Village Capital
Village Capital is a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm founded in 2009 that focuses on early-stage and seed investments in sectors such as agriculture, education, energy, financial services, and healthcare. The firm aims to empower entrepreneurs by employing a unique peer-support model, allowing entrepreneurs to select the ventures that receive pre-committed seed funding at the conclusion of its programs. Village Capital connects high-potential entrepreneurs with essential resources, fostering innovation and growth. It operates both a nonprofit that provides training for founders and a for-profit investment fund that invests in top program graduates, having supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs and more than 550 enterprises across various global regions. The firm has achieved notable success, with its alumni generating significant revenue and creating thousands of jobs, while maintaining a high recommendation rate among participants.
Mazima Retirement Plan engages in helping those working in the formal sector save for retirement.
Ensibuuko is a Ugandan startup that develops cloud-based micro-finance software tailored for community-level financial entities across Africa. Founded in 2014, the company focuses on providing banking solutions specifically designed for the unique financial landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa. Ensibuuko's platform enables users to access their accounts via mobile devices, allowing them to check balances, make deposits, and withdraw funds conveniently. This innovation aims to enhance financial inclusion and streamline banking services in underserved communities.
Patasente is a factoring platform aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), traders, and farmers. The platform facilitates access to credit, allowing users to purchase and pay for goods on favorable terms. Through its web and mobile applications, as well as a durable payment card, Patasente enables users to manage transactions effectively both in physical stores and online. By offering these services, the platform helps farmers, warehouses, and factories enhance their earnings, lower expenses, and improve cash flow.
LipaMobile’s Xuldime service is an integrated cashless platform for parents, school administrators, and school canteen vendors and suppliers to pay for school fees, supplies and services. The product is aimed at parents with no fixed earnings for whom lump sum payments of school fees can be difficult. It also offers a savings platform where parents can periodically load money and set payment dates for direct deposits into the school’s bank account.
ARED Group, founded in 2013 and based in Kigali, Rwanda, operates as a technology company focused on providing social benefits through its innovative solar kiosk, application, and software platform. This platform offers essential services such as Internet Wi-Fi, intranet solutions for offline users, phone charging services, airtime, mobile money, prepaid electricity, and tax payment options. ARED Group aims to enhance access to digital services for low-income individuals, particularly women and people with disabilities, by minimizing internet costs through a mini-server network that stores applications closer to users. The company has expanded its operations to Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast, with plans for growth into Senegal and Nigeria. With approximately 142 kiosks serving around 150,000 unique customers annually and processing over 500,000 digital transactions, ARED Group also provides smart data and content management solutions for business clients, helping them to optimize their networks and enhance customer engagement.
EDOM is a Kenya-based fortified flour and enriched porridge producer mitigating malnutrition in Sub-Sarahan Africa through a BoP-targeted sales strategy. The business has achieved a 68% revenue CAGR since inception, 4-fold net margin increase in 2013, and has a 4,000+ smallholder farmer network in Uganda and Kenya. With I-DEV support, EDOM has engaged a leading global impact investor to secure the first tranche of a multi-stage investment which will be used to provide WC and M&E financing to double production and extend BoP outreach.