Nexus Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that helps founders build product-focused companies. The firm actively partners with founders at inception, seed, or series-A stages and stays involved throughout the company's growth. With $2.6 billion in capital, Nexus invests mainly in enterprise software in the US and digitally-driven businesses in India.

Nexus Venture Partners

GARAGE TECHNOLOGY VENTURES is a seed-stage and early-stage venture capital fund. They invest in entrepreneurial teams seeking to transform big ideas into game-changing companies. They invest in unproven teams attacking unproven markets with unproven solutions. They not interested in teams creating the nth solution to the same old problem nor companies trying to improve things by only 10 or 20 percent.

Garage Technology Ventures

The foundation prioritizes activities and opportunities according to market demand and social impact. With an overwhelming desire to increase the number  of children that have access to quality education, we aim to be both collaborative and catalytic in the education sector.   GMC also seeks to identify social enterprise opportunities for explorative research and development. We employ our established understanding of the dynamics of emerging market environments to co-create programs and deploy early stage equity investments focused on improving the lives of underserved populations. We work closely with our investees and external partners to research and support new concepts and business models that will create positive social impact for these target communities.

Gray Matters Capital

Acumen is a nonprofit venture fund that invests in early-stage companies bringing critical services like agriculture, clean energy, education, financial inclusion, healthcare and workforce development to low-income communities in 14 countries across East and West Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States.  Since 2001, Acumen invested $128 million in 128 companies that have transformed the lives of over 308 million low-income people.

Acumen

Mahindra Rise engages in automotive components, trade, retail and logistics, financial services, information technology, infrastructure development, and after-market sectors in India and internationally. The company has an automotive business that manufactures and markets utility and light commercial vehicles, including two and three-wheelers. Its farm equipment business produces and sells agricultural tractors, sells DG sets and engines, provides supply chain services to retail, export, and domestic markets for fruits, vegetables, and food processing industries, and operates agri centers.

Mahindra Rise

Established in 2010, Mahindra Partners is the private equity & corporate venture capital arm of the Mahindra Group. With assets under management of over USD 1 BN, their current investments span logistics, healthcare and renewables among other sectors. The portfolio and team is placed across India and Silicon Valley in the US. Partners USA invests into early stage, venture backed technology startups and their current US portfolio includes Avaamo and Cloudleaf.

Mahindra Partners

Draper Fisher Jurvetson they are providing capital to technology companies and geographies.

Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, and his wife, Pam, established Omidyar Network based on the belief that every person has the potential to make a difference. Since 2004, they have worked with their partners to create opportunities for people to tap that potential, enabling them to improve their lives and make powerful contributions to their communities.  They support, scale, and champion the work of their partners in order to maximize social impact. As a philanthropic investment firm, they make both investments and grants, identifying like-minded organizations that they support, help scale, and collaborate with to help realize their full potential. Their efforts are organized around two investment initiatives Access to Capital, and Media, Markets and Transparency.

Omidyar Network

Gray Ghost Ventures (GGV) is an impact investment firm dedicated to providing market-based capital solutions to entrepreneurs who are addressing the needs of low-income communities in emerging markets. GGV’s focus areas include: microfinance, social venture investment and affordable private schools.

Gray Ghost Ventures

E3 Capital invests in growing, entrepreneurial businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa addressing the lack of electrification in the region with new technology and innovative business models. The fund is backed by Schneider Electric, the leading energy management multinational, and a number of public-sector investors.

E3 Capital

KawiSafi Ventures is a venture capital firm.

KawiSafi Ventures

Aster is a Venture Capital firm with offices in 4 major innovation hubs: Paris, London, Tel Aviv and San Francisco. Since 2000, they have partnered with more than 60 teams of entrepreneurs that are transforming markets with disruptive offers and technologies. They are always open to exploring new ideas related to mobility, energy and industry sectors that they have been covering until now. They invest in all stages, with a preference for the early phase. They are more than investors and they intend to act as an ally for entrepreneurs by connecting them to a valuable ecosystem of experts, influencers and business leaders. From marketing to executive talent, their commitment to the growth of their portfolio companies as well as the entire venture ecosystem also involves the commitment of their dedicated Operations team, their innovation strategy consulting firm (Aster Fab) and a crowdfunding branch to further expand opportunities (Aster Crowd). Some of their success stories include Solairedirect (acquired by Engie in 2015), Digital Lumens (acquired by Osram in 2017) and Avantium (IPOed in 2017).

Aster

NewQuest is the private equity platform focused on the Asia-Pacific region.  They specialize in providing alternative liquidity solutions to private equity asset owners on a direct and indirect basis. They acquire private equity positions directly through portfolio and single asset transactions and can also partner with incumbent managers to provide liquidity to limited partners. Their transactions are highly tailored in order to address particular objectives of sellers as well as the needs of the incumbent managers and underlying portfolio companies. Working with NewQuest provides a discreet solution, smooth transition, and continued value creation for all stakeholders. NewQuest was established in 2011 from the spin out of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Asian Private Equity team. NewQuest currently manages three funds with aggregate capital commitments of over US$1.25 billion.

NewQuest Capital Partners

Inspired Evolution established in 2007 as a specialised investment business to lead sustainable clean energy and resource efficiency investments across sub-Saharan Africa. Inspired Evolution offers a dedicated, multi-disciplinary, professional investment team with a deep track record targeting superior returns with measured development outcomes.  Inspired Evolution’s investment focus is centered on clean energy and resource efficiency assets. We have demonstrated that capital deployment to investments in this specialised asset class, can generate exceptional returns at the nexus of social equity, ecological integrity and responsible economic growth. This lies at the heart of sustainable investing.  Inspired Evolution’s view is that sustainability is not only everybody’s business as citizens of a rapidly globalising world, but that it will define the future of business and investment decisions.  Inspired Evolution manages Evolution One Fund – its first dedicated, closed-ended third party investment fund. Evolution One Fund makes early stage, expansion and development stage, and later stage or mature equity and equity-related investments primarily for control or significant minority positions in market-leading growth businesses located principally in South and southern Africa.

Inspired Evolution Investment Management

FMO is a financial investment firm that specializes in financing businesses and projects FMO invests across the agribusiness value chain to enhance food security, support sustainability and promoting inclusive development.

Swedfund International AB is a principal investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. The firm does not invest in the Swedish businesses of Swedish companies and in companies that manufacture or sell weapons, tobacco or alcohol. It prefers to invest in seed, start-ups, and mid and late venture in mature and middle market companies. It seeks to provide risk capital in the form of share capital, share options, convertible loans, preference shares, royalty loans, subordinated loans, secured loans, loans, guarantees, and part-financing of leasing agreements. It prefers to invest in emerging markets of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Sweden, as well as the non-European Union countries of Eastern Europe. The firm typically invests between SEK 5 million ($1.33 million) and SEK 100 million ($13.37 million). It seeks to exit its investments between five years and ten years. It does not invest together with private individuals, partnerships, sole trader, or co-operative or similar associations, and does not provide aid in the form of donations, and is also not involved in sponsoring. The firm takes a Board seat in its portfolio companies and seeks to participate in the investment committee for fund investments. The firm is a minority investor and its investments do not exceed one-third of the total investment. Swedfund International AB was founded in 1979 and is based in Stockholm, Sweden with an additional office in Nairobi, Kenya.

Swedfund International

Norfund is an active, strategic minority investor. They offer risk capital and expertise to help building sustainable businesses in poor countries.  Norfund aim to invest in countries where they can have the greatest impact. In countries where the private sector is weak and access to capital is scarce. This is primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, but also in some countries in South East Asia and Central America.

Norfund

Auster Capital Partners (“ACP”) is a Private Equity Firm with a specialization in small and mid-tier companies in high growth markets. ACP’s philosophy is designed to break away from traditional investment strategies and realign the partnership relationship. Our commitment to building and maintaining a strong bond with our investors starts by ensuring an alignment of interests.  At ACP, we are not just fund mangers, but fund investors.  We are committing true “skin-in-the-game”, by not only investing in Fund II directly, but also co-investing into every transaction. At ACP we believe that your success is our success; as investors ourselves, we would not want to have it any other way.

Auster Capital Partners

Proparco is devoted to private sector funding in the sustainable development sector. Proparco participates in the financing and support of companies and financial institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Its action focuses on the key sectors of development: infrastructures with a focus on renewable energies, agro-industry, financial institutions, health, education ... Its interventions are aimed at strengthening the contribution of private actors the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the international community in 2015. Proparco finances companies whose activity contributes to the creation of jobs and decent incomes, the supply of essential goods and services, and the fight against climate change.

Proparco

d.light

D.light is a solar home lighting and power product developer. The company's solar goods, which include lights, radios, televisions, fans, and other home appliances, are rechargeable solar kits, allowing rural and semi-urban people to access solar-powered lighting and appliances. Their products are designed to improve health, increase productivity, and enhance the quality of life for users.

d.light is a global leader in providing sustainable solar energy solutions to low-income families and communities without access to reliable power or financing. The company offers a range of products, including solar lanterns, solar home systems, televisions, radios, and smartphones. d.light's innovative technology replaces traditional kerosene lamps, offering superior quality lighting while providing significant cost savings, improved health and safety, and increased productivity for its customers.

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d.light to Sell Solar Power, Clean Cooking Solutions in Kenya Under KOSAP

d.light is a global leader in providing sustainable solar energy solutions to low-income families and communities without access to reliable power or financing. The company offers a range of products, including solar lanterns, solar home systems, televisions, radios, and smartphones. d.light's innovative technology replaces traditional kerosene lamps, offering superior quality lighting while providing significant cost savings, improved health and safety, and increased productivity for its customers.
As of 2024, d.light has sold over 25 million solar products across 70 different countries, positively impacting the lives of over 173 million people. The company's solar home systems are designed to provide reliable power to households without access to electricity, enabling activities such as studying and working after sundown. d.light's products are designed with a two-year warranty and are certified by VeraSol, ensuring adherence to industry quality standards.
In addition to its solar energy solutions, d.light also offers a Pay As You Go financing model, making its products affordable and accessible to low-income families who may not have access to traditional financing options. The company's vision is to transform the lives of 1 billion people with sustainable products by 2030.

Swell Energy is a provider of virtual power plant (VPP) programs that aggregate and optimize distributed energy resources (DERs) such as rooftop solar and battery storage systems. The company's GridAmp software platform utilizes AI and machine learning to coordinate these DERs across the grid, intelligently meeting fluctuating energy demand. This helps utilities deliver cleaner and more reliable energy to customers while reducing dependence on fossil fuel peaker plants.
Swell partners with utilities, customers, and third-party service providers to create VPPs. Through these programs, customers receive bill savings, compensation (GridRevenue), and enhanced energy security. In return, their solar-powered batteries are integrated into a network that supports grid reliability, stability, and potential cost reductions for utilities.
As of November 2022, Swell had contracted 600 MWh of VPPs across 26,000 energy storage systems in homes and businesses throughout the US. These VPPs provide grid services in utility territories like Hawaii, California, and New York. In Hawaii, Swell's 80 MW VPP helps the utility maximize wind energy utilization by storing excess wind power in customer batteries.
In December 2022, Swell partnered with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to launch a residential VPP program aiming for 20 MWh and 10 MW of renewable capacity initially, with potential to scale up to 54 MWh and 27 MW.
In February 2024, Swell acquired residential and commercial solar installer Renu Energy Solutions, expanding its footprint across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic markets. The combined company aims to drive innovation and provide tailored clean energy solutions through Renu's project development capabilities and Swell's financing and VPP technology.

Swell Energy

ZOLA Electric is a leading emerging market energy technology company that aims to eradicate energy inequality globally. The company's roots trace back to Tanzania, where its founders observed communities lacking access to reliable and affordable energy sources, relying instead on dirty, expensive, and difficult-to-manage forms of energy like diesel, kerosene, and lead-acid batteries.Over a decade ago, ZOLA began by installing smart, connected lithium-ion batteries and solar systems to power basic energy needs such as lighting for rural communities. This approach of deploying networked, connected devices has driven the energy transition in emerging markets. Today, ZOLA has developed the world's first enterprise technology platform, purpose-built for energy access markets, combining a family of products controlled by a single operating system, ZOLA Vision.ZOLA's technology platform enables community-level electrification by facilitating localized solar energy production and providing smart technology with remote management tools. The platform is designed to deliver reliable, affordable, and clean power to the 3 billion people and hundreds of millions of businesses globally that lack access to it.Since its inception in Tanzania, ZOLA has expanded its operations to 10 countries across four continents, delivering affordable, reliable, and clean energy to over 2 million people, along with numerous schools, clinics, and businesses. In December 2022, the company launched its platform in Haiti, partnering with local renewable energy pioneer Haiti Green Solutions to address the country's energy crisis. This marked ZOLA's first market entry into North America.In November 2022, ZOLA commissioned a 120 kWp distributed solar mini-grid system in the Nyagatare district of Rwanda, providing power to over 1,000 homes, businesses, and institutions in the villages of Gakagati I and II. The project, developed using ZOLA's modular INFINITY technology, received support from organizations like Facebook (now Meta), the Shell Foundation, USID, and Endev.

Zola Electric

1KOMMA5° is a carbon-neutral energy systems provider based in Hamburg, Germany. The company offers proprietary energy IoT systems, including "Heartbeat," an intelligent energy management solution that optimizes home energy usage in response to fluctuations in energy prices. This technology allows users to achieve significant cost savings by automatically utilizing renewable energy sources like solar power when electricity prices are lowest.
1KOMMA5° operates a virtual power plant that networks and pools customers' photovoltaic systems, electricity storage, heat pumps, and charging columns, enhancing the profitability and efficiency of these interconnected systems. The company's business model involves investing in electrical sector companies focused on photovoltaic systems, charging infrastructure, and heat pumps, providing them with software solutions, centralized services, bundled purchasing, growth capital, and equity stakes in 1KOMMA5° Holding.
In June 2023, the company acquired the Danish solar company Viasol A/S. As of October 2023, 1KOMMA5° had the capacity to convert 500,000 buildings per year to climate-neutral power generation, heat, and mobility solutions. It operated over 65 sites with around 1,500 employees across Germany, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Denmark, Spain, and Australia.
1KOMMA5° offers a dynamic electricity tariff called "Dynamic Pulse," which guarantees customers the lowest and cleanest electricity at a maximum of 15 cents/kWh for two years. The company's solar modules, produced sustainably in Germany, generate electricity at approximately five cents/kWh, ensuring cost savings and inflation-free energy for over 30 years.

1Komma5°

Bboxx is a UK-founded data-driven platform that provides African consumers with access to innovative products and services, including plug-and-play solar home systems (SHS), solar-powered water pumps, clean cooking solutions, smartphones, and e-mobility solutions. The company utilizes its proprietary fully integrated operating system, Bboxx Pulse, combined with an extensive on-the-ground network to connect customers with these life-changing offerings.Bboxx's core products are solar-powered battery boxes designed for households, enabling users to power small appliances like lights, mobile phones, refrigerators, and computers. The company follows a pay-as-you-go business model, allowing customers to pay for what they use through mobile money, making it affordable for low-income individuals. As of 2020, Bboxx had positively impacted over 3.6 million lives across Africa by providing access to clean energy and other essential products.In September 2022, Bboxx acquired solar home system provider PEG Africa, consolidating its leading position in the market and expanding its geographical footprint to Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Mali, bringing its total operating markets to 10 countries. As of 2023, Bboxx's products were actively used by over 643,000 people, resulting in better lighting, improved connectivity, and the mitigation of more than 65,000 tCO2e emissions through the replacement of kerosene lanterns and other fuels.In March 2022, Bboxx launched the Flexx product line, consisting of a portable solar lantern and a multi-light system with charging ports, aimed at serving rural customers at the bottom of the energy pyramid in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bboxx

Aquion Energy was a Pennsylvania-Washington D.C. based company that manufactured proprietary Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI) batteries and energy storage systems. These saltwater batteries used sodium ions and employed widely available materials like carbon, cotton, saltwater, and manganese oxide as the primary inputs. Aquion's technology was optimized for stationary and long-duration daily cycling applications such as off-grid systems, microgrids, energy management, and grid-scale energy storage. The non-toxic and safe nature of the batteries, combined with their ability to be fully discharged without harm, made them suitable for renewable energy integration and reduced reliance on fossil fuels. Aquion aimed to provide low-cost and sustainable energy storage solutions.
In March 2017, after facing financial difficulties, Aquion Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and ceased operations, sales, and manufacturing. The company was subsequently acquired by a Chinese-affiliated entity, Juline-Titans LLC, for USD 9 million in June 2017. Following the acquisition, Aquion closed its Pennsylvania plant in September 2017 and reportedly moved operations to China with the new owners intending to scale up by targeting larger commercial clients.

Aquion Energy

Companies that develop advanced energy generation technologies for houses (mostly solar).

Companies that develop battery storage solutions for home use.

Companies that develop real-time energy usage and efficiency monitoring solutions and generate energy reports. Includes companies that offer demand management solutions to monetize excess capacity.

Companies that offer water leak detection sensor systems and smart sprinkler systems.

Companies that assist home improvements (related to energy optimization) by bearing the upfront cost and charging users monthly fees based on energy usage.

Uses AI/ML to monitor and provide recommendations on energy and water usage

Focuses on achieving sustainability through renewable energy, saving and storing excess energy, etc.

d.light

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