Investor & Technical Assistance Database

This database targets companies looking for financial and/or technical support. The database lists organisations and initiatives providing different kinds of support, such as capital in the form of grants, loans and equity, or technical support in the form of advice, partnership brokering or networking support. To learn more about the database, click the info button on the right. 

For current training opportunities, networking events, and calls for application, access our opportunities page

Use the search filters below to narrow down your search for financial and/or technical support providers.

ABOUT THE DATABASE

Who is this database for?

This database aims to serve inclusive businesses that are looking for sources of support to help them grow, ranging from capital to technical support.

 

What does the database cover?

This database lists organizations that provide technical and financial support to inclusive businesses. The database will continue growing as support organizations are registered. Inclusive businesses are diverse, and so too are the range of organizations that provide support and the types of support they offer. The resources listed cover a continuum of financing solutions, from grants and concessional financing to commercial finance and private equity. They also include organizations and initiatives providing technical assistance (TA), advice, partnership brokering, information, advocacy, and networking. The database is easy to navigate and provides useful filters such as the range of financial support provided and the stage of enterprise supported (if such information is available). 

More organizations will be added over time and suggestions are welcome. Other database that we recommend include:

► GET.invest: focused on renewable energy in Africa
► Nexus for Development: focused on Southeast Asia
 The Mix: Database on microfinance services

Why and how was the database developed?

Inclusive business entrepreneurs often face difficulties identifying partners that could provide crucial financial and technical support. Even though such support is available, information about it is often fragmented and hard to find. The database addresses this challenge, making information on financial and technical support easy to identify and navigate by providing easily searchable categories and filters.

The entries and information provided in the database are compiled by the research team using information publicly available on organization websites or provided directly by the organizations themselves. 

 

Who developed the database?

The Practitioner Hub for Inclusive Business (now inclusivebusiness.net) and the Asian Development Bank set up this database to help overcome this challenge. The Connect to Grow programme supported further development of this database in 2016, specifically to include intermediaries in its target countries. In late 2017 and 2018, the DFID Impact Programme funded the most comprehensive review and update of the database yet, which was implemented by Endeva. The Endeva team reviewed the categories and all existing entries, and also added hundreds of entries with the support of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and other partners.

ANDE has just launched a new site of their own that provides data about financial and non-financial support available for small and growing businesses in a specific city or country. ANDE’s Ecosystem Snapshots aim to help those supporting entrepreneurs to foster conditions in which businesses can thrive. 

 

USING THE DATABASE

What can users search for on the database?

You can keep your search for organizations broad by just selecting the finance and/or technical support offering you are looking for or you can narrow down your search by selecting further filters such as type of organization, sector, region/country etc. If you are looking for a specific topic that is not included in the current category list, use the keywords search bar to search the entire database. This will return results on that topic from the whole database.

 

If users want all entries from Asia, does one need to select all Asian countries, too (or ditto for other continents)?

No. If you would like to see all the material for one continent, for example South Asia, select ‘South Asia’ under the ‘Region/Country’ filter and click on the ‘Apply’ button. This will bring up all intermediaries that provide support in South Asia.

 

Country

Intermediary Database

Displaying 1 - 10 of 23
Bank Populaire
Sub-Saharan Africa

<p>The Bank Populaire offers financial services focused on farmers, agribusiness enterprises, private individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises. The solutions include deposit schemes, loan schemes, credit funds and guarantee funds.</p>

Type of OrganisationPrivate equity fund/ Private equity fund manager/ venture capital fund
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Rwanda
Finance OfferingDebt finance, Guarantees
Exact Amount
Focus TypeStart-ups
IB TopicsGender
Beyond Capital Fund
South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa

<p>Beyond Capital is an impact investment fund that invests in for-profit social enterprises in India and East Africa. In addition, Beyond Capital provides management assistance, mentoring and expert advisory services. It typically invests between USD 25,000 and USD 100,000.</p>

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySouth Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Finance OfferingEquity, Debt finance
Amount$20,000 - 50,000
Exact Amount$25,000 - 100,000
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage
African Women Agribusiness Network - East Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Women Agribusiness Network (AWAN) East Africa is a regional business support organisation that promotes women in agricultural value chains in small and medium enterprises, through facilitation or direct provision of need-based services and advocacy.

Type of OrganisationNetwork/ Business association/ membership organisation/ knowledge platform
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingAdvocacy, Mentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
IB TopicsGender
AgDevCo
Sub-Saharan Africa

AgDevCo provides long-term risk capital to help early-stage businesses reach profitability and scale. Investments range from USD 250,000 to USD 10 million. In addition to risk capital, AgDevCo provides management support and expert agronomy advice, and can provide grants to help establish smallholder farmer outgrower schemes.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
Finance OfferingEquity, Debt finance, Grants and awards
Amount> $2M
Exact Amount$1 - 10 million
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage
Akazi Kanoze Access
Sub-Saharan Africa

Akazi Kanoze Access supports Rwandan youth with employability skills, capital, and support. The organisation provides programmes structured in work readiness, advanced entrepreneurship, accelerated learning programmes, early childhood development caregivers, small business and cooperative management.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator, NGO
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Rwanda
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage
IB TopicsInnovation, Youth
Commercial Bank of Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Commercial Bank of Africa Limited provides financial services to individual, SME, and corporate banking customers in Kenya. It offers a host of services focused on SMEs. These include lending, transaction, investment and cash management solutions. It has a received credit lines from OPIC and AfDb for enhancing SME lending. The funding is channeled to SMEs and local corporates in infrastructure, tradable and other transformative sector transactions in Kenya. It also aims to provide liquidity support to expand financing to local corporates involved in value-addition in the trading, manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure, transport, and construction, among other sector.

Type of OrganisationCommercial Bank
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Finance OfferingDebt finance, Guarantees
Exact Amount
Focus TypeLarge companies, Start-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT)
Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

The Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) is a non-profit corporation supporting youth and cooperating with the private sector, governments, and community-based organisations. DOT provides entrepreneurs aged 18 to 29 with tools, knowledge, networks, seed funding and support to launch sustainable social initiatives.

Type of OrganisationNetwork/ Business association/ membership organisation/ knowledge platform, NGO
Region/CountryLatin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Finance OfferingGrants and awards
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingFellowship, Information sharing, resources and publications, Mentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, One-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage
DOB Equity
Sub-Saharan Africa

DOB Equity is an impact fund investing in socially responsible businesses across sectors in East Africa. It focuses on scalable and innovative companies that improve low and middle income population's access to goods and services.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Finance OfferingEquity
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeNot specified
Genesis Consult
Sub-Saharan Africa

Genesis Consult is based in Kenya and Tanzania. It is an advisory firm supporting clients with management advisory, research, talent searches, people development, small and medium enterprise development and ICT.

Type of OrganisationConsultancy
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Angola, Congo, Republic Democratic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank)
Sub-Saharan Africa

GTBank is a Nigeria-headquartered bank that offers various products and services to meet the banking needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). It also runs the GTBank SME MarketHub, which is a free online platform that allows small businesses to carry out B2C business online.

Type of OrganisationCommercial Bank
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda
Finance OfferingDebt finance, Guarantees
Exact Amount
Focus TypeLarge companies, Start-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies