Sage Impact Entrepreneurship is a three-year initiative dedicated to accelerating the growth of 165 innovative startups that address the most pressing social and environmental challenges of our time, across Southern Europe, the UK, and the US. The initiative will focus on fostering a community of visionary leaders who can drive systemic change through innovation and collaboration.
Washington, DC (November 18, 2024) – Village Capital, in partnership with Sage Foundation, announces the launch of Sage Impact Entrepreneurship, a three-year initiative dedicated to accelerating the growth of 165 innovative startups that address the most pressing social and environmental challenges of our time, across Southern Europe, the UK, and the US. The initiative will focus on fostering a community of visionary leaders who can drive systemic change through innovation and collaboration.
Coming to the end of what will most likely be the hottest year on record, global temperatures are perilously close to surpassing the 1.5°C threshold that would limit the most extreme consequences of climate change and are projected to increase to 3.2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030. The World Resources Institute warns that a 3-degree temperature increase could have dramatic consequences, expose 600 million people to flooding, and cut food production by half, with rural and lower-income communities likely to experience the most severe outcomes.
Beyond environmental impact, these climate events also influence social dynamics that can perpetuate economic inequalities and affect the well-being of underserved communities. To drive systemic change, this program will support founders proximate to the communities they serve, which is critical as they are uniquely positioned to create solutions that address environmental and social impacts in areas where economic disparities often intersect with environmental issues.
For the first cohort of the 2025 program, we are seeking 55 startups across Southern Europe, the UK, and the US building solutions that create a positive impact on the social, economic, and environmental effects of climate change in the following verticals:
Sage Impact Entrepreneurship will support 25 entrepreneurs through its Annual Core Cohort through tailored mentoring, Sage’s product support, grants, and strategic training. An additional 30 formation-stage startups will join the Annual Community Cohort and have access to various resources, including a curated digital platform, asynchronous tools, and visibility through Village Capital’s website and social channels. All participating startups will receive two years of post-program support to strengthen their impact and scale their solutions. Applicants will be evaluated based on their maturity and eligibility requirements, determining their placement in either the Core or Community Cohort.
Applications are open until January 10, 2025. Full details and eligibility criteria can be found for Southern Europe and the UK here and the United States here.
The selected Core Cohort startups will meet for four online workshops from March to June 2025. The curriculum is focused on helping them develop the networks and tools they need to scale their impact and uplift their communities. They will work closely with advisors, partners, and other founders across the climate and sustainability space. They will also work with an investment analyst who will coach them 1:1 on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and using financial metrics to drive their business and investor diligence.
Two startups from the Core Cohort will be selected by their peers to receive USD 50K in grant capital, and the next two highest-ranked startups will receive USD 25K each from Sage Foundation to further scale their solutions. The remaining Core Cohort startups will receive USD 10K in grant capital for milestone support.
All startups that apply to the program will be invited to join Abaca, Village Capital’s free web app. Abaca includes Capital Explorer, which equips entrepreneurs to make strategic fundraising decisions that align with their mission and vision and identify relevant resources and capital providers. Abaca also helps entrepreneurs on a venture path to assess their investment readiness using a consistent set of Venture Investment Levels (1-9) and then plan and track progress toward their next level with the Milestone Planner.
For more information, reach out to Yireth Villaverde at Village Capital (yireth.villaverde@vilcap.com).
About Village Capital
Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage startups to maximize business and impact growth.
Since 2009, Village Capital has supported close to 1,800 startups that have raised over USD 5 billion in investment capital. It has made more than 150 investments through its various affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 110 peer-selected companies. Additionally, more than 36,000 users actively engage on Abaca, their web app that equips entrepreneurs, ESOs, and capital providers with tools for learning about, assessing suitability and expanding access to financial capital. Its latest feature, Capital Explorer, helps founders identify the most appropriate funding options for their businesses. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital.
About Sage Foundation
Sage Foundation has been knocking down barriers in our communities since 2015. By mobilising our colleagues, partners, and customers through impactful programmes, Sage Foundation is helping underrepresented entrepreneurs to grow their businesses while equipping the entrepreneurs of tomorrow with the skills they need to succeed.
About Sage
Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of small- and mid-sized businesses served by us, our partners, and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR, and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology, and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality, and the climate crisis.
