This article was originally published on FINCAVentures.com.
It may not feel like business as usual for anyone right now, and yet one thing remains constant for our team: the pursuit of enduring impact. When we started our impact investing journey three years ago, we had many hypotheses about our evolving role in the sector, but we had one anchoring truth: the demonstration of meaningful, measurable social impact.
Since our launch, we’ve successfully deployed nearly $2 million of patient capital into eight social enterprises spanning energy, education, health and agriculture. The start-up realities faced by our investees—innovators who are pioneering new products, services and business models in markets long neglected or unfit for traditional approaches—are unique in their own right. What binds this diversity is the social impact we seek to engender and the continuous undertaking of setting and keeping something in motion despite the undercurrents and friction that can slow us down.This is why we’re thrilled to launch the FINCA Ventures Annual Impact Report 2019: In Motion.
Our portfolio companies have led the way with earnest work across the African continent this past year, impacting lives in meaningful and lasting ways. This inaugural impact report shares their achievements through metrics, customer spotlights and deep dives, and offers ample context for how our team thinks about defining and measuring “impact.” It also shares insights from lessons learned along the way.
Here are some of the impact highlights across the portfolio:
We’re excited to share this first-ever FINCA Ventures Annual Impact Report and proud to work alongside amazing entrepreneurs, co-investors and ecosystem partners equally determined to create, measure and optimize social impact.