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

Amount of financial support

Intermediary Database

Displaying 1 - 10 of 12
Argidius
Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa

Argidius promotes the growth of small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in order to improve the lives of the poor through increased income generation. It offers a number of services including helping growing SMEs to be investment ready and gain access to finance, and providing tailored capacity development services such as incubation, acceleration, training, coaching, mentoring and networking

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator, Foundation
Region/CountryLatin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa
Finance OfferingGrants and awards
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Africa Entrepreneur Collective
Sub-Saharan Africa

The African Entrepreneurship Collective (AEC) is an accelerator that offers mentoring, business development services, training and capital to Rwandan and Tanzanian entrepreneurs. The capital lease fund run by AEC offers capital leases between USD 10,000 and USD 50,000.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Finance OfferingDebt finance, Grants and awards
Amount$20,000 - 50,000
Exact Amount$10,000 - 50,000
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, One-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies
IB TopicsGender, Youth
African Agribusiness Incubation Network (AAIN)
Sub-Saharan Africa

The African Agribusiness Incubation Network (AAIN) is a private sector entity in Accra, Ghana providing business development support along various agricultural value chains, including the provision of technical advisory services, funding, networking, business advisory, mentoring and other key support for development of incubators and incubatees.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator, Network/ Business association/ membership organisation/ knowledge platform
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Ghana
Finance OfferingGrants and awards
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Earth Capital
Global

Earth Capital Partners focuses on growth companies with patented, substantially proven technology, but also considers investments in earlier stage technology development. Earth Capital's focus areas are sustainable technology dealing with resource or energy constraints, sustainable agriculture and timberland, and renewable energy (generation assets, energy efficiency and storage). It usually makes investments to the tune of USD5 million to USD 15 million.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator, Impact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountryGlobal
Finance OfferingEquity
Amount> $2M
Exact Amount$5 - 15 million
Focus TypeLarge companies
Focus StageGrowth Companies
EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs
Global

EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs is a one-year acceleration programme that helps fast-growth digital start-ups from around the world to scale their business through one-on-one guidance, insight sharing and networking – with each other and with large corporations. The programme is designed to help accelerate entrepreneurs through the next steps of their growth journey to become global market leaders.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator
Region/CountryGlobal
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingInformation 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 StageGrowth Companies
Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA)
Sub-Saharan Africa

KITA is a non-profit premier tropical agricultural college in Ghana, that works with local and global institutions to help improve the lives of people at the Base of the Pyramid. This is done through training, seminars and workshops, technology transfer, on-farm research, environmental conservation, and volunteer exchange.

Type of OrganisationAcademia
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingInformation sharing, resources and publications, Mentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
MBC Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

MBC Africa provides an enabling environment for agribusinesses in Africa by integrating the business services they need to grow onto one single platform. MBC Africa’s role is to identify, nurture and develop a critical mass of viable growth-oriented agribusinesses as a pipeline for sustainable and impactful investment in selected African economies. It provides a range of offerings for enterprises include a six month accelerator, a young fellows programme, technical advisory support and management training and coaching.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator, Consultancy
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingFellowship, One-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Nepal Agribusiness Innovation Centre (NABIC)
South Asia

Nepal Agribusiness Innovation Centre (NABIC) is a Nepalese agri-focused business incubator and innovation platform for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Core business includes Intensive Business Counselling, Business Incubation and acceleration and Agribusiness eco-system building.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator
Region/CountrySouth Asia
Nepal
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, One-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Physical co-working space
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Stanford Seed Transformation Program
East Asia and Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa

The Stanford Seed Transformation Program is a 12-month programme for founders and senior leaders of for-profit companies. Participants are challenged to assess their companies' vision, redefine their strategies, and make ambitious changes toward exponential growth.

Type of OrganisationAcademia
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingTraining, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeLarge companies, Start-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies
XL Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

The World Bank's XL Africa programme supports growth stage digital startups from any sector seeking investments between USD 250,000 and USD 1.5 million. The three-month programme, implemented by VC4Africa, conducts an individualised needs assessment to match selected startups with successful entrepreneur mentors and investors, who provide access to skills, knowledge, partners and funding to help scale their businesses. Through the XL Academy, startups can further strengthen their skills and capacity for growth by completing modular, online courses at their own pace. At the conclusion of the programme, all startups meet in Cape Town for a two-week residency, during which they network with investors and mentors, receive face-to-face mentoring and participate in a Venture Showcase day, where they have the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a curated group of investors and corporates.

Type of OrganisationAccelerator/Incubator, Govt/Donor/State-owned enterprises
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingInformation sharing, resources and publications, Mentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies