Our Story
SEED was founded at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg by UN Environment, UNDP and IUCN as a global partnership for action on sustainable development and the green economy. SEED is based on the understanding that the promotion of social and environmental entrepreneurship is pivotal for environmentally friendly and socially inclusive development and poverty reduction.
We work directly with growing enterprises and aspiring entrepreneurs in our Enterprise Support programmes to strategise, optimise and award achievements in eco-inclusive entrepreneurship. All our participating enterprises receive a comprehensive SEED Support Package of tailored business and capacity-building support, networking, and profiling at the national and international level.
Complimentary to our direct Enterprise Support programmes, we offer programmes to build an ecosystem of supporters and advocators necessary to the success of growing enterprises. Our Ecosystem Building activities fortify a global network of local business development services providers and offer platforms for coordination between key local, national and international stakeholders. Our facilitation of multi-stakeholder engagement through SEED programmes generates policy, financing and collaboration instruments that multiply the social, environmental and economic impacts of entrepreneurship. We share extensive evidence of the value of eco-inclusive entrepreneurship to sustainable development with key stakeholders through publications and national and international events.
Our Countries
At SEED we are expanding our focus on regional capacity building by establishing collaboration centres that fortify partnerships and strengthen the presence and local ownership of SEED programmes in key areas around the globe. Our SEED Hubs are milestones in the delivery of customised enterprise support and the promotion of eco-inclusive entrepreneurship for sustainable development. Find out more here.
Our Team
SEED Global
Arab Hoballah
Arab Hoballah
Executive Director as from August 2021, Arab Hoballah brings his long and rich experience in advocating for and promoting sustainable development to the SEED community to further promote Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development. Arab has recently completed 4 years as Team Leader of the EU-SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility, 2017-2021, Bangkok, with the aim to induce and enable stakeholders in Asian Countries in developing and delivering policies and actions in support to transformative change for sustainable consumption and production/SCP.
Previously, Arab served as UNEP Chief of Sustainable Consumption and Production and in other senior positions for more than 30 years in support to sustainable development. World Citizen, Arab is specialized in systemic and prospective analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in Economic Development and a master’s in International Relations.
Mirko Zürker
Mirko Zürker
Mirko Zuerker works with SEED since 2009. He continuously enhanced SEED's enterprise support and ecosystem building programmes and helped to position SEED as the leading schemes in the field of eco-inclusive enterprise development. He helped connect SEED with donors, investors, foundations, and intermediaries, making SEED a key player in the space.
He co-developed multiple enterprise support and ecosystem building programmes building best-in-class enterprise support mechanisms supporting enterprises at the different stages of development. He co-designed the finance labs and the green recovery ecosystem builder programme triggering the development of innovative finance instruments and high-quality enterprise support programmes. He is author of multiple flagship reports demonstrating the positive contribution of eco-inclusive SMEs to global agendas. In co-developing about 100 tools and a dozen enterprise support toolkits he coined the term toolification.
Prior to that, Mirko worked as a journalist and conducted policy analysis in his work at the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government of Germany and at the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in the People's Republic of China. He studied political science, economics, and Chinese studies in Munich, Shanghai, and Madrid and completed a post-graduate program, focusing on adult education and business ethics at the Munich School of Philosophy.
Julia Rohe-Frydrych
Julia Rohe-Frydrych
Julia Rohe-Frydrych has supported SEED since 2011. As SEED Head of Programmes she is in charge of coordinating operations on climate adaptation and biodiversity-positive entrepreneurship. In this context, she leads SEED activities in the Southern African region where she develops new SEED components, such as the SEED enterprise advocacy support and the SEED TVET support modules. In her position as Senior Manager at SEED's Hosting Partner adelphi research, she focuses on green and climate finance, sustainable private sector development and green entrepreneurship. Julia has strong methodological expertise in developing innovative capacity development programmes and toolkits for public and private sector target groups.
Prior to joining adelphi, Julia acted as an external program consultant for the Low Carbon Economy dialogue process with emerging economies and worked for the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Bolivia and Indonesia in the areas of microfinance and good governance. Julia studied Political Science and Spanish in Germany and Peru and completed a post-graduate programme on international project management.
Jonas Restle-Steinert
Jonas Restle-Steinert
Jonas Restle-Steinert has supported SEED since 2017. He is in charge of overseeing SEED’s direct enterprise support activities with a particular focus on managing and implementing SEED’s Acceleration Programmes (SEED Accelerator and Catalyser). In his position as Senior Manager at SEED's hosting partner adelphi research, he focuses on sustainable private sector development, social and eco-inclusive entrepreneurship, capacity building, design thinking as well as green and climate finance topics.
Before joining adelphi, Jonas has coordinated and conceptualised diverse international development projects in a multitude of emerging and developing countries in West and Southern Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. Beyond entrepreneurship, renewable energy, and financing models, his work was primarily focused on private sector, market, and financial systems development. Jonas managed a large multi-year post-Ebola economic recovery project in Sierra Leone funded by DFID and has worked on projects aimed at improving employment, economic structures and skills development in Northern Nigeria and Pakistan.
Jonas holds a postgraduate degree (MSc) in Development Management from the London School of Economics (LSE). For his dissertation, he conducted field research in rural Zambia on innovative, socially responsible financing schemes for small-scale entrepreneurs as alternatives to traditional microfinance. Previously, he studied Politics and Administrative Sciences (BA) at the University of Konstanz, and wrote his dissertation on determinants of trust in the granting process of microloans.
Amar Munnolimath
Amar Munnolimath
Amar Munnolimath is supporting SEED since 2013. Amar is heading the SEED enterprise support programmes: Awards, Starter, Catalyser & BDS. Also, in his position as Project Manager at SEED's hosting partner 'adelphi' he is managing development projects with Asia & Africa focus in the field of resource & energy efficiency, waste management, green finance and sustainability entrepreneurship.
Before joining 'adelphi' or SEED team, Amar worked with a waste management start-up in India, where he gained experience in the field of market planning & partner relationships. Prior to that, he held a two-year position as Executive Production Engineer at Larsen and Toubro, India's largest manufacturing firm. There he was in charge of project planning and the supervision of the technical workforce.
Amar holds a Master's degree in Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. During his studies, he specialised in issues related to social enterprise ecosystems, challenges and opportunities for women’s empowerment, and impact investment for social enterprises. For his Master's thesis, he investigated the role of social entrepreneurship in developing economies and examined ways to boost women empowerment in India. He previously earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, India.
Jona Liebl
Jona Liebl
Jona Liebl has supported SEED since 2010 and is in charge of the operational management and implementation of the SEED Programmes. In his position as Senior Project Manager at adelphi research, Jona works on projects in the area of sustainability entrepreneurship, corporate responsibility and green and inclusive business models.
Prior to joining adelphi, he trained as IT Specialist at Hewlett-Packard. He also worked as Programme Assistant at the UNDP Equator Initiative and was a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Equator Prize 2012 and 2014.
Jona holds a Masters Degree (M.A.) in Political Science from Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). He was a visiting fellow at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM).
Magdalena Kloibhofer
Magdalena Kloibhofer
Magdalena Kloibhofer has supported SEED since 2011 and is involved in the management and implementation of the SEED Awards and the SEED Capacity Building. In her position as Project Manager at Adelphi Research, Magdalena works on projects in the area of sustainability entrepreneurship and corporate responsibility.
Prior to joining Adelphi, Magdalena Kloibhofer supported research and teaching at the Chair of Social Business of EBS Business School and co-authored the Schwab Foundation Manual on Leadership in Social Enterprise. Previously, she was responsible for the development and management of the Sustainable Development Center at Heliopolis Academy in Egypt, part of the SEKEM initiative for sustainable development. Earlier, she worked with oekom research in the field of corporate responsibility rating.
Magdalena Kloibhofer holds an academic degree in Economic Geography from LMU Munich and has completed a post-graduate programme on adult education at the Munich School of Philosophy.
Christine Meyer
Christine Meyer
Christine joined SEED in 2016 and designs, implements and provides strategic guidance on SEED’s capacity building formats for eco-inclusive enterprises and actors of entrepreneurial ecosystems. She furthermore cultivates and develops strategic partnerships, which entails the cooperation with local and international financing institutions, NGOs, consultancies, and policy makers. In her role as Senior Manager and Co-Lead of adelphi’s Green Entrepreneurship Programme, Christine specialises in working on the intersection of sustainable entrepreneurship and green finance.
Before joining adelphi, Christine has gained experience in impact evaluation in the context of international affairs at Goethe-Institute and with a focus on private sector development and international cooperation at the Center of Evaluation.
Christine studied Geography at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg. She also holds a Masters in Geography of Global Change of Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg.
Camilla Shearman
Camilla Shearman
Camilla Shearman joined SEED in 2019, and is currently a Manager at SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research. Camilla focuses on the topics of social and environmental entrepreneurship and inclusive business, and works on activities related to policy development for eco-inclusive enterprises, business advisor training of trainers, and the design and implementation of impact- and finance-focused enterprise support programmes.
Before joining adelphi, Camilla gained experience in strategic partnerships and ecosystem building at a social business accelerator in northern Tanzania. As part of this work, she also managed projects on innovation ecosystem research and entrepreneur training development.
Camilla studied her Masters in Economics and Business with a focus on sustainability at Sciences Po Paris, and conducted her capstone project with the European Investment Bank on civil society engagement in international financial institutions. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies from the University of Toronto, Canada.
Kathrin Kirsch
Kathrin Kirsch
Kathrin has supported SEED since 2018 in both direct enterprise support and ecosystem building.
Currently, she is working on SEED’s enterprise support with the focus on the SEED Accelerator and SEED Catalyser with the focal countries Botswana and Uganda, as well as heading the incubation team of SEED global for SEED Starter and SEED Replicator activities. In recent years, she has lead the SEED Practitioner Labs Climate Finance, developing new financial instruments with institutions in multiple SEED countries. In her position as Manager at SEED’s Hosting Partner adelphi research Kathrin focuses on green entrepreneurship and green finance. She is convinced that working on access to finance with both financial institutions and enterprises is the key to scaling sustainable impact.
Sonya Ong
Sonya Ong
Sonya Ong supports SEED in the eco-inclusive enterprise Accelerator & Catalyser programmes, Policy Prototyping Labs, communications strategies and advocacy.
Sonya gained professional experience in the media and public relations agencies Starcom MediaVest Group and Burson-Marsteller in Kuala Lumpur. In these positions, she worked on corporate and consumer brand campaigns where she managed client portfolios, produced media and audience research insights and planned strategic media campaigns.
Sonya earned a Masters in Public Policy at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin with a concentration in policy and data analysis, focusing on public communication and development policies. As part of her Master’s thesis in collaboration with the ASEAN Foundation, she examined the issue of citizen participation and identity ownership between institutions and citizens in South East Asia using data from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications with first-class honours from the University of Melbourne, Australia and a certificate in Design Thinking from D-School Malaysia.
Moritz Blanke
Moritz Blanke
Moritz Blanke joined SEED in 2023 and currently works on implementing SEED project components in Morocco. In his position as a Manager at SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research, he works on the topics of social and environmental entrepreneurship. Moritz focuses on activities related the design and implementation of impact- and finance-focused support programmes for eco-inclusive enterprises.
Before joining adelphi, Moritz gained experience in the design and implementation of support programmes for social and inclusive business & ecosystem building in central Europe.
Moritz studied his M.Sc. in Environmental Governance at the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg. Prior to that, he completed his B.A. in Political Science at Philipps-University Marburg.
João Eleutério
João Eleutério
João Eleutério supports the SEED team in an interface role between project management and finance and administrative support within the project areas.
He studied Bachelor International Relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. He also participated in an international programme, "Youth Leaders for Integral Development and Regional Integration", in collaboration with the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), gaining knowledge in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Solidarity Economy and Social Entrepreneurship. After graduating, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) accepted him into the Helmut Schmidt Scholarship Programme for Public Policy and Good Governance. João Eleutério then completed a master's degree in Public Economics, Law and Politics at Leuphana University Lüneburg.
João Eleutério also worked locally in Brazil as a project and research assistant in two foundations and a consulting firm. During his master's degree in Germany, he gained initial work experience in development cooperation at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German Development Institute (DIE) in Bonn, the German Institute for Global Areas (GIGA) and the EU-Latin America-Caribbean Foundation (EU-LAC) in Hamburg.
He worked on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 10 (Reduce Inequalities) and social development issues. He also completed further training at the Gesellschaft für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (GNE) as a coordinator in Monitoring & Evaluation and project management in international development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.
Lina Gutierrez
Lina Gutierrez
Lina Gutiérrez has supported SEED since 2019 with Impact Assessment topics, research activities and the implementation of Ecosystem Building Programmes. In her position as Analyst at SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research, Lina focuses on green entrepreneurship and sustainable businesses.
Before joining SEED, Lina worked in various enterprises in her home country in the area of environmental management and sustainability as well as implementing capacity building programmes on environmental and sustainability topics for stakeholders along the value chain.
Lina studied her Masters in Environmental Governance at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Her Master’s Thesis explored communication strategies in Sustainability Reporting. She holds a Bachelor degree in Environmental and Industrial Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia.
Luis Ebert
Luis Ebert
Luis Ebert joined SEED in 2020 through SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research. As a Research Analyst, he focuses on research activities and the support of social and environmental entrepreneurship and sustainable business.
Before becoming part of the team at SEED, Luis gained professional experience in international cooperation at Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the GIZ, both in the Philippines. He is also one of the founding members of the social business “Rückenwind” that facilitates mobility services for refugees in need in Berlin.
Luis studied his Masters in Global Development Studies at the University of Copenhagen and Economics at Humboldt University in Berlin. Prior to that, he completed his B.A. in Politics and Public Policy at Potsdam University.
Selina Blum
Selina Blum
Selina Blum is an Analyst at adelphi focusing on the topic areas of social and environmental entrepreneurship, green finance, resource efficiency and green economy.
Prior to joining adelphi, Selina worked for cultural simulation exercises of NATO units, through which she gained a strong understanding of negotiations between different stakeholders in conflict zones and the role of development assistance for conflict prevention. During her university studies, she worked as an intern at Palestine Wildlife Society in the Palestinian territories, the Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department of the German Embassy in South Africa and BMW in Munich. Through these experiences she gained practical knowledge in the areas of development cooperation, environmental sustainability, agriculture, international business and diplomacy.
Selina completed the Master’s Programme in International Relations with a focus on Global Political Economy at the Dresden University of Technology and Ankara University. Moreover, she has an undergraduate degree in International Cultural and Business Studies with a concentration on business economics in Southeast Asia from the University of Passau and Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago de Chile.
Daniel Monje
Daniel Monje
Daniel Monje joined SEED in March 2022. In his role as an Analyst, he is responsible for the conceptualisation and organisation of SEED’s incubation programmes.
During his studies, Daniel gained professional experience at GIZ in the area of Sustainable Economic Development, in public sector consulting at Ramboll Management Consulting as well as at the German Embassy in Costa Rica.
Prior to joining adelphi, Daniel worked at an international development consultancy as a business development manager, supporting the elaboration of proposals and concept notes with a thematic focus on Green Economy and Private Sector Development.
Daniel holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a focus on Economics from TU Dresden. Prior to that, he completed his B.A. in Business Administration at Heilbronn University.
Daniela Tonelli
Daniela Tonelli
Daniela Tonelli joined adelphi in February 2022 and is a new member of the SEED Incubation Team. She is responsible for the planning and facilitation of SEED Enterprise Support programmes.
During her studies, Daniela gained experience in international project management through an internship at the UN Migration Agency (IOM) in Budapest. As a project development intern, she assisted the implementation of several projects aiming at the integration of migrants and refugees in Hungary, especially with a focus on cultural sensibilization and labour market integration. Furthermore, she was selected as a trainee at the Representation of the European Commission in Budapest where she assisted the team with political reporting and completed several trainings in Brussels as well.
Prior to joining adelphi, Daniela worked at a foundation in Munich and contributed to the implementation of an education programme to integrate socially disadvantaged children in Germany.
Daniela holds a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Development with a focus on social policy from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. She completed her Bachelor studies at the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.
Paula Cros Marchena
Paula Cros Marchena
Paula Cros Marchena joined SEED in 2021, and currently works on communications for the project. In her position as Analyst at SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research, Paula focuses on external communications of the different projects led by the Green Entrepreneurship team. Her tasks include management and monitoring of the projects' social media channels, website, newsletter, media relations and other outreach activities. Paula also usually uptakes content design tasks.
Before joining SEED, Paula worked in different fields of communication. From journalism to press relations, including community engagement, she has experience in both internal and external communications. She gained experience in international and non-profit organisations at USAID-funded RTI International, in North Carolina (United States), where she collaborated with experts to communicate the research and impacts of the International Education team.
With MiningWatch Canada, she worked on the preparation of a guide to help Ecuadorian communities understand and evaluate possible legal and administrative strategies to approve or reject a mining project with an impact on their territory. Paula studied her Masters in Human Rights, Democracy and Globalisation with a focus on particularly vulnerable groups and identity at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), and conducted her Master Thesis on the possible influence of media in the protection of the rights of climate migrants. She holds a B.A. in Journalism with a major on Politics and Economics from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
In-Country Teams
Dr. Prasad Modak
Dr. Prasad Modak
Dr. Prasad Modak is the Managing Director of EMC and Director of Ekonnect Knowledge Foundation. He leads the SEED India Hub coordination since April 2023.
Dr. Modak holds a total experience of more than 40 years with specialties in Environmental policy, Environmental assessment, ESG at financing institutions, business and sustainability, circular economy and capacity building in environmental management. Dr Modak has worked with almost all key UN, multi-lateral, and bi-lateral developmental institutions in the world. These include the World Bank, IFC, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank, UNEP, UNIDO, UNDP, DFID, Swedish and Dutch Embassies in Delhi etc and intergovernmental organizations such as the Asian Productivity Organization, Tokyo. Apart from Government of India and various State Governments, Dr Modak’s advice is sought by Governments of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Mauritius, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Dr Modak was a member of Indian Resources Panel (IRP) at Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and currently is a Member of Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement at the Ministry of Finance. He is also on the Advisory Committee on G20 India Presidency – Circular Economy set up by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Currently, he chairs the Product Advisory Committee set up by NCDEX on carbon market.
He holds a B Tech (Civil Engg), M Tech (Environmental Science and Engg) from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Doctor of Engg (Environmental Engg) from Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. Dr Modak was a Professor at Centre for Environmental Science & Engineering at IIT Bombay (1984-1994) and later as Professor (Adjunct) at the Center for Technology Alternatives in Rural Areas (CTARA) (2009-2017).
Dr. Shilpi Kapur
Dr. Shilpi Kapur
Dr. Shilpi Kapur Vice President at Environmental Management Centre Pvt. Ltd and Ekonnect. She is supporting SEED India Hub as national advisor since April 2023.
Dr. Shilpi is a trained economist and has over 13 years of experience in the field of environment and natural resource management. Her work has spanned across many sectors including automobiles, plastics, solar PV, tourism, e-waste and wastewater with a focus on policy issues in context of resource efficiency and circular economy. One of her key areas of interest is business models for circular economy. Shilpi has worked on multiple projects and research assignments for bilateral and multilateral organizations, industry and different Ministries and States in the Government of India on a wide range of issues include resource efficiency and circular economy. She has coordinated and managed large, multi-team, long duration projects funded by international organizations such as Department for International Development and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway.
Shilpi is a certified SEED business development services (BDS)+ Advisor for eco-inclusive enterprises. Shilpi holds a PhD Economics from Washington University in St Louis, USA and before that Masters and Bachelors in Economics from Delhi University. Prior to joining EMC, Shilpi was working as a Senior Fellow in TERI.
Prahlad Tewari
Prahlad Tewari
Prahlad Tewari is a Vice President at the Environmental Management Centre (EMC) and Ekonnect Knowledge Foundation (Ekonnect). He supports the SEED India Hub activities since April 2023 as a SEED India Advisor.
AT EMC, he the activities in the fields of Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP), Circular Economy, Environmental Social Governance Due Diligence (ESG-DD), Eco-entrepreneurship program, and CSR support for industries and corporates. He has over 23 years of professional experience and has worked as a (Senior) Technical Expert in various European Union Switch-Asia funded projects including “REAP” project on improving Sustainable Consumption and Production in Agri-food processing industries in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, “PROMISE” project on prevention of marine litter in Lakshadweep Sea involving Maldives, Sri Lanka and India and “ACIDLOOP” project on Sustainable Production through market penetration of closed loop technologies in the metal finishing industries in India. Prahlad has also been involved in R&D and field testing of various technologies across sectors.
Prahlad is currently also pursuing his PhD in the department of Energy and Environment from TERI School of Advanced Studies. He holds a M.Tech in Production Engineering from Delhi Technical University (DTU) (formerly Delhi College of Engineering (DCE)), Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and Diploma in Production Engineering. He has also done a certificate course in Sustainable Consumption & Production (SCP) in Asia from United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He has over 12 publications in journals and conferences to his credit. Before joining EMC and EKF, Prahlad was working as a Fellow and Area Convenor at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.
Sivaranjani Subramanian
Sivaranjani Subramanian
Sivaranjani is a Vice President at the Environmental Management Centre (EMC) and Ekonnect Knowledge Foundation (Ekonnect). She supports the SEED India Hub activities since April 2023 as a SEED India Advisor.
Sivaranjani has over 14 years of extensive work experience in urban environment, decarbonization and greenhouse gas emission inventorization, climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning, energy efficiency, biomass Gasification power generation, and waste management. She hand-holds organizations in developing their GHG inventory and decarbonization roadmaps. She has been involved in advisory for project conceptualization, due diligence, feasibility, and energy efficiency studies for various industrial projects.
Sivaranjani has spent considerable time in rural India and has worked with NGOs for livelihood generation, village electrification, and watershed development Programmes. Armed with an entrepreneurial passion, she is always on the lookout and encourages starting and implementing viable energy and environment-based projects. As a part of her entrepreneurial venture she designed, fabricated, and tested a Top-lit up-draft micro-gasifier, launched as ‘Wudare’ biomass cook stoves, a sustainable alternative to LPG cylinders and conventional firewood cooking. Sivaranjani has facilitated and mentored many eco-entrepreneurship programmes.
Romy Cahyadi
Tione Kaonga
Tione Kaonga
Tione is a member of the Malawi SEED Team and a Founder and Managing Director of UMODZI Consulting. Tione is an all-rounder management consultant and has a strong passion for entrepreneurship. He takes pride in helping others to be successful in all their spheres of life. He is a great social and business networker and a budding Malawian entrepreneur. Tione is also a chartered accountant, an economist and qualified management consultant who has extensive years of professional consulting career stemming from a wide range of sectors.
His vision is to have a green economy where nature is part and parcel of global prosperity and human good life. He likes dancing to any good music but very poor at singing.
Rollins Chitika
Rollins Chitika
Rollins Chitika has supported SEED since 2014 when SEED first introduced its programmes in Malawi. He was the point of contact in Malawi while working with African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC). Since then Rollins has worked with SEED in the Replicator, Startup, Catalyser, Accelerator and SEED Awards programmes as a consultant under Equip Consulting Group. Rollins is currently part of the Coordinating Team for the “SEED Advancing the Transition to Inclusive Green Economies in Southern Africa through Eco-Inclusive Enterprise Development” – a project being implemented in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe from 2018 to 2020. His role entail coordinating SEED project activities in Malawi, conduct impact research on SEED Alumni and manage trainings for the Business Development Services.
Rollins brings over 8 years experience in private sector development, enterprise development, value chains development, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and development research. He is a trained agricultural economist and holds a Master of Science degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Makerere University, Uganda; and Bachelor of Science in Agricultural economics from the University of Malawi.
Edirisa Sembatya
Edirisa Sembatya
Edirisa Sembatya is a Startup Investor, Mentor, and Coach with a wealth of experience supporting Impact programs, Investors and SMEs. His the SEED representaive for Uganda and Founder of Finding XY a non profit providing business advisory services, investment and project consulting services.
Before Finding XY, Eddie held a number of corporate positions and was an entreprenuer himself running businesses in Agriculture, Real Estate, Financial Services and Distribution. He is a member of Private Financing Advisory Network and closely works with policy makers, financial institutions, development partners and private sector to support SMEs.
Our Supporters
Our work is made possible through the generous support and outstanding expertise of our supporters. These supporters help to determine SEED's strategic direction, provide financing, identify innovators in social and environmental entrepreneurship and advise enterprises on business development.
Our Governance
Full responsibility for the SEED programme and its further development lies with the SEED Board consisting of representatives of SEED Partner institutions and experts in sustainable development.
The SEED Team coordinates and implements the SEED Programme.
SEED is hosted by adelphi research gGmbH, a non-profit institution committed to sustainable development and entrepreneurship, based in Germany. adelphi research assumes all legal responsibilities for the SEED programme.