SEED: 2023 Highlights
Published: 20 December 2023
We have been hard at work supporting SMEs and promoting their crucial role in advancing sustainable and eco-friendly future, as well as fostering the transition to a circular economy. We are delighted to share some of our most meaningful achievements and activities, as we reflect on the passing year. Read more
SEED is returning to Morocco!
Published: 21 November 2022
In 2022, many years after SEED’s last Award in Morocco, SEED is launching new activities to support green entrepreneurs. The aim is to strengthen innovation and job creation for a more sustainable and inclusive economy in Morocco. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Covid-19 Resilience Workshops and Grants (SEED Alumni Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
Published: 28 January 2021
During a 2-day workshop in each of the three target countries (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe), SEED will provide you with the most relevant tools to work on your enterprise resilience. Read more
Enterprise Resilience: Six Critical Factors to Protecting Your Start-Up’s Future
Published: 24 September 2020
To better understand what resilience means for MSMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic, SEED interviewed 30 eco-inclusive enterprises. Unsurprisingly, MSMEs have been strongly affected by the economic shock of the pandemic. From these interviews, SEED has outlined the six critical factors for protecting the future of your enterprise. Read more
Eco-Inclusive Enterprises: Accelerating Southern Africa’s Green and Inclusive Economies
Published: 02 September 2020
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) provide 50% of jobs, contribute to over 35% of the GDP in emerging economies, and overall make up 90% of registered firms across the world. They are especially impactful in emerging economies as they work toward inclusive growth and equality for marginalised populations. At SEED, we focus on growing eco-inclusive enterprises which in turn contribute socially, economically, and environmentally to empowering the 5.2 billion people at the bottom of the pyramid worldwide.
This report examines the yearly impact of 80 of our eco-inclusive enterprises in three of our SEED countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. These locally embedded enterprises, 51% of which are women-led, demonstrate that driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can indeed be profitable and with a success rate of 82.5% still in business, they show long-lasting impact in each of their communities and sectors. Read more
This report examines the yearly impact of 80 of our eco-inclusive enterprises in three of our SEED countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. These locally embedded enterprises, 51% of which are women-led, demonstrate that driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can indeed be profitable and with a success rate of 82.5% still in business, they show long-lasting impact in each of their communities and sectors. Read more
SDGs:
Supporting the Resilience of Eco-Inclusive Enterprises during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published: 06 May 2020
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, enterprises around the world are now facing several sudden challenges such as not generating revenues anymore, missing customer base, productions on-hold, transport constraints et cetera. In order to support eco-inclusive enterprises that are or have been part of the SEED programme, SEED has launched an online workshop series tackling these issues eco-inclusive enterprises are currently encountering. Read more
From waste to wealth: the story of alternative fuel enterprise BioAfriq
Published: 20 June 2019 Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
We caught up with BioAfriq founders and SEED Starter alumni Doreen Achieng Ochieng-Ivisu and James Nyamai, the husband and wife who recently were selected to join the Kenya Acceleration Programme 2019 by CIC Kenya. Their story started when they realised the damage charcoal was doing to their country, where tree cover is at only 3%. In this catch-up, they talk about separating their private from their business life, the difficulty of changing farmer mindsets and why BioAfriq is here to stay. Read more
SDGs:
BioAfriq Energy Limited, SEED Starter Alumnus, wins TOTAL KENYA STARTUPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Source: Startupper of the Year
BioAfriq Energy Limited (SEED Starter participant) has been awarded the TOTAL KENYA STARTUPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD. The enterprise provides affordable dehydration services to small and medium farmers, cooperatives and agricultural processing plants most of which do not have adequate funds to purchase food dehydrators and so incur huge post-harvest losses. Read more
SDGs:
A Year at SEED | 2018
Published: 31 January 2019
Our annual visual report (A Year at SEED | 2018) celebrates achievements across both our Direct Enterprise Support and Ecosystem Building programmes plus shares our involvement in key high-level dialogues and milestones in organisational development, while introducing you to this year's SEED Low Carbon Award Winners who offer innovative solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Starter Toolkit
Published: 10 January 2019
This SEED Starter Toolkit preview provides a glimpse into the variety of hands-on business planning tools and processes used by participants of the SEED Starter programme. Our SEED Starter programme guides participants from the early stages of ideation to the generation of a viable business plan used to launch an eco-inclusive enterprise. Participants join together in teams during Starter workshops to blueprint and refine their business plans with the support of peer-learning, expert guidance and the full SEED Starter Toolkit. Read more
Three Great Insights for Building a Great Eco Enterprise: Lessons Learnt from UNLEASH LAB 2017, Denmark
Published: 04 October 2017 Jackson Nyarko
Some participants from our SEED Starter and SEED Replicator Programmes joined the UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017* in Denmark, where they had the opportunity to work on their business ideas in order to create scalable solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals. Read more
SDGs:
Toolification: My personal journey in shaping the way we do business support at SEED
Published: 24 July 2017 Mirko Zürker
My journey with SEED and providing one-on-one business support for eco-inclusive enterprises started in 2009. Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter in Uganda
Published: 18 July 2017
Join us at the SAG-SEED Starter Workshops in Uganda. Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the next SAG-SEED Starter in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda & South Africa
Published: 11 May 2017
SEED and SWITCH-Africa Green invite you to apply for the next round of the Starter Months (July-September) in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and South Africa. Read more
SDGs:
South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs and SEED partner on Eco-inclusive Entrepreneurship
Published: 13 April 2017
The DEA of South Africa and SEED raise awareness for eco-incusive enterprises and incubate aspiring future entrepreneurs. Read more
SDGs:
Call for applications: launch of the second SAG-SEED Starter in Ghana & Uganda
Published: 24 January 2017
Time for the second cohorts: Switch Africa Green and SEED announce today a call for applications for the second rounds of the Starter Months in both Ghana and Uganda. Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter and BDS+ training in Burkina Faso
Published: 14 December 2016
SEED is happy to announce today a call for applications in Burkina Faso. Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the Second SAG-SEED Starter Months in Kenya
Published: 16 November 2016
Want to set up an eco-inclusive enterprise? SEED announces the second round of the SAG-SEED Starter Months in Kenya Read more
SDGs:
From workshop to market in seven weeks
Published: 22 July 2016
The first steps as a startup are the hardest, especially for eco-inclusive startups in emerging markets. It all comes down to the right spirit and lion-hearted attitude. Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter and BDS+ training in Ghana
Published: 25 May 2016
Two new opportunities for Ghana are now open. SEED is glad to announce a call for applications. Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter Month in Kenya and Uganda
Published: 05 April 2016
Call for application: SEED is looking for motivated potential entrepreneurs! Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter Months in Mauritius
Published: 22 February 2016
Want to become an eco-entrepreneur? Apply now for the SAG-SEED Starter, the three challenges are: Sustainable Agriculture, Manufacturing and Tourism Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter Months in South Africa
Published: 09 February 2016
The Switch Africa Green-SEED Starter Months invite entries from teams who develop green and inclusive business solutions to one of the key social and environmental challenges in South Africa. Read more
SDGs:
Setting the Stage for Green & Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship
Published: 02 October 2015 Carolin Ehrensperger, Jana Rudnik
"Where many conventional start-up enterprises fail after only two years, more than three out of four SEED Winners have not, that is the major outcome of this flagship report“, Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP Deputy Executive Director and UN Assistant-Secretary-General. Read more
SDGs:
Promoting entrepreneurship for sustainable development: why, and how?
Published: 23 October 2014 Helen Marquard
When UNEP, UNDP and IUCN decided to register the SEED Initiative as a Type II partnership at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, they clearly thought they were on to something – but possibly not quite what SEED is now. Read more
SDGs:
