THE GROWTH STAGE IMPACT VENTURES INITIATIVE: 2021 FINALISTS
UNDP, through its annual SDG Finance Geneva Summit (SGSGeneva), strives to identify – through a highly competitive process – up to 12 innovative entrepreneurs from emerging markets who have developed at-scale products and services that contribute to solving some of the main economic, social, and environmental challenges of our time while achieving commercial success.
The resulting innovators and start-ups represent top-notch impact-focused entrepreneurs, showcasing some of the best investable ideas and business models to implement the SDGs.
The GSIV selection process, organized by UNDP, EPFL Tech4Impact, Orange, and SAP, focuses on mature impact ventures in emerging countries with a catalytic potential that can drive both large impact and yield.
The 12 finalists are the best 5% of recommended enterprises that met the criteria across the world and represent innovative solutions for the SDGs across three themes (Access to Quality Health Care, Access to Affordable and Clean Energy, and Reducing and Recovering Waste) and 10 developing countries. They have a proven business model, have raised their Series A or have reached break-even of their operations, and can grow and deliver large impact while demonstrating their profitability.
GSIV FINALISTS 2021
Access to Affordable and Clean Energy
ILUMEXICO
México City, México
Established in 2009, Iluméxico is a certified B Corp social enterprise that provides energy access to more than 106,000 users living in off-grid communities throughout Mexico and Colombia, with the aim of creating structural change and opportunities for low-income families and influencing electrification policies.
KINGO
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Established in 2013, Kingo turns lives ON through a prepaid solar energy service that combines state-of-the-art technology and commercial innovation to bring to Bottom of the Pyramid customers affordable and clean energy, thus replacing dirty, harmful, and expensive alternatives. Its vision is to create the largest clean energy consumer base in history.
EASY SOLAR
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Established in 2016, Easy Solar is transforming the way off-grid communities live, by providing financing solutions for solar-powered lighting and appliances to households and entrepreneurs. Enabled by pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) technology and mobile money, deep community engagement, strong customer service and a wide network of agents going the last mile, Easy Solar is developing across West Africa.
POWERSTOVE
Lagos, Nigeria
Established in 2018, Powerstove develops affordable and sustainable energy solutions to meet the energy demand from households in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Powerstove clean cookstove combines clean energy, IoT and mobile phone technology.
ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE
LIVOX
Recife, Brazil
Established in 2016, Livox uses affordable technology and artificial intelligence applications to provide alternative communication tools to empower people with disabilities and learning impairments to communicate, improve access to education, health, and employment, and thus, contribute to empowered people and inclusive societies.
Bempu
Bangalore, India
Established in 2013, Bempu develops innovative technologies that help newborns survive in low and middle-income countries. It delivers life-saving technology interventions, such as the TempWatch neonatal bracelet, which monitors newborns’ temperature, saving them from hypothermia.
Vula Mobile
Cape Town, South Africa
Established in 2014, Vula Mobile uses its mobile technology and apps’ ecosystem to solve the problem of communication between health workers and specialists. The company has designed the Vula Mobile eReferral and Chat App.
Mamotest
Corrientes, Argentina
Established in 2013, Mamotest is a teleradiology social impact company which is democratizing access to high-quality early diagnosis, drastically reducing mortality rates for breast cancer. It leverages teleradiology to transcend socioeconomic and geographic barriers.
Reducing and Recovering Waste
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GARV TOILETS
Faridabad, India
Established in 2015, GARV Toilets endeavours to be the leading sustainable WASH solutions provider to the underserved communities in the developing world, leveraging the latest technologies for improving community health and providing a rich user experience through Internet of Things (IoT) enabled smart sanitation hubs. It aims to cater to one million users globally by 2022.
Sinba
Lima, Peru
Established in 2016, Sinba seeks to create a world #sinbasura (“without waste” in Spanish) by building a circular food system and innovations in solid waste management, offering a sustainable, inclusive and cost-effective solution for businesses and households in Peru, where nothing is left over and nobody gets left out.
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Cold Hubs
Owerri, Nigeria
Established in 2015, ColdHubs is a social enterprise that designs, installs, commissions, and operates 100% solar-powered walk-in cold rooms to preserve fresh fruits, vegetables, and other perishable food. The company aims to eliminate the negative impacts of food spoilage along the food supply chain, which currently affect the income of 470 million smallholder farmers globally.
Saathi
Ahmedabad, India
Established in 2015, Saathimanufactures 100% biodegradable and compostable pads. It creates a circular economy model in the hygiene industry establishing itself as a sustainable consumer packaged goods (CPG) company.