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.
Rainer Agster
Rainer Agster
Rainer Agster has supported SEED since 2006. He serves as Director of Operations at SEED and oversees all operations within SEED's Hosting Partner adelphi research, providing input to the strategic development of SEED. Rainer joined adelphi in 2002 as a Senior Project Manager and is now adelphi's Director of Private Sector Cooperation. His focus is on social and environmental entrepreneurship, energy efficiency, green finance and adaptation to climate change. Rainer has experience in the development, implementation and evaluation of sustainable development projects for national and international clients (EuropeAID, DG Energy and Transport, DG Education and Culture, UNFCCC, UNEP as well as Austrian, Chinese, German and Indian ministries, GIZ and KfW). Rainer graduated from the University of Applied Science Bremen in an International Study Programme for Environmental Engineering and has a Masters degree in Business Administration with a focus on sustainability management from the University of Leuphana in Lueneburg. He also studied one year at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Christine Meyer
Christine Meyer
Christine Meyer joined SEED in 2016. She is in charge of the implementation of the SEED Replicator. In her position as Project Manager at SEED's Hosting Partner adelphi research Christine focuses on social and environmental entrepreneurship and inclusive business.
Before joining adelphi, Christine has gained experience in impact evaluation in the context of international affairs at Goethe-Institut and worked as a research associate in an EU-FP7 project addressing the measurement and management of business impacts on global sustainable development.
Christine studied Geography at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg. She also holds a Masters in Geography of Global Change of Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg.
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.
Jonas Restle-Steinert
Jonas Restle-Steinert
Jonas Restle-Steinert has supported SEED since 2017. He is in charge of managing and implementing the Practitioner Labs Climate Finance, the SEED Accelerator, and the SEED Catalyser. In his position as Project Manager at SEED's Hosting Partner adelphi research, he focuses on green finance, sustainable private sector development, social and eco-inclusive entrepreneurship as well as on financing models for renewable energy and climate action.
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.
Marion Müller vom Berge
Marion Müller vom Berge
Marion Müller vom Berge has supported SEED since 2015 and is involved with the SEED Catalyser support, events management and reporting. In her position as Project Manager at SEED's Hosting Partner adelphi research gGmbH Marion focuses on social and environmental entrepreneurship and inclusive business.
Before joining Adelphi, Marion worked with IFOK GmbH in the field of citizen participation and stakeholder management.
Marion studied political science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München focusing on political philosophy and economic ethics. During her studies she gained practical experience in various organisations, such as adelphi consult GmbH, the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics and the Indian Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON). She furthermore worked as a freelancer for print media.
Linde Wolters
Linde Wolters
Linde Wolters joined SEED in 2019. She heads up communications and is co-responsible for its policy and outreach strategies.
Before joining adelphi, Linde worked as manager for social innovation consultancy iPropeller, and as project manager for Oksigen Lab, a research organisation and incubator for social enterprises. Prior to that, she was affiliated with the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) in Brussels, managing network strategies, strategic communications, and market development. She started her professional career at two start-ups in London, before moving into a strategic communications and public affairs role for an Australian non-profit association and working as a PR consultant for Ogilvy Hong Kong.
She holds a Journalism degree from the London School of Journalism, and a Master’s degree in International Law from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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).
Julia Rohe
Julia Rohe
Julia Rohe has supported SEED since 2011. She is in charge of monitoring SEED operations. In her position as Senior Project Manager at adelphi research she develops and conducts innovative and interactive capacity building programmes with a focus on climate change and sustainability entrepreneurship.
Previously, 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.
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.
Mirko Zürker
Mirko Zürker
Mirko Zuerker has supported SEED since 2009 and has developed and enhanced its global incubator and accelerator programme positioning its awards and support scheme as the leading schemes in the field of eco-inclusive enterprise development. He helped to connect SEED with donors, investors, foundations and intermediaries making SEED a key player in the space. As lead of its Deal Ready Programme he created matches between Financers and multiple Enterprises and with the creation of the SEED BDS+ Programme he built a training mechanism to enhance the quality of business development service providers across Africa. At SEED Mirko coined the term toolification as he developed several business incubation and acceleration toolkits focusing on topics such as eco-inclusive innovation, business modelling, organisational development, market research and lean-start-up.
Before joining SEED, Mirko worked as freelance journalist for multiple media outlets 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 China. He studied political science, economics and Chinese studies in Munich, Shanghai and Madrid and completed a post-graduate programme, focusing on adult education and business ethics at the Munich School of Philosophy.
Katrin Bauermeister
Katrin Bauermeister
Katrin Bauermeister has supported SEED since 2015 and is involved with the monitoring of SEED operations. At SEED's Hosting Partner adelphi research her focus lies on the internal controlling and project accounting with a specialisation in national and international grant projects. She also scrutinizes financial reports and supports the preparation of the annual accounts as well as the execution of audits. In addition, she is responsible for personnel controlling and managing contracts with sub-clients and partners.
Maggie Sloan
Maggie Sloan
Maggie Sloan has supported SEED since 2018 with the implementation and communication of eco-inclusive enterprise support. She gained international experience with a World Bank clean cookstove programme in Indonesia, an EU-sponsored risk reduction and climate change adaptation project in Peru, and an engineering firm with expertise in environmental remediation in the US. She graduated with an MSc in Environmental Governance and a focus on corporate environmental management from the University of Oxford. Her Master’s thesis explored the role of small- and mid-sized environmental consulting firms in balancing the demands of private-sector clients and environmental regulators.
Kathrin Kirsch
Kathrin Kirsch
Kathrin Kirsch has supported SEED since 2018 with the SEED Awards and the Practitioner Labs for Climate Finance. In her position as Research Analyst at SEED’s Hosting Partner adelphi research Kathrin focuses on social and environmental entrepreneurship and green finance.
Before joining adelphi, Kathrin gained experience at the United Nations Global Compact in the US, at an NGO in Colombia in a project for climate action and education, as well as at a strategy consultancy and at an auditing company in Germany.
She graduated with an MSc in Management and a focus on corporate social responsibility from the University of Mannheim. Her Master’s thesis explored the implications of connecting CSR and corporate values for CSR strategy implementation.
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.
Camilla Shearman
Camilla Shearman
Camilla Shearman joined SEED in 2019 as a Research Analyst at SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research, focusing on social and environmental entrepreneurship and inclusive business.
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.
Elena Eckhardt
Elena Eckhardt
Elena Eckhardt has supported SEED since 2020 with research activities as well as the implementation of SEED Enterprise Support programmes. In her position as Research Analyst at SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research, Elena focuses on social and environmental entrepreneurship and sustainable business.
Prior to joining SEED, she gained experience in international cooperation at UN Environment’s Green Economy Division, the Myanmar Trade Development Programme implemented by the GIZ, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Elena graduated with an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. As part of her Master’s thesis, she conducted a quantitative analysis on the determinants of climate policy adoption in low- and middle-income countries. She holds a BA in Political Science and Public Management from the University of Konstanz.
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.
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.
Andrés Olarte Peña
Andrés Olarte Peña
Andrés has a successful track record in the energy sector, as well as multiple levels of government and NGOs in both developed and developing nations, and a background in teaching, deploying conferences, and coordinating resources and policy among diverse stakeholder groups. Before joining SEED, he worked for the Secretariat of the International Carbon Action Partnership, an intergovernmental forum for emissions trading systems, supporting capacity building and power sector projects. He was also part of the Soulincubator, a social enterprise support program funded by the European Union, the Röchling-Stiftung, and the City of Berlin.
In his home country, Andrés worked alongside the CEO and the vice president of sustainability of Ecopetrol - Colombia’s national oil company - analyzing investments and working with cross-sectional teams of the upstream and midstream segments of the company. He also supported the design of the social, environmental, and security policies of Ecopetrol. Before this, he worked for the environmental government of Santander in the allocation of water rights and permits.
Andrés holds an MPhil in Environmental Policy (Thesis distinction) from the University of Cambridge with a focus on environmental law and environmental economics. Furthermore, he has a Bachelor of Engineering (Summa Cum Laude) from the Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia. In both studies, he was the holder of several scholarships and awards such as the Peter Wilson Estates Gazette Studentship, the Fitzwilliam Studentship, the Santander Cambridge Scholarship, the Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento order, and the SPE Star Scholarship.
Jana Platil
Jana Platil
Jana joined SEED in January 2020. In her role as Team Assistant she is supporting the team wherever needed. At SEED’s hosting partner adelphi research gGmbH her focus lies on Office Management for the Munich subsidiary.
In-Country Teams
Ebenezer Kumi
Ebenezer Kumi
Ebenezer Kumi joined SEED in 2016. He is currently engaged in promoting and coordinating local SEED activities in Ghana.
Before joining SEED, he served as an intern with adelphi research gGmbH, where he gained insights and experience in developing creative business development tools for Business Development Service (BDS) providers. Prior to that, Ebenezer interned at the Ghana Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva where he researched and provided input on Ghana’s Policy Papers on financing development and public-private partnerships in developing countries.
Ebenezer holds Masters in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva-Switzerland, and MBA in Sustainable Businesses from Bologna Business School in Italy.
Dr. Malini Balakrishnan
Dr. Malini Balakrishnan
Malini Balakrishnan is a Senior Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi and will coordinate the SEED India Hub activities.
Malini has over twenty five years of experience in innovating as well as assessing technology solutions in different sectors of the industry. Her work focuses on evolving affordable solutions to specific challenges of inefficient resource use and waste management faced by enterprises in developing countries. She has wide experience in business development, directing multi-institutional projects on implementing resource efficient cleaner production actions in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as development and demonstration of technologies (for industrial process improvement, recovery of resources from wastewater streams, industrial solid waste up-cycling). This experience will contribute towards a more holistic perspective on the solutions and services offered by small eco-inclusive enterprises as well as their technology support related needs.
Malini has a Doctorate in Biochemical Engineering, with Masters and Bachelors degrees in Chemical Engineering. She is a nominated expert in select programmes of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, reviewer for various funding agencies and peer-reviewed international journals.
Dr. Vidya Batra
Dr. Vidya Batra
Vidya Batra is a Senior Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute TERI and will support the coordination of the SEED India Hub activities.
Vidya has over twenty years of experience in research, technology development and scale up. Her area of work involves value added utilization of industrial wastes for energy and environmental applications. She has also worked with small and medium industries from different sectors in India and South Asia for improving resource efficiency, improved waste management and demonstration of closed loop technologies. She has worked on several international collaborative projects. This expertise will contribute towards providing innovative and technology related support to eco-inclusive enterprises.
Vidya has a Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Cincinnati and a Bachelors in Metallurgical Engineering from Banaras Hindu University. She is fond of music and travelling.
Aditya Raghwa
Aditya Raghwa
Aditya Raghwa has 9 years of experience in the sustainable development sector with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) that hosts the SEED India Hub. He will support the implementation of the Hub activities in India particularly focusing on creating linkages for eco-inclusive enterprises with Indian corporates.
During the course of his tenure at TERI, Aditya has worked with various groups in the organization such as Technology Dissemination, Technology Transfer and Council for Business Sustainability. These groups are responsible for the majority of business facing interactions that TERI conducts and deliver TERI’s various offerings (technological, policy-based and other services) to a wide variety of industry partners ranging from top tier Indian corporates such as Mahindra & Mahindra to MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) who disseminate TERI’s technologies for the benefit of their local regions.
Prior to joining TERI in 2011, Aditya completed his Masters in Biotechnology from San Jose State University where he was also a project manager for the university’s MBT academic program. Aditya is also involved in social media/outreach on sustainability and curates the TERI Council for Business Sustainability’s newsletter. Additionally, he has a strong interest in physics and how online communities are evolving in today’s world.
Nilay Srivastava
Nilay Srivastava
Nilay Srivastava works on resource efficient technologies at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) that hosts the SEED India Hub. His role involves supporting the implementation of Hub activities especially providing technology support to eco-inclusive enterprises and working towards the expansion of the network of such enterprises in the country.
Nilay has extensive experience in working with a variety of small and medium enterprises, both in India and in other countries in South Asia. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and issues related to the operation of small enterprises – in particular, inefficient use of resources that leads to high waste and lower profits. He will bring in his expertise on technology adaptation and capacity building of enterprises to enhance resource use at all scales.
Nilay has a background in Electrical Engineering and Energy Management and is a Certified Energy Auditor from Bureau of Energy Efficiency under Ministry of Power, Government of India. He enjoys travelling and taking photographs as it takes only memories and leaves no footprints.
Prahlad Tewari
Prahlad Tewari
Prahlad Tewari is a Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) that hosts the SEED India Hub. He supports the implementation of the Hub activities in India and will also work towards the expansion of SEED's eco-inclusive enterprise network in the country.
Prahlad has over 20 years of professional experience covering Resource Efficient Cleaner Production (RECP) implementations in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as technology development and prototyping related to value added utilization of waste materials. He has been a lead technical expert directing RECP implementations and training focused on improving resource efficiency, material saving and good housekeeping in various sectors in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. He has also been involved in R&D and field testing of various technologies viz. (a) acid recovery technologies (retardation and diffusion dialysis) and rinse water recovery technology (nanofiltration) for metal finishing industries, (b) membrane filtration system equipped with ceramic membranes prepared from waste industrial ash for wastewater treatment and hot gas cleaning. Prahlad thus brings in a unique blend of understanding both the development of environmentally friendly solutions to existing societal challenges as well as the operational requirements in small enterprises with limited technical and financial capacities.
Prahlad has a Masters in Production Engineering and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. He enjoys travelling, jogging and meeting people.
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.
Supapim Wannopas
Supapim Wannopas
Supapim Wannopas (Pim) joined SEED Thailand in 2019. Her role is to coordinate SEED activities in Thailand building up a hub for SEED Thailand’s enterprises, partners and service providers.
Prior to SEED, Pim worked as a Project Coordinator for the EU funded SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility. She also gained her international experiences from her roles at Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Secretariat in Kuwait, UNODC and UN Environment in Bangkok.
Pim graduated a Master’s degree in International Business from University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney Australia and holds a Bachelor in Political Sciences from Thammasat University in Thailand.
Net Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan
Net Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan
Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan (Net) joined SEED Thailand in 2019 as an Enterprise Support Advisor, focusing on the Practitioner Lab Climate Finance and Policy Prototyping, and the SEED eco-inclusive enterprise Impact Assessment Index. Net gained previous development sector research experience at the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) as a research associate.
Net holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science degree from Quest University Canada. Her main areas of study were in interdisciplinary research fields of sustainable agriculture, African philosophy and development. During her studies, she completed an exchange programme at the Royal Thimphu University in Bhutan and worked at the National Biodiversity Center where she contributed to a federal government germplasm program to conserve agrobiodiversity.
She has a Master of Science degree in Forestry and Biodiversity Management from Makerere University, and her dissertation focuses on the gendered perspective of Uganda’s forestry reform implications after 2001 on forest land tenure security and livelihoods.
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.
