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 11 - 20 of 28
Industrial Promotion Services (IPS)
South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa

Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) is an arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development proving equity investment with partners from the public and private sectors. IPS provides venture capital, technical assistance and management support to encourage and expand private enterprise in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySouth Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa
Finance OfferingEquity
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support
Focus TypeNot specified
Focus StageGrowth Companies
KOIS INVEST
South Asia

Kois Invest is a private equity firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. The firm primarily invests in the health, educations and living environment sectors. It also promotes the development of the Impact Bond Mechanism by structuring, placing and managing Impact Bonds. Funds under management include an Indian Private Equity Fund and a fund called Inclusio which focuses on affordable housing.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySouth Asia
India
Finance OfferingEquity
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingOne-to-one advisory support, Consulting Services
Focus TypeStart-ups, NGOs/Non-profits
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
IB TopicsInnovation
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
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
Lightrock India
South Asia

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.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySouth Asia
India
Finance OfferingEquity
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Lotus Fund
East Asia and Pacific

Lotus Impact (formerly Global Impact Fund for Today) is a social impact fund targeting small and medium-sized enterprises to further socio-economic and environmental value to communities worldwide. It provides both seed stage and follow on investments. Financial support is backed by technical assistance. Lotus Impact acts also acts as an ecosystem actor and facilitates shared learning on business investment and practice, especially in developing economies, to spur a diverse and robust network of impact investors, businesses and government policymakers.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountryEast Asia and Pacific
Vietnam
Finance OfferingEquity
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingInformation sharing, resources and publications, Mentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
IB TopicsGender
Metier
Sub-Saharan Africa

Metier is a private equity firm specializing in investments in middle market, emerging growth and growth capital investments. The firm does not invest in seed, start-up, and early stage. It seeks to make an equity investment between USD3 million and USD100 million in its companies. The firm seeks to acquire controlling or significant minority positions in its portfolio companies. It takes substantial equity positions between 20 percent and 60 percent.

Type of OrganisationPrivate equity fund/ Private equity fund manager/ venture capital fund
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
South Africa
Finance OfferingEquity
Amount> $2M
Exact Amount$3 - 100,000 million
Focus TypeLarge companies, Start-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies
Oasis Capital Ghana Limited
Sub-Saharan Africa

Oasis Capital Ghana Limited is a venture capital firm specializing in growth capital investments in small and medium enterprises and loans. It typically invests between USD 100,000 and USD 5 million. It prefers investing in family-owned and typically owner-managed entities. It seeks to provide risk capital in the form of equity, quasi-equity and profit-sharing facilities and to invest through equity, preference shares, and convertible debts with ratchets. The firm seeks to take minority investor position with stake between 15% and 49% but with some degree of influence and board representation and can make co-investments.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
Finance OfferingEquity, Debt finance
Amount> $2M
Exact Amount$100,000 - 5 million
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support, Partnership brokering, investment facilitation, networking
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageEarly Stage, Growth Companies
Samridhi Fund
South Asia

Samridhi Fund is a social venture fund investing in profitable social enterprises in India. It invests in growth stage companies which create jobs, enhance disposable incomes, quality of life and infrastructure for the poor in eight low income States of India. Capital ranges between INR 5-25 crore.

Type of OrganisationImpact investment fund/ impact investment fund manager/ impact focused venture capital fund
Region/CountrySouth Asia
India
Finance OfferingEquity
Amount> $2M
Exact Amount$770,000 - 3.8 million
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies
Sanari Capital
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sanari Capital is a South African private equity investment company for small and medium-sized enterprises. Sanari focuses on three investment themes: consumer-driven growth, infrastructure-led growth, and demand for social services.

Type of OrganisationPrivate equity fund/ Private equity fund manager/ venture capital fund
Region/CountrySub-Saharan Africa
South Africa
Finance OfferingEquity
Exact Amount
Technical Support OfferingMentoring, Talent Placement, Network-based support
Focus TypeStart-ups
Focus StageGrowth Companies