AFI connects global private capital to Africa’s most innovative startups. Our work ensures that an ecosystem’s next billion enables the continent’s transformation.

Action Hero Ventures is a private investment holding company that makes early stage investments into real businesses run by strong entrepreneurs.
The company was founded in 2013 by Ernst Hertzog (M.Eng, MBA), an industrial engineer with professional experience in telecommunications, healthcare and financial services.
We look for scalable businesses in various industries that require relatively small amounts of capital to grow. We prefer to invest alongside other investors for a minority equity stake. Funding in itself is not sufficient to grow a business, therefore we add value by assisting in strategy formulation and execution and by giving access to valuable networks.
The company is based in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The Artha Impact team has been working since 2007 as the impact investing arm of Rianta Capital, which is a dedicated advisory to the Singh Family Trust. Through this initiative, they have been running a series of programs designed to invest, catalyze and convene around the promise of supporting meaningful business interventions for impact in India. Today they hold a robust portfolio of direct early/growth stage investments and a small handful of impact funds in the country. Their sectors of focus include (but have not been limited to) agriculture, healthcare and livelihoods.

<p>The Artha Venture Challenge supports early stage social entrepreneurs in India who are given the opportunity to pitch for up to INR 6 million of funding if matched with the equivalent or more in co-investment. Artha may either lead or simply match any transaction. In addition, the selected enterprises get access to business support, networks and mentoring. The challenge also involves Villgro which provides the incubation support, mentoring and networking support.</p>

Lightrock India oversees and manages investment vehicles focused on early stage small and medium-sizeds in India that seek commercial returns in sectors providing essential services and increasing market access to underserved communities. It provides early stage venture capital to teams building innovative, disruptive businesses that provide access to capital, markets, and essential services and invests across stages with a strong thematic focus and a systemic lens towards building ecosystems.
Lightrock India manages investments of SONG, LGT Impact, Aspada and Lightrock.

<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>

Ankur Capital is an early stage VC firm which provides financial and technical support to seed stage companies in agriculture, healthcare, skill development and education. Ankur deploys between INR 5 million and 40 million and helps portfolio companies to raise additional capital from other investors.

CAO Partners Limited is an independent research, training and business advisory firm that aims to develop small and medium enterprises based in Nigeria. CAO's portfolio of tailored services includes capital and debt sourcing, investment research, fee-based business management and advisory, strategy and enterprise development, and training and business consulting.

<p>Connect to Grow is a matchmaking initiative, designed to create partnerships between Indian enterprises and enterprises across South Asia and Africa, with a focus on health and agri-food prospects. It is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development and provides technical assistance, partnership brokering, support in accessing finance and small travel grants.</p>

D3Jubilee identifies and invests in ICT-based start-ups with socio-economic importance across various sectors. In addition to providing direct investements, the company supports start-ups with mentorship, linkages to impact investors and specialised experts and advisors, and access to a network of successful peer entrepreneurs. It also works on ecosystem building for impact investments.