Nairobi, Kenya (June 25, 2026) — Village Capital (VilCap), in partnership with Norway, through Norad – the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, has announced the conclusion of the Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship Africa (ESEA), a three-year initiative established to strengthen locally-led entrepreneurial ecosystems and expand pathways to capital for climate startups across Africa.
ESEA was designed around a core VilCap belief: entrepreneurs do not scale in isolation. In markets where climate, food, energy, and resource challenges are reshaping local economies, founders need strong local support and infrastructure that can identify promising ventures early, prepare them for investment, and connect them to the resources and relationships needed to grow.
Through ESEA, VilCap worked with 14 locally-led Ecosystem Builders across Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania to strengthen their organizations and test a co-delivery model for founder support. Building on this foundation, VilCap partnered with five Ecosystem Builders in 2025 to co-deliver investment-readiness programs for 150 climate startups across the five markets.
As the initiative concludes, VilCap has deployed USD 500K in grant funding to 32 startups addressing critical sustainability challenges across the continent.
The largest share of funding was directed toward Climate Adaptation startups, which received USD 225K. Food Security startups received USD 125K, Blue Economy startups received USD 100K, and Renewable Energy startups received USD 50K. The distribution reflects both the depth of entrepreneurial activity in these sectors and the readiness of these startups to translate innovative solutions into scalable impact.
The grant recipients were selected by an Investment Committee comprising Village Capital staff, independent external experts, thematic specialists, and Ecosystem Builder representatives.
“At Village Capital, we've learned that the challenge isn’t a lack of entrepreneurial talent. Too often, the challenge is that the systems around entrepreneurs are not designed to help promising startups access the networks, resources, and capital they need to grow,” said Nakami Walunywa, Regional Director, Africa at Village Capital. “ESEA gave us an opportunity to test what happens when you work through local organizations that are deeply embedded in their markets. We saw how local knowledge, trusted founder relationships, and ecosystem intelligence can help surface stronger pipelines and create more effective pathways between entrepreneurs and capital. Those lessons are shaping how we think about ecosystem building, not as a parallel effort to investing, but as essential infrastructure for directing capital where it can create the greatest long-term value.”
The lessons from ESEA have directly informed the launch of the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility, a next-generation impact investment initiative supported by the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Building on the partnerships, market insights, and locally-led approach developed through ESEA, the facility works with local organizations to identify high-potential startups and deploy fit-for-purpose capital, advancing VilCap's broader commitment to redesigning how capital flows so entrepreneurs can strengthen local economies and improve lives.
For media inquiries or to learn more about VilCap's work across entrepreneur support, ecosystem building, and impact investing, contact eva.waweru@vilcap.com. For investment-related inquiries and partnership opportunities, contact impactinvesting@vilcap.com.
About Village Capital
Village Capital is a global leader in impact investing, helping early-stage startups access the type of social and financial capital they need to grow – reshaping the supply and demand sides of capital flows as a result.
Since 2009, Village Capital has directly supported more than 2,100 impact startups in 70 countries. Together, these founders have raised over $9.6B across economic mobility, environmental sustainability, and access to essential services. It has made 116 investments through its various affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 91 peer-selected companies. Additionally, 26,000 entrepreneurs have used its Abaca web app to take at least one assessment, helping them expand their access to financial capital. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital.
About Norad
Norad is the Norwegian agency for development cooperation. We work for the world to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Norad is a professional body under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with our partners and on behalf of Norway, Norad strives for a greener future in a world without poverty. Human rights must be respected, and none left out. By way of knowledge and cooperation, we ensure that the funds of Norwegian development aid contribute to global development.
