Village Capital has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank to launch a pioneering financing facility. The primary focus of this initiative is to invest in early-stage, impact-focused start-ups led by women founders, providing them with the much-needed catalytic capital to overcome the challenges they face in accessing investment and financing opportunities.
The collaboration between Village Capital and Standard Chartered Bank aims to uplift women globally by driving more investment capital towards impact-driven women founders.
“We’re extremely excited to partner with Standard Chartered Bank to support their vision to lift participation of women globally by driving more investment capital to impact-driven women founders,” said Heather Matranga, Vice President, Impact Investments, Village Capital.
“For over a decade, Village Capital has been developing systems and processes to improve equity in investment decision-making and ultimately unlock more opportunity and capital for women-founded and led ventures. Through this pilot facility, we intend to provide innovative and catalytic financing that truly meets the needs of women entrepreneurs across a range of business models and markets,” she continued.
As a significant milestone in this collaboration, Village Capital announces its inaugural investment in two women-led start-ups:
- Bena Care – a Kenyan start-up providing affordable clinical and supportive care to patients with life-limiting illnesses.
- Mighty Finance – a Zambian fintech start-up focused on providing access to capital for primarily women-led businesses.
Both Bena Care and Mighty Finance will receive $ 75,000 each, bringing the cumulative investment to $150,000. This financial support aims to propel these women-led ventures to new heights and showcase the potential of women entrepreneurs in making a lasting impact in their respective industries.
“We are excited to be able to partner with Village Capital to bolster our successful Women in Tech program, which has trained more than 70 women-led businesses by providing them with critical support to help scale their businesses to international standards,” said Joyce Kibe, Head, Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered.
“We believe by supporting more women in business, we are stimulating more robust and resilient economic activity, while providing support for inputs that are often neglected for start-up businesses,” said Ms. Kibe.
The partnership between Standard Chartered and Village Capital shows its commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in impact investing. By leveraging Village Capital’s experience in unlocking capital for impact-driven start-ups in underserved markets and Standard Chartered Bank’s dedication to empowering women entrepreneurs, this collaboration is poised to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the global entrepreneurial landscape.
Also Read: Women in Tech Program Grants USD 70,000 to 7 Women-Led Startups in Kenya
