Inaugural Green Pioneer Accelerator produces over $15m of investment deals in South Africa.
The Green Pioneer Accelerator is gearing up for its inaugural graduation that will showcase 21 entrepreneurs. These innovative companies will present to investors and strategic partners at two closed Venture Forums on Tuesday, June 9th in Nairobi, Kenya and on Thursday, June 11th in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Green Pioneer Accelerator focused on early stage enterprises contributing innovative solutions to environmental issues such as climate change, energy insecurity, loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems. Over the past four months Impact Amplifier, GrowthAfrica, VC4Africa and Hivos offered the Green Pioneer Accelerator programme to selected businesses, taking them from ‘market proof’ to ‘ready for investment’. Twenty one committed entrepreneurs were selected for the programme in Kenya and South Africa.
See an overview of all the companies below, and click on the company name for the company’s venture profile:
The ten entrepreneurs who graduated from the Impact Amplifier hosted programme in South Africa are:
1. Savvy Loo – a waterless sanitation and bio-energy solution for rural areas and temporary settlements
2. SolarTurtle bringing electricity to off-grid communities with woman-run franchises
3. Lady Bonin’s Tea sourcing organic, sustainably farmed tea from across South Africa
4. Mellowcabs providing electric mini-cab taxis
5. Mechanical Concrete using waste car tyres to build roads greener, faster and cheaper
6. Project Solaris providing a novel biofuel feedstock crop for aviation fuel
7. Shakti Energy offering a pedal powered generator for recharging lights and electronics to off-grid informal settlements
8. MySmartFarm a one-stop-shop solution for farmer’s data on one cloud platform and user friendly interface
9. Botanica Natural Products producing natural ingredients from indigenous African plans for the skin-care and cosmetic industry
10. PhytoPro producing plant based protein products made from peas, for consumer and medical consumption
The eleven entrepreneurs who graduated from the GrowthAfrica hosted programme in Kenya are:
1. Kencoco Limited producing charcoal briquettes from biomass material
2. Boma Safi Limited selling affordable solar products, clean cook stoves and briquettes to rural households
3. Green Pencils Limited making customized pencils and ball pens from old newspapers
4. Skynotch Energy Africa running a mini-hydro power generation plant and distributing solar energy tools
5. Strauss Energy enabling home owners and companies to earn income from power generating photovaltaic roofing tiles
6. Plexus Energy Limited distributing off grid power solutions such solar lighting, solar water heating and UPS systems for network masts
7.Cobitech Solar Limited providing solar kits on loan to rural poor households for repayment within one year
8. Afrisol Energy Limited using biogas digesters to produce clean and cheaper energy for institutions
9. Classic Foods Limited processing dairy products, fruit juice, tomato sauce, honey, flour milling and manufacturing animal feeds
10. Sanivation installing portable toilets and providing sanitation and energy services to household in congested areas
11. Consumer Choice Limited providing economical Bio-Ethanol Gel and environmentally friendly clean cook stoves
The Green Pioneer Accelerator graduates have been working closely with mentors and partners in preparation for the Venture Forums. The participants are positioning their companies for growth and select enterprises will be showcased to a group of investors including impact-focused as well as impact-agnostic angel investors and early stage venture capital funds. In addition to the Venture Forums, the entrepreneurs will also be showcased to theHivos, VC4Africa, GrowthAfrica and Impact Amplifiernetworks of investors.
The entrepreneurs were identified after a rigorous multi-phase selection process which focused on the viability of their businesses, the strength of the teams, and their potential to solve huge challenges through innovative products and creative solutions. The Green Pioneer Accelerator program combined a rigorous curriculum with practical experience shared by successful entrepreneurs, mentors and investors.
Interested investors and others can request to attend the Green Pioneer Accelerator Venture Forums in Nairobi (June 9) and Cape Town (June 11).
