Shell Foundation is supporting a transformative new platform to create a global market for distributed renewable energy. The D-REC Initiative is led by South Pole and Positive.Capital Partners and is supported by Shell Foundation (with co-funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), Good Energies Foundation, EnAccess Foundation and Signify Foundation. With over $500…
Shell Foundation recently partnered with Seedstars to look for sustainable, scalable and innovative start-ups addressing universal access to energy-related challenges, as well as sustainable agriculture, mobility and transportation. With co-funding from UKAID, we have launched the Energy, Mobility and Agriculture Innovation Program to find African tech entrepreneurs in the mobility, transportation, energy, and agriculture space…
CrossBoundary Energy Access (CBEA), the blended finance facility for mini-grids, has open sourced their approach to investing infrastructure capital across Africa. Shell Foundation supported the establishment of CBEA in 2018 alongside Rockefeller Foundation and with co-funding from UK Aid. CBEA invests blended capital directly into mini-grid projects serving rural African households and businesses. The business…
Nigerian mobility provider MAX.ng has raised NGN400 million (US$1 million) in capital with an innovative bond issue, the first of its kind for the mobility sector in Africa. The bond – comprising one-year fixed interest notes – is managed by DLM Advisory (DLM), a Nigeria-based, regulated full-service developmental investment bank and is the first offering…
The BBC recently featured a video about Shell Foundation’s partner SafeBoda’s partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA*) to provide contraception to those in need in Uganda. More than 760 million people globally live in extreme poverty and sexual and reproductive health problems are a leading cause of death and disability for women in the developing world. Young people especially carry…
SF partner VentureBuilder recently led an investment round that enabled an off-grid solar company to secure financing of more than US$1 million in Mali. The investment represents VentureBuilder’s first investment since being established, with funding from SF, USAID and DOEN Foundation, to support locally-owned and managed energy enterprises with early-stage equity financing and enterprise development…
Covid-19 lockdowns have caused a significant reduction in public transportation services to stop the spread of the virus, presenting a huge challenge for those whose business relies on supplying affordable and safe mobility services. Shell Foundation has supported SafeBoda since 2015. Modernising informal travel in East Africa, the ride hailing app brings together a community…
Shell Foundation are proud of the diverse ways in which our partners have stepped up during this crisis. In its recent newsletter, SF’s long-standing partner GroFin outlined a number of initiatives they have initiated to help their SME clients during Covid-19. These initiatives include: Developed a Covid-19 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework drawing on international…
The mobility service sector has been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 crisis, with extended lockdowns preventing businesses providing transport of people and goods. A new article published on The City Fix website however, demonstrates the opportunities contained within mobility start-ups’ business pivots and highlights the increased understanding of the value of more resilient, cleaner,…
SF partner S4S Technologies has been recognised by the prestigious Ashden Awards 2020. India based organisation S4S was presented with the Energy and Livelihoods Award for its innovative solar dryers which cut food waste and support women entrepreneurs. The patented solar conduction dryers can dehydrate a wide range of harvested crops, including fruit, vegetables, grains and spices, with minimal…