Berlin and Amsterdam, 2 March 2016. Employing and training low-income groups in a remote rural area by producing unique cosmetic product from local medicinal plant in South Africa; reducing carbon emissions and improving access to infrastructures such as schools and health services via quality bikes in Mozambique or offering solar battery kits to improve electricity access for households and to reduce energy expenditure in Malawi. Such as these three winners of the SEED awards - Botanica, Mozambikes and Electricity4all – innovative, green and inclusive enterprises face the challenge of raising sufficient funds in order to scale up and achieve their full growth potential.

SEED-IBA Deal Ready Programme

SEED and the Inclusive Business Accelerator have launched Deal Ready Programme to support selected SEED winners in the capturing of investment finance and to offer support for such high potential high-growth startup enterprises, which integrate social and environmental benefits into their business models. For the 2^nd cohort of the Deal Read Programme, 9 SEED winners were selected from the cycles 2014 and 2015, who won the SEED Africa or SEED South Africa Awards.

Pretoria Investor Forum

These 9 enterprises received support in launching their fundraising campaigns on the IBA platform and will attend the Investor Forum of the SEED South Africa Symposium on 15-16 March in Pretoria, South Africa. In this closed-door event, the entrepreneurs can improve their knowledge on how to raise capital and will pitch their enterprises to investors, impact investors and other funding institutions.

Deal Ready Programme Ventures

You can learn more about the 9 selected winners on the SEED page of the IBA Platform and by taking a sneak peek below.

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SECTOR: AGRICULTURE / FOOD 

Baobab Products - Mozambique

provides hundreds of women harvesters with a new source of seasonal income from the processing of fruits of the baobab tree. Harvesters are trained in processing techniques and are paid to supply seeds and pulp used to make baobab powder and other products for both national and international markets.

Botanica Natural Products - South Africa

has developed a method of extracting beneficial substances from Bulbine frutescens, a traditional medicinal plant, for the cosmetic industry. The plant is cultivated and processed organically in its indigenous location in rural Limpopo, and its commercial use provides employment opportunities in the marginalised area. The local community further benefits through an Access and Benefit Sharing agreement.

Hortinet - Malawi

builds a more inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chain in Malawi: In its supply chain, the enterprise supports local, mainly female smallholder farmers and young entrepreneurs. It reduces water usage and fuel consumption through gravity-fed irrigation systems during cultivation; further up the value chain, it avoids high post-harvest losses and offers local fresh produce to a market that is until now still relies largely on imports. 

Peacock Seeds - Malawi

supports climate change adaptability and food security in Malawi by producing and supplying smallholder farms with drought-tolerant, disease-resistant and yield-improved legume and maize seeds. By supporting farms in crop improvement, they also help generate income security for farmers. 

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SECTOR: ENERGY

Electricity4All - Malawi

sells and rents solar battery kits and accessories at solar electricity kiosks in rural off grid areas. Each kiosk serves up to 500 customers who can use mobile phones to process payments. By collaborating with international foundations and multinationals, the enterprise helps rural entrepreneurs power their private businesses, reduces energy expenditures, contributes to forest protection, and eliminates the use of toxic batteries.

Kumudzi Kuwale - Malawi

provides renewable energy solutions to off grid communities by selling cookstoves, lamps and lanterns, by supplying electricity at village charging stations, and by installing larger-scale solar energy projects. The enterprise thus contributes to forest protection and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

RECAPO CBO - Malawi

is a self-sustaining business that provides affordable solar home systems to households in rural areas. In a country where the vast majority of the population lacks access to grid-electricity, the enterprise offers a clean and low-cost solution. This enables residents to extend working and study hours while preventing damaging impacts to their health and the environment.

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SECTOR: TRANSPORT

Mozambikes - Mozambique

engages in breaking the poverty cycle in Mozambique by selling locally-built custom-designed bikes at low prices. The enterprise enlists the private and public sectors to buy and distribute branded bikes in remote communities for various marketing and employee initiatives. The bikes then act as 'moving billboards', while women are trained how to ride and maintain the bikes.

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SECTOR: WASTE

People of the Sun - Malawi

is a green and inclusive handicraft-trading enterprise that trains and supports marginalised artisans to craft unique homeware products made from recycled materials. Working in eye-level partnership with artisan groups and aiming to increase social benefits along the value chain, the enterprise connects them to national and international markets.

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Further Details

All those enterprises are Winners of the SEED Africa or SEED South Africa Awards supported by the Government of Flanders.

If you want to learn more about the ventures or would like to attend the Investor Forum in South Africa, please contact us at investseed [dot] uno (invest[at]seed[dot]uno).

To get access to the fundraising information of the 9 ventures listed below you can also register as an investor on the IB Accelerator platform after creating a personal account first.