15.11.2023

AVPA - African Venture Philanthropy Alliance launches their bi-annual Publication “The Africa Advantage” and our colleague Eddie Sembatya has been a lead contributor. Proodos is proud to be allied with the AVPA as a member and through active participation of our team in the activities on the ground and at editorial level.

AVPA is an ecosystem builder and a network of social investors collaborating to increase the flow of capital mobilised and deployed for impact across Africa. AVPA is both the leading impact investing network and the only network in Africa that brings together social investors across the entire Continuum of Capital, i.e. Grants, Debt, or Equity, as well as deployers of intellectual and human capital. Their mission is to increase the flow of capital into African social investments and foster its effective deployment for maximum impact.

They envision an African continent where collaborative and effective social investment results in exponential social impact and achievement of the SDGs.

Here is a link to the first publication.

Congratulations AVPA and Eddie!

17.05.2023

Our very own Dr. Vasiliki Kiparoglou is invited by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Tackling Loneliness and Connected Communities as a subject matter expert to attend in the Houses of Parliament and hear from representatives from youth organisations and the Minister for Loneliness, Stuart Andrew to discuss the issue of youth loneliness.

Panellists:

• Tracey Crouch MP, Co-Chair of the APPG for Tackling Loneliness & Connected Communities

• Kim Leadbeater MP, Co-Chair of the APPG for Tackling Loneliness & Connected Communities

• Stuart Andrew MP, Minister for Loneliness

• Georgia Toman, Young Leaders at the Mental Health Foundation

• Molly Taylor, Youth Leadership Group at UK Youth

Our overall work in youth empowerment and supporting mental health initiatives in the UK and Africa continues!

April 2023

We were very proud and extremely gratified to be invited by the Italian Ambassador to attend a closed group event on April 28, 2023 at the Claridge’s Hotel in London, followed by a reception at the Embassy of Italy. Proodos was among a distinct group of actors from the City of London to be invited by his Hon. Ambassador Inigo Lambertini to discuss climate resilience, sustainable food security and renewable energy with the Italian Prime minister Giorgia Meloni and the Minister of agriculture, food sovereignty and forestry Francesco Lollobrigida alongside the UK Secretary of State James Cleverly. We got a chance to explain about the work of Proodos Capital in Subsaharan Africa around climate smart agriculture, food security, healthcare and renewable energy and the Enterprise Development work that we do alongside our partners Finding XY and Thinkroom/Grindstone.

The European Union in general, and Italy in particular, have a vested interest to stabilise global food supply chains and thereby mitigate (or stop) climate displacement and provide sustainable livelihoods for the local population in Africa. We anticipate continued support by the current and future administrations in the EU and Italy around funding opportunities for our Fund and investment opportunities into infrastructure and growth projects in Africa.

April 2023

Kick-off Meeting UK-South Africa Investor Groups @The Conduit London:

We were invited by Ventures 54 to an intimate lunch with fellow UK-Africa ecosystem building investors. We discussed:

• How as UK based SA Investors can do more within the UK community to promote, champion and drive promotion of SA investment opportunities. 

• What role can technical assistance funding from Governments and DFI's (traditional geared toward capacity building for founders) be reshaped to help investors on the continent.

• What more can initiatives like Founder 2 Funders (see below) do in the future to support founders and investors. 

This lunch is part of a wider iniaitive called Founder 2 Funder (F2F) which is a Connection Initiative (pilot) that has been designed to build and strengthen international investment corridors between the UK and startup ecosystems across Africa. Powered by the UK South Africa Tech Hub, Founder 2 Funder (F2F) aims to connect foreign investors who are actively or looking to start deploying capital in Africa to  founders in South Africa that are actively looking to raise a Pre-Seed to Series A round of funding. 

March 2023

Proodos (Antonio Potenza) joins as a judge in the 2022-2023 RSA Student Design Awards. With it, the aim is to unlock the potential in human, social, and natural capital to achieve a more resilient, rebalanced, and regenerative future for all.

Proodos, alongside other reputable judges peers will look into challenges of “Tomorrow’s Menu” and evaluate briefs and projects that will respond to how might we promote new relationships to food that are more secure, regenerative and culturally appropriate?

The RSA – Royal Society of the Arts, manufacturers, and commerce (https://www.thersa.org) was established in 1754 at a central London Cafe by a group of people who were determined to find practical and creative ways to address big, complex issues and put their own dissatisfaction into action. They joined forces and advocated for the new mindset and hopeful ideas that addressed the challenges of their time. Today, centuries later, it continues to build on that determination and do the same.

The RSA Student Design Awards is a global competition that challenges students to apply their skills and creativity to tackle today’s most pressing social and environmental issues.

The competition is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled at any higher education institution, college, or university anywhere in the world. New graduates can also enter within a year of graduating, and we accept entries from individuals and teams.

Responses to eight open briefs can come from any discipline or combination of disciplines, and can take any form - from product, communication, and service proposals to spatial and environmental solutions. Submissions will be evaluated per brief by a curated panel of judges against the judging criteria in a two-stage process: shortlisting and interviews. As judges, we will work to support a more diverse design community and better equip the next generation of changemakers. We highlight the urgency to address these challenges collectively, to collaborate amongst disciplines, engage with different perspectives, and to bring to life proposals that are positive for people and planet for the long term.

The 2022-23 briefs are brought to you by a combination of programme donors, headline, and supporting partners:

Programme donors

Aviva, East Sussex Healthy Ageing through Inovation in Rural Europe (HAIRE) project funded through Interreg 2 Seas and the EU’s European Regional Development Fund, Energy Systems Catapult, Kew, Marketing Trust, and Legacy Funds to the RSA.

Headline partners

frog, Network Rail, Sky, and Spotify

Supporting partners

Design Council, Natracare, Waitrose & Partners, and RSA Events.

Global bursary

The RSA SDA team continues to work to update the methods, criteria, and judging process of the competition to create a more equitable and inclusive process for applicants globally. Since 2020, the team has offered a global needs-based bursary fund which covers the entry fee for applicants outside of the United Kingdom who would otherwise be unable to

participate. This bursary will be offered again in the 2023 cycle.

March 03, 2023 marked the start of Finding XY operations Kenya. We signed a partnership agreement with Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV) that will see us collaborate on our programs in the country. We thank Victor Ndiege for being the visionary leader that he is. Our goal at Finding XY is to create opportunities for entreprenuers. Eddie and Victor and the wider FXY/Proodos Team share the aspiration to improve the quality of Business advisory provided to enterprises and deploying more capital in the East African ecosystem.

Proodos Capital is appointed to deliver Enterprise Support in the Women in Agriculture Impact Investment Facility

The WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE IMPACT INVESTMENT FACILITY (WAII) is funded by USAID Feed the Future and is delivered in Partnership with Finding XY

This facility supports female led Agri-SMEs in Uganda to develop business skills and access financing.

•Coaching female founders to improve investment readiness 

•Offers a risk guarantee mechanism to impact investors 

•Supports enterprises in deal structuring 

•Available to enterprises seeking to raise debt and equity investment with a minimum turnover of US$ 100K 

Proodos delivers Enterprise support in reviewing Investor Documents, Investment Planning, Investment Management and Pitch Training, and pitching to selected investors.

Proodos and Finding XY are mandated to deliver Enterprise Support Assignment for AECF - The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

The SEED FOR IMPACT PROGRAMME funded by Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)  and delivered by Proodos in partnership: Finding XY, CIDR Pamiga provides business advisory, investment support and technical support. 

The Seeds for Impact Program investee companies are in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique and our mandate includes

•Enterprise Assessment and framework to track action plans 

•Business development support 

•Coaching to improve governance, organisational management and investment readiness 

•Investor pitching 

We are honoured and proud to be appointed for such an important mandate by one of the leading Development Funding Agencies in Africa.

Showcasing the work of Proodos Capital and Fund4Impact at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster alongside LSTM - Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

It was with great pleasure and honour that we attended the launch of the LSTM’s 125 years fund raiser campaign at the Houses of Parliament and had the opportunity to talk about our work in Food Security and Renewable Energy in emerging markets with HRH the Princess Royal.

Proodos Capital is forming a strategic alliance with Finding XY!

Proodos Capital and Finding XY form a strategic alliance to better serve the African Entrepreneurial Ecosystem!

Finding XY runs innovative programs to provide investment and capacity building to MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa who are focused on achieving UN SDG goals in their respective sectors. MSMEs access quality business advisory services and low risk capital to scale and realise environmental and social impacts. Finding XY provides on-the-ground monitoring, market studies and steering of each enterprise to meet investor objectives, impact and financial returns.

The two organizations have agreed a strategic partnership and alliance to operate and cooperate in the territory to develop joint market presence around portfolio development aligned with Proodos' Theory of Change and Investment Thesis, conduct Due Diligence, Project & Portfolio management, local enterprise training, and act as the team on the ground forportfolio monitoring, governance and regulatory reporting and to co-invest alongside each other. Finding XY's strong local presence in key markets and core skill development and capacity building proves a strong and solid foundation for Proodos' investments and safe and healthy returns to the Limited Partners and Business owners.

Proodos Capital and Thinkroom/Grindstone form a strategic collaboration in Africa

About Thinkroom:

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a critical role in the creation of jobs in many countries across the world. For an investment to contribute to Africa’s long-term development and growth, the continent’s investment environment must be clearly defined, with a focus on, and attention given to the position of SMEs.
Their extensive network and hands-on approach provide us with the unique opportunity to truly make an impact both for individuals and for Africa as a whole. The research-centric and systematic approach empowers us to aid a diverse assortment of businesses, helping them to grow their SME base productively and sustainably in order to have a positive impact on the broader African economy.

About Grindstone:

Grindstone is a structured entrepreneurship development programme that assists high-growth innovation-driven companies to get the fundamental building blocks in place to scale quickly and become sustainable and fundable.
Grindstone programmes typically select the top twenty innovative scaleups to provide them with knowledge, networks and funding readiness through growth measurement, gap analysis and deep interventions designed to build a foundation for growth. They transfer skills, create relevant business networks and enable these companies to take advantage of market access opportunities. They run programmes for both Cape Town and Johannesburg cohorts.

Grindstone Ventures

Grindstone Ventures is a female-led post-seed fund that invests post-seed equity and quasi-equity Investments in early-stage innovation-driven and/or technology companies with strong intellectual property and evident growth potential, with the aim of delivering capital growth and sustainable cash yields over the long term. You have to be a Grindstone alumni or current cohort participant to apply.

Proodos and Fund4Impact sign the EU Pact for Skills Initiative with the EU Commission.

The Pact for Skills is one of the flagship actions of the European Skills Agenda. 

The Pact aims to support public and private organisations with upskilling and reskilling, so they can thrive through the green and digital transitions. Members of the Pact have access to knowledge on upskilling and reskilling needs, advice on relevant funding instruments to boost the skills of adults in their regions and countries, andvpartnership opportunities within a growing community.

We are very proud and pleased to join this strategic partnership and engagement with one of the European Agencies for Enterprise Development

Our Sister company Fund4Impact secures funding from Innovate UK under their Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) as well as Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Facilities from the UK GOVERNMENT.

SBRI is responsible for some of the most exciting and innovative projects that have made the public sector more efficient and effective. The initiative was used to support the government’s clean recovery from COVID-19 plans, with over £48.6 million invested in supporting the most innovative ideas delivered by Innovate UK.

The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) aims to deliver net zero at lowest cost to consumers and support innovative businesses to grow and scale. This can include decarbonising gas and electric energy distribution, transmission networks and benefit the consumer. We developed an MVP for a digital Entrepreneurial ecosystem (digital platform / FinTech) to connect early stage innovators with appropriate and adequate funding (donations, philanthropic giving and Development Finance Investments). The Platform provides access to organisations with a clear mandate to address at least one of the SDGs in an attempt to address the UK Governments Net Zero Growth Strategy. We worked alongside our partners from EVPA (European Venture Philanthropy Association) and Oxford University Innovation Hub (OUI) and jointly also developed an early stage screening tool called the Impact Mapper.

Congratulations to our Fund4Impact Team!