Impact Fintech

100x Impact Accelerator is a venture accelerator that backs impact ventures capable of improving hundreds of millions of lives through systemic change. They provide catalytic capital, world-class expertise, and access to a community of mentors, advisors, and funders, all focused on deep systems-change support. Their ventures deliver impact across education, climate, healthcare, and other global challenges. 100x Impact operates with the mission to scale social innovations that can achieve systemic change, recognizing that while the world has many social innovations, very few scale effectively. They are powered by LSE (London School of Economics) and leverage evidence-based research, expert guidance, and global convening reach. Their approach combines funding with LSE's academic rigor and venture insights shared across the ecosystem to drive impact at scale. The organization has established itself as a significant player in the impact investing ecosystem by backing 35 ventures that have collectively impacted 144 million lives across 45 countries. They have demonstrated their effectiveness by helping ventures secure substantially more capital after completing their program, with participants raising 15 times more funding. Their focus on creating 'impact unicorns' and sharing proven insights globally positions them as a catalyst for scaling impactful solutions worldwide.

Accelerating Asia Ventures is the leading early-stage venture capital accelerator in Southeast Asia and South Asia, focusing specifically on pre-Series A startups. They operate as both an accelerator and VC fund, targeting high-potential founders with real traction and grit who may not have traditional backgrounds but demonstrate strong business fundamentals. Their mission centers on investing in the region's best pre-Series A startups by providing capital, credibility, and hands-on partnership to help founders reach the next level. Licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, they fill a crucial gap in the funding ecosystem by focusing on startups that are 6-18 months away from institutional funding - companies with robust products at early stages of customer traction that are often overlooked by other investors. Accelerating Asia serves as a catalyst for positive change by backing undiscovered entrepreneurs and providing investor partners with systematic access to innovation in Asia's most dynamic markets. They focus not just on financial returns but on profitability, growth, and impact, operating with the guiding belief that entrepreneurs are one of humanity's greatest catalysts for positive change.

Accial Capital is an impact investment firm focused on expanding access to credit for underserved populations across Latin America and other emerging markets. The firm partners with fintech lenders and financial institutions to scale responsible lending solutions that improve financial inclusion while delivering risk-adjusted returns. Through a data-driven approach, Accial Capital provides capital and strategic support to platforms that serve micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and consumers who are often excluded from traditional banking systems.

Accion is a global nonprofit dedicated to building a fair and inclusive economy by expanding access to responsible financial services. Founded in 1961, Accion works at the intersection of fintech, investment, and advisory to scale solutions that improve financial health for underserved populations. Through its investment strategies, advisory services, and research initiatives, Accion supports companies and financial institutions reaching millions of people across emerging markets. Its work spans digital banking, credit, payments, and climate-focused financial tools, helping individuals and small businesses gain access to the financial systems they need to grow and thrive.

Acumen is a venture philanthropy organization that invests in visionary entrepreneurs building transformational companies from seed to scale. They focus on funding bold entrepreneurs who are creating inclusive solutions across sectors like sustainable agriculture, quality education, renewable energy, healthy communities, dignified jobs, and gender equality. Their mission is to break the cycle of poverty through patient capital investments in high-innovation, high-impact enterprises. They operate by deploying philanthropic capital to shape markets and support entrepreneurs who are addressing the world's toughest poverty-related challenges, investing where traditional funders won't. Acumen Ventures has established itself as a significant force in the impact investing ecosystem since 2001, with an A to Z directory of portfolio companies spanning over two decades. They matter because they've reinvented the rules of return, prioritizing impact alongside financial sustainability and helping to demonstrate that venture philanthropy can drive meaningful systemic change in underserved communities globally.

Adenia Partners is a private markets investment firm focused on growth opportunities across Africa. Founded in 2002, the firm invests in high-potential companies that drive economic development while delivering strong financial returns. With offices across key African markets, Adenia Partners works closely with management teams to scale businesses, improve operational performance, and expand regional footprint. The firm integrates ESG and impact considerations into its investment strategy, with a focus on building resilient businesses that contribute to long-term economic growth on the continent.

Advance Global Capital (AGC) is a private credit investment manager focused on providing working capital to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. The firm partners with non-bank lenders and fintech platforms to expand access to trade finance and receivables financing for underserved businesses globally. By deploying institutional capital into short-duration, asset-backed strategies, AGC helps unlock liquidity for SMEs while delivering stable, risk-adjusted returns to investors. Its model supports economic growth by strengthening supply chains and enabling businesses to scale in markets where traditional financing is limited.

Ashoka is one of the world’s leading organizations supporting social entrepreneurs. Founded in 1980, Ashoka pioneered the concept of social entrepreneurship and has built a global network of changemakers working to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Through its flagship Ashoka Fellows program, the organization identifies and supports high-impact entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, and a powerful global network. Ashoka’s broader mission is to create a world where everyone is a changemaker, embedding social innovation across education, business, and civil society.

Bain Capital Double Impact is the impact investing strategy of Bain Capital, focused on building market-leading companies that deliver both strong financial returns and measurable social and environmental impact. The platform leverages Bain Capital’s global reach and sector expertise to scale businesses across healthcare, sustainability, and inclusive growth. The firm partners with management teams to drive operational improvements, expand market reach, and embed impact into core business strategy. Its approach combines rigorous private equity discipline with a commitment to long-term, responsible value creation.

The BlackRock Foundation is the philanthropic arm of BlackRock, focused on expanding financial security and economic opportunity for individuals and communities. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations and large-scale initiatives that improve access to savings, workforce development, and long-term financial well-being. Through flagship programs like the $100 million Future Builders initiative and the Emergency Savings Initiative, BlackRock Foundation partners with nonprofits, employers, and public sector organizations to build resilient communities and create pathways to stable, well-paying careers.

Carbon Equity is the world's leading climate fund investor that specializes in unlocking climate private equity opportunities for individual investors. They focus on investing in pioneering energy and climate tech companies that are handpicked by top investment teams around the world, offering access to carefully curated portfolio funds. Their mission centers on helping investors use their capital to fight climate change and shape the future net zero economy. Carbon Equity operates by creating portfolio funds that include multiple funds managed by top climate investors globally, making it easier for individuals to access high-quality climate investments that were previously available only to institutional investors. Carbon Equity plays a crucial role in democratizing climate investing by bridging the gap between individual investors and impactful climate solutions. They matter because they enable more people to participate in funding the transition to a net zero economy while offering strong risk-adjusted returns, effectively scaling climate finance beyond traditional institutional boundaries.

The Catalyst Fund is a pre-seed VC fund and accelerator that invests $200K in early-stage startups and follows on at Seed and Series A rounds. As a thesis-driven investor, they focus exclusively on backing founders building climate adaptation and resilience solutions across Africa. The fund operates as both an investor and venture builder, with ex-founders and operators providing hands-on support spending 400+ hours with each startup to accelerate growth. Since 2015, they have accelerated 81 companies across 19 markets, connecting startups to their global network of 250+ investors and ecosystem partners. Their comprehensive approach includes tailored venture building support across key business areas including data, tech, sales, talent, product, fundraising, and growth.

EBG Investment Solutions is an independent, globally active investment advisor and manager based in Zurich, operating since 2008. They specialize in providing sustainable private market investment solutions for professional investors including pension funds, insurance companies, benefit plans, faith-based institutions, foundations and family offices. The firm focuses exclusively on developing and managing private market portfolios with sustainability as a driver of return, comprehensive ESG integration and impact. They offer global access to highest-qualified specialist investment managers, particularly targeting SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) investments that provide attractive exposure to growing opportunities not found in public markets.

Fast Forward is a nonprofit accelerator focused on supporting tech nonprofits building scalable technology solutions for social and environmental impact. Since 2014, the organization has helped mission-driven founders grow technology platforms addressing challenges across education, healthcare, climate, economic opportunity, civic engagement, and digital inclusion. Through accelerator programs, funding, mentorship, strategic partnerships, and ecosystem support, Fast Forward empowers nonprofits using technology and AI to improve lives at scale.

The Fool Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck move from financial stress to financial freedom. Born out of The Motley Fool community and based in Alexandria, Virginia, the foundation builds and scales solutions that help people save, grow financial knowledge, and strengthen resilience through life's challenges, advancing a mission of financial freedom for all.

LiftFund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to expanding economic opportunity through affordable small business financing, technical assistance, and entrepreneurial support. Since 1994, LiftFund has helped underserved entrepreneurs access capital and business resources that traditional financial institutions often overlook. The organization provides loans, grants, business coaching, capital readiness programs, and community partnerships that help entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow businesses while creating jobs and strengthening local economies.

The MacArthur Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation focused on advancing a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world through grantmaking, impact investments, fellowships, and institutional support. The foundation funds creative individuals, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and mission-driven initiatives working across climate solutions, democracy, journalism, criminal justice reform, technology and society, global security, and community development. Known globally for the MacArthur Fellows Program, often referred to as the “Genius Grants,” the foundation combines long-term systems thinking with bold investments designed to address complex social and environmental challenges.

MassChallenge is a global accelerator network that backs entrepreneurs with the determination to solve the world's toughest challenges. Born in Massachusetts and built for the world, MassChallenge operates as a founder-focused organization that turns bold ideas into meaningful outcomes. The organization supports startups across multiple critical challenge areas without taking equity. MassChallenge focuses on accelerating solutions in five key challenge areas: Healthcare & Life Sciences, Security & Resiliency, Sustainable Food Systems, Climate, and Global Financial Systems. Through their accelerator programs, they connect founders with technical experts, industry leaders, and corporate partners who are committed to driving innovation and impact in these critical sectors.

Mastercard Impact Fund is the charitable fund Mastercard established in 2018 with an initial $500 million commitment following U.S. tax reform. It finances philanthropic programs that advance inclusive growth. The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth describes and helps activate the portfolio, but the Center is the company's social-impact hub and thought-leadership platform; it is not an interchangeable legal or canonical name for the Fund. The current official Fund page reports $432 million “at work” in 104 countries. That is an organization-reported deployment description, not current AUM, independently audited beneficiary impact or proof that the full original commitment has been disbursed as grants. The portfolio works through large nonprofit, research, financial-inclusion and implementation partners on financial health, small-business resilience, data and technology for good and economic mobility. The Fund does not present a general public grant application or a broadly applicable cheque range. Programs such as Mastercard Strive are delivered through selected global and regional partners and may create downstream opportunities for small businesses or local organizations, but participation in those programs is not the same as receiving a direct Impact Fund grant. This profile therefore leaves application and cheque fields empty.

NextLadder Ventures is a time-bound initiative investing in transformative navigation technology (NavTech) so more Americans can reclaim their path to progress. Backed by Ballmer Group, Gates Foundation, John Overdeck, Stand Together, and Valhalla Foundation, NextLadder blends philanthropic and market capital to expand access to people-centered, tech-enabled solutions that help families overcome barriers to economic mobility. Over the next 15 years, the venture aims to empower millions of Americans to reach their potential by 2040.

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm and impact organization focused on shaping a more equitable, inclusive, and human-centered digital future. Founded by Pierre Omidyar and Pam Omidyar, the organization invests in entrepreneurs, nonprofits, researchers, policymakers, and ecosystem builders working at the intersection of technology, governance, business, and culture. Omidyar Network supports initiatives that promote shared power, digital trust, responsible AI, economic inclusion, civic participation, and democratic resilience in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Pay it Forward Ventures (PIF) builds better lives for billions by investing in source-solving rather than symptom-solving. They fund and found ventures that create new paradigms across financial technology, health, energy, and digital infrastructure — and donate 20% of GP profits to philanthropy because they believe in paying it forward.

Prosper Global Ventures is the early-stage impact investing and venture-building platform of Prosper Global, the global development organization formerly known as Mercy Corps. The platform was founded in 2015 as Mercy Corps Ventures and now operates as a family of funds backing founders whose technologies help people and markets withstand climate and economic disruption. Its Resilient Future Thesis is organized around three connected areas: adaptive agriculture and food systems, inclusive climate fintech, and climate-smart technologies. The team invests primarily across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, prioritizing founders who understand the communities they serve and businesses that can scale across a region or globally. Earlier Fund I activity also included Southeast Asia. Prosper Global’s current Ventures page reports 61 early-stage companies supported, $753 million in follow-on capital catalyzed, and 46.3 million customers reached across 90 countries. Its 2025 impact report says 83% of portfolio companies had raised follow-on capital and 46% had at least one woman co-founder. These are Prosper Global Ventures’ reported portfolio figures, not independent impact measurements. The platform combines equity investment with pilots, technical assistance, impact measurement, partnerships, and post-investment support. Representative investments made under the Mercy Corps Ventures name include Pula, which provides agricultural insurance and advisory products for smallholder farmers; Floodbase, which develops flood-risk data and analysis; Wasoko, a last-mile commerce and financing platform for small retailers; AgriAku, an agricultural input marketplace; Ejara, an inclusive savings and investment platform; and Verqor, an agri-fintech platform serving farmers in Mexico. Prosper Global Ventures is embedded within Prosper Global’s humanitarian and development network, giving portfolio companies potential pathways to test products with communities affected by climate volatility, financial exclusion, fragile food systems, and infrastructure gaps. The venture platform is associated with Scott Onder, its co-founder and senior investment leader, while Tjada D’Oyen McKenna leads the parent organization as CEO.

Quona Capital is a pioneering impact venture capital firm that invests in fintech innovators advancing financial inclusion across high-growth emerging markets. Since 2015, the firm has been backing fintech companies that pursue profits with purpose, prioritizing not just access to financial services, but the quality, relevance, and usability that turn access into lasting impact. With a global presence spanning from Latin America to India and Southeast Asia to the EMEA region, Quona's team speaks 18 languages and lives and breathes in the markets they serve. The firm has achieved significant scale with their portfolio companies touching 151.5M lives (75% underserved), serving 31.2M retail customers (87% underserved), and creating over 23,000 jobs.

The UNICEF Venture Fund is UNICEF’s innovation investment vehicle that provides equity-free funding and support to early-stage frontier technology startups in emerging markets. The fund invests in open source solutions that have the potential to improve outcomes for children and young people globally. Focused on technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, climate technology, digital public infrastructure, data systems, and emerging technologies, the fund backs entrepreneurs building scalable solutions in countries where UNICEF operates. Beyond funding, portfolio companies receive mentorship, technical assistance, and access to UNICEF’s global network of partners, experts, and country offices. A core differentiator of the UNICEF Venture Fund is its commitment to open source technology and Digital Public Goods, ensuring that innovations can be adapted, reused, and scaled to benefit communities worldwide. Since launching, the fund has supported startups across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and other emerging technology ecosystems.

The Visa Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Visa, focused on advancing inclusive economies and helping underserved communities thrive through financial inclusion, small business support, humanitarian assistance, and community development initiatives. Founded in 2017, the foundation partners with nonprofits, social enterprises, and mission-driven organizations around the world to expand access to digital financial systems, entrepreneurial resources, and economic opportunities, with a strong emphasis on women-owned and underserved small businesses.