Enterprise Financing Journey: Green Heat
Published: 18 June 2020
Green Heat (SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2014) provides innovative and cost-effective energy, waste and fertiliser solutions for homes, schools, farms and commercial buildings in Kampala, Uganda. The core business model is the conversion of waste to biofuel through biogas digesters, and the production of briquettes from waste. Read more
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Enterprise Financing Journey: Khainza Energy
Published: 18 June 2020
Khainza Energy (SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2018) is committed to transform organic waste into clean, safe, and affordable cooking fuel and to provide this renewable energy solutions to Ugandans. It is an innovative circular economy business that obtains organic waste from smallholder farms and local households for processing and refinement into high-purity methane. Read more
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Filling the Missing Middle Financing Gap | Scoping Paper, India 2020
Published: 16 June 2020 Kathrin Kirsch, Marlena Kiefl
This scoping paper provides the basis for the implementation of the collaborative, multi-step process of the SEED Practitioner Labs Climate Finance in India in 2020. India’s vibrant landscape of MSMEs presents an opportunity for diversified socio-economic growth. In light of climate change, climate-smart enterprises – offering products and services for climate change adaptation and/or mitigation – are well-positioned to absorb global climate finance flows to create environmental, social and economic impacts in line with India’s climate action objectives. However, climate-smart MSMEs cannot fulfill their full potential as they lack appropriate access to finance to grow and scale their operations resulting in a missing-middle-financing gap. Read more
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Filling the Missing Middle Financing Gap | Scoping Paper, Indonesia 2020
Published: 08 May 2020 Maggie Sloan, Net Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan
This scoping paper provides the basis for the implementation of the collaborative, multi-step process of the SEED Practitioner Labs Climate Finance in Indonesia in 2020. Indonesia’s richness in biodiversity and vibrant landscape of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) present a significant opportunity for the country to meet its development objectives while reducing its climate impacts and improving climate resilience across sectors. In particular, climate-smart SMEs – offering products and services for climate change adaptation and/or mitigation – are well positioned to absorb and scale the environmental, social and economic impacts of global climate finance flows in line with Indonesia’s climate action objectives. Read more
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Promoting Zimbabwean entrepreneurship at Sankalp Africa Summit 2020
Published: 13 March 2020
As part of a panel at the Sankalp Africa summit 2020, four SEED representatives joined a panel on impact investing in Zimbabwe to do some myth busting and explain present investment opportunities in the country. Read more
SEED India Hub Launch at the World Sustainable Development Summit 2020
TERI Source: TERI
Rainer Agster, Director of Operations at SEED, was present during WSDS 2020 to launch the SEED India hub and to introduce two eco-inclusive enterprises (Aikya Organics & Daily Dump) that are developing solutions for the challenges of climate change. Read more
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Modest in Size, Potentially Huge in Impact: Leveraging Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for Climate Action
Published: 23 December 2019 Jonas Restle-Steinert, Kathrin Kirsch, Linde Wolters, Maggie Sloan, Rainer Agster, Tobias Hausotter
Despite the goals put forward in the Paris Agreement and commitments by countries in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is rising (WMO 2019). It is, therefore, more important than ever for countries to step up their ambition and NDC commitments in 2020. The COP25 climate negotiations will pave the way for the next year and the NDC update processes. These open up the opportunity to acknowledge a modest yet potentially impactful group of players for ambitious climate action: small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Read more
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Bringing SME voices into policy solution development through our Practitioner Labs for Policy Prototyping
Published: 16 December 2019 Camilla Shearman
In late October, seven policy practitioners took to the stage during the SEED Practitioner Labs for Policy Prototyping scale-up labs in South Africa and Malawi. The practitioners shared their ideas of policy solutions to leverage the potential of eco-inclusive enterprises in driving the transition to green and inclusive economies. Read more
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Equity plug for energy efficiency financing: Direct lending model for SMEs | Climate Finance, South Africa 2019
Published: 24 November 2019 Maggie Sloan
This model for energy efficiency financing for SMEs “plugs the gap” with equity by generating a paradigm shift in commercial banks through market, technology and supplier engagement and systematic technical assistance. Read more
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Green Lend: Inclusive credit risk assessment across value chains | Climate Finance, South Africa 2019
Published: 24 November 2019 Maggie Sloan
This credit risk assessment mechanism aims to increase lending to climate-smart SMEs through risk scorecard development that incorporates alternative data across enterprise value chains. Read more
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Off-grid renewable energy private-public partnership model: Improving market access and affordable technology financing | Policy, Malawi 2019
Published: 13 November 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan, Marlena Kiefl
his private-public partnership model furthers the electrification of (rural) Malawi by engaging technology suppliers, financiers and government around eco-inclusive enterprises offering off-grid renewable energy solutions and delivering capacity building for integrated distribution networks and targeted clean energy financing solutions. Read more
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Agriculture Insurance and Climate-Related Risk Assessment: Stimulating Climate-Smart Agriculture Markets | Policy, Malawi 2019
Published: 13 November 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan, Marlena Kiefl
The policy instrument for stimulating markets for climate-smart agriculture value chains, combining agriculture insurance and climate-related risk assessment, will build decentralised capacity-building networks (supported by public and financial sector partners). This instrument aims to raise awareness and reduce the climate-related vulnerabilities of smallholder farmers and agribusinesses by developing and delivering risk management and adaptation solutions which are catered to these enterprises and the localised enterprise ecosystems in which they operate. Read more
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Looking Beyond the Known: Changing Mindsets through Design-Led Entrepreneurial Solutions
Published: 31 October 2019 Maggie Sloan
Ms Kasturi, Founder of Daily Dump (SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2018), was welcomed as keynote speaker during the BEYOND THE KNOWN: Practitioners’ Exchange to Discover New Ways to Promote Entrepreneurship & Support MSME Development from 15-16th October at the GIZ Representation in Berlin. Read more
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Three policy recommendations for building robust climate change adaptation markets in South Africa
Published: 28 October 2019 Camilla Shearman, Christine Meyer, Sonya Ong
With lessons drawn from an 8-month policy prototyping labs cycle in South Africa and over fifteen years of enterprise support, this policy brief presents three recommendations for policymakers to improve SMME access and contribution to climate change adaptation markets. These recommendations include (1) increasing availability of and access to market information, (2) creating support pipelines between public and private stakeholders, and (3) leveraging intermediaries as key contributors to the implementation and evaluation of market access policies. Read more
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Meet the SEED Awards 2019 Winners & Finalists
Published: 24 October 2019
Tackling poverty and climate change, generating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development, this year’s 14 SEED Award winners were selected from over nine hundred applicants and were recognised for solutions to major local and global challenges. Read more
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The SEED Awards 2019 highlight the contribution of green and social enterprises to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals
Published: 24 October 2019
Lilongwe, Malawi, Berlin, Germany, 24 October 2019 - Tackling poverty and climate change, generating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development, this year’s 14 SEED Award winners were selected from over 900 applicants and were recognised for solutions to major local and global challenges. Read more
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Ghanaian agri-tech startup Farmerline secures AfDB grant funding
Tom Jackson Source: Disrupt Africa
Ghanaian agri-tech startup Farmerline is set to receive grant funding from the African Development Bank’s $23 million Agriculture Fast Track Fund. Read more
Sanedi signs contract with SolarTurtle to develop next-gen solar kiosks
Schalk Burger Source: Engineering News
The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and community empowerment solar photovoltaic (PV) product developer SolarTurtle have signed a contract to develop the next-generation SolarTurtle solar energy kiosk, called the BabyTurtle. Read more
Syndicate for Renewable Energy Infrastructure Financing | Climate Finance, Uganda 2018
Published: 09 July 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan
The syndicate for renewable energy infrastructure financing solution contracts a community of interested debt and equity lenders to finance household RE projects. It enables and leverages syndication effects to increase the number of new financial partnerships, raise debt in the RE sector and multiply returns on investments. Investors are legally bound in the syndicate, which finances RE infrastructure projects based on comprehensive project analysis, due diligence and evaluation. High ROI potential projects receive financing through insurance, blended financing or otherwise, depending on the financing service offerings of member financiers. The syndicate supports RE infrastructure projects to plan project implementation and schedules payments accordingly. Read more
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Irrigation System Microleasing for High-Value Crops | Climate Finance, Uganda 2018
Published: 08 July 2019 Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan
The irrigation system microleasing for high-value crops solution mitigates investment risks for both farmers and financial institutions. The irrigation system financing model directs financing for climate-smart irrigation technologies through technology providers to agribusinesses that produce (or have the potential to produce) commercial crops that generate higher profits at market. The financing mechanism for irrigation systems engages the private sector to maximise returns on investment in productive farm assets (specifically irrigation) in the agriculture sector. Read more
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EcoAct Tanzania wins at 2019 Le Monde Cities Urban Innovation Awards
Par Marion Douet Source: Le Monde
2018 SEED Low Carbon Awards winner EcoAct Tanzania wins "Habitat" award at the 2019 Le Monde Cities Urban Innovation Awards. The Awards was presented on June 28 in Paris, France. EcoAct recycles and transforms plastic waste into sustainable building materials as an alternative to wood with the aim to preserve forests and mitigate negative climate change effects. [Article in French] Read more
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Daily Dump featured at VAM's Food: Bigger Than The Plate exhibition
Victoria and Albert Museum Source: Victoria and Albert Museum
SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2018 Daily Dump (India) features their home-compost products at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) exhibition on innovative individuals, communities and organisations who are radically re-inventing how we grow, distribute and experience food. The Exhibition is on now until Sunday, 20 October 2019. Read more
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Lighting up rural South Africa with SolarTurtle
Published: 21 June 2019 Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, James Van der Walt tell us how being on a ferry in Ireland and a monastery in New Zealand inspired the founding of his eco-inclusive business idea. These days, they’re busy with SANEDI working on developing Baby Turtles which would be smaller, cheaper versions of their original prototype. Read more
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Cool clean tech to tackle climate change
Source: Green Times
As showcased during the SEED South Africa Symposium 2019, South African entrepreneurs are taking climate change seriously: Water filters made from macadamia nut shells, a mobile solar-powered kiosk for charging phones in off-grid areas, vegetable growing systems using recycled plastic bags, and a machine that turns any type of waste into energy (gas) or diesel. Read more
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SANEDI & SolarTurtle develop next generation of green enterprises for grassroots communities
SolarTurtle Source: SA Innovation Summit
The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has partnered with the Department of Science and Technologies (DST), and SolarTurtle to development the next generation SolarTurtle solar energy kiosks – The BabyTurtle. Read more
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