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.

 

Intermediary Database

Displaying 1 - 9 of 9
Acumen
East Asia and Pacific, Global, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

Acumen is a non-profit that raises charitable donations to invest in companies, leaders, and ideas that tackle poverty. The organisation provides long-term debt or equity investments ranging from USD 250,000 to USD 3,000,000 in early-stage companies with payback or exit in seven to ten years. Acumen also offers fellowships that include leadership training and working with one of Acumen's portfolio companies.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific, Global, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
Finance OfferingEquity, Debt finance
Amount$500,000 - 2M
Exact Amount$250,000 - 3 million
Technical Support OfferingFellowship, One-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage
BAF II
East Asia and Pacific

We are a matching grant facility operating in the Lao PDR. We provide matching grants (50%) to companies operating in Laos that are looking to retain the services of third party business development service (BDS) providers to make improvements to their business, and to grow.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific
Lao PDR
Finance OfferingGrants and awards
Amount$0 - 20,000, $20,000 - 50,000, $50,000 -150,000
Exact Amountup to US$200,000
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Focus TypeLarge companies, Small and growing businesses, Start-ups
Focus StageStart-up, Early Stage, Growth Companies, Mature
Insitor Impact Fund
East Asia and Pacific, South Asia

Insitor Impact Fund finances early-stage enterprises in Southeast Asia with a mix of equity and debt funding. The fund works closely with each investee, guiding the business model and development and providing technical support on governance, strategy, operations and financial planning. In most cases, Insitor takes an active role as board members of the investee's businesses and has supported investees in securing co-investments and further rounds of funding.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific, South Asia
Finance OfferingEquity, Debt finance
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
LeapFrog
East Asia and Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa

LeapFrog supports financial services businesses with investments ranging between USD 10 million and USD 50 million and aims to exit the investment via IPO, trade sale, a sale back to a partner, or a management buyout. LeapFrog also provides technical support in strategy and governance, product, pricing and revenue, sales and distribution, core operations, human resources and talent management, technology and data, and measurement.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa
Finance OfferingEquity
Amount> $2M
Exact Amount$10 - 50 million
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Focus TypeNot specified
Focus StageGrowth Companies
IB TopicsGender
LenddoEFL
East Asia and Pacific, South Asia

LenddoEFL’s mission is to provide 1 billion people fast and convenient access to low cost, powerful financial products. They use AI, advanced analytics and behavioural data helping serve the underbanked people and small businesses in emerging markets.

LenddoEFL use new, alternative sources of data, such as psychometric assessments, mobile phone data, digital footprints and more. These can be used in place of traditional financial history to understand credit risk and identity verification.

Type of OrganisationConsultancy
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific, South Asia
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies
IB TopicsInnovation
Local Works - social innovation strategy, brokerage and implementation
East Asia and Pacific

Our communities are jigsaws where successful business needs strong communities, and strong communities need successful businesses.Local Works helps clients to clearly define their piece(s) of the jigsaw, who they need to connect with and how to achieve their goals and objectives. The result… smarter connections, better business, better bottom line, better place to live, learn, play and earn.

Local Works helps clients to clearly define their piece(s) of the jigsaw, who they need to connect with and how to achieve their goals and objectives. The result… smarter connections, better business, better bottom line, better place to live, learn, play and earn.

Type of OrganisationConsultancy
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
IB TopicsInnovation
Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)
East Asia and Pacific

The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) is a business-led social development organisation with large, small and medium-scale companies as members and partnerships among the government, NGOs, civil society and donor institutions. PBSP organises Platforms for Collective Engagements (PlaCEs) and engages companies through social investment, responsible business practices, and philanthropy.

Type of OrganisationNetwork/ Business association/ membership organisation/ knowledge platform
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific
Philippines
Finance OfferingGrants and awards
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Proximity Designs
East Asia and Pacific

Proximity Designs is a social enterprise designing products and services for individuals and businesses in Myanmar. Proximity provides irrigation products, farm advisory services, financial services (focusing on smallholder farmers), solar lights and rural infrastructure.

Type of OrganisationConsultancy
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific
Myanmar
Finance OfferingDebt finance
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeStart-ups
TechnoServe
East Asia and Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa

TechnoServe is a non-profit organisation connecting emerging businesses and farms to capital, networks and suppliers focusing on the areas of gender, access to finance, entrepreneurship and agribusiness. The organisation does not provide direct funding, but aims to increase access to finance. TechnoServe provides capacity development to agribusinesses, shares information and advocates for policies that help markets function better.

Type of OrganisationConsultancy, NGO
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingAdvocacy, One-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking, Training, and other classroom based support (online/offline)
Focus TypeLarge companies, Small and growing businesses, Start-ups