Nairobi, Kenya (15th July, 2025) – Village Capital, in collaboration with the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), has selected five Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) as Venture Partners for the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility (AECF), a USD 4M initiative designed to invest in startups developing context-specific solutions that enhance economic mobility and climate resilience in Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
The selected ESOs are: Reach for Change (Ghana), Africa Fintech Foundry and Fate Foundation (Nigeria), and Anza Entrepreneurs and Ennovate Ventures (Tanzania).
The AECF takes an ecosystem-embedded approach to investment by collaborating with locally-led ESOs to enable a more effective deployment of capital, anchored in deep local insight, to startups developing solutions that improve livelihoods, drive financial inclusion, and enhance resilience to climate change.
“No single investor can be an expert in every context—and that’s why this partnership matters,” said Nathaly Botero, Innovations Manager at Village Capital. “This model allows us to invest across markets while staying grounded in local realities. For us, this isn’t just about sourcing deals, it’s about making smarter, more informed investments by working alongside those already building and strengthening their entrepreneurial communities.”
Startups in Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania play a crucial role in addressing regional challenges, including improving access to jobs, financial tools, clean energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure. However, early-stage founders often struggle to secure appropriate capital to scale these solutions. The AECF aims to bridge these gaps by investing appropriately-structured capital and aligning the investment process with the insights of ESOs who know these markets best. By investing in high-impact startups and empowering ESOs as co-evaluators in the investment process, the AECF seeks to strengthen the broader entrepreneurial ecosystems in each country and accelerate the flow of appropriate, early-stage capital to where it’s needed most.
For more information about the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility and Village Capital’s impact investing work, including how to get involved, contact Husein Merchant at Village Capital (husein.merchant@vilcap.com).
For media inquiries and to schedule an interview with the Village Capital team, email Eva Waweru at (eva.waweru@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 7 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 25,500 members 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 FMO
FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 50+ year proven track-record in empowering entrepreneurs to make local economies more inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: Agribusiness, Food & Water, Energy, and Financial Institutions. With a total committed portfolio of EUR ~13 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector development banks globally. For more information: please visit www.fmo.nl
About RVO
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) helps entrepreneurs and organisations invest in, develop, and expand their businesses and projects, both in the Netherlands and abroad. It is a government agency that is part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
RVO supports entrepreneurs, NGOs, knowledge institutes, policymakers, and organisations. It enhances collaboration and strengthens positions through its funding and networks. By sharing its expertise, RVO helps businesses move forward in international markets. For more information: please visit Netherlands Enterprise Agency | RVO.nl