+ investors. Sankalp has enabled enterprises and entrepreneurs and has helped raise over USD 270 million in funding and disbursed over USD 870,000 in cash grants. Sankalp Forum engages with Governments, Corporations, influential platforms like the G8 and G20, media and civil society to drive a paradigm shift in inclusive development approaches.