Village Capital Awards USD 500 K Grant To African Climate Startups

Village Capital has concluded the three-year Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship Africa (ESEA) initiative, deploying USD 500 K in grant funding to 32 climate-focused startups across Africa.

Implemented in partnership with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the programme supported locally led entrepreneurial ecosystems in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Through ESEA, Village Capital worked with 14 ecosystem builders before partnering with five organisations in 2025 to deliver investment-readiness programmes for 150 climate startups.

Climate adaptation startups received the largest share of funding at USD 225 K, followed by food security (USD 125 K), blue economy (USD 100 K), and renewable energy (USD 50 K).

Village Capital said the initiative demonstrated that strengthening local ecosystem builders can improve startups’ access to networks, capital, and long-term growth opportunities.