At FASE, we believe that social entrepreneurship is one of the strongest drivers of systemic change. Impact ventures create jobs, shift local markets and build long-term economic resilience. Impacc takes this principle into the field of philanthropy – by transforming donations into long-term, revolving capital for African founders. 

Impacc uses donations as long-term growth capital for African start-ups – an unusual combination. What gap did you want to close when you built this model?

When we founded Impacc in 2020, we saw a gap that both traditional aid and commercial capital were not addressing: early growth funding for African founders with proven products and strong local demand. Many of these entrepreneurs know exactly what their communities need, but they lack access to the kind of capital that allows them to hire, scale and build stable operations. Donations, if structured well, can fill this gap. We channel donations directly into local start-ups led by local founders.

As our ventures grow and succeed, they generate returns that stay inside Impacc and are reinvested. This evergreen logic means one donation can support multiple generations of businesses. It is a way of using philanthropy to build long-term economic opportunity, not just short project cycles.

Only 2% of global investment capital reaches Africa 

More than 700 million people still live on less than $2 per day. At the same time, Africa is one of the world’s most vibrant and fastest-growing markets, with a dynamic entrepreneurial landscape and many market-ready solutions. Yet early-stage capital remains scarce: only 2% of global investment reaches the continent.

Traditional development programmes meet important needs but are often tied to project cycles. Meanwhile, African start-ups are frequently perceived as too risky for conventional investors. As a result, companies with proven products and strong local demand often lack the capital to grow.

Your portfolio includes founders turning plastic waste into paving stones, old uniforms into backpacks, or building bakery machines in former war zones. If you had to pick one story that captures what Impacc stands for – whose story would you tell?

There are so many to choose from, but I would tell the story of Eric Bosire. He’s the son of a sugarcane farmer, whose dad couldn’t afford his school fees when the rains didn’t come and the harvest was bad. And it was getting worse with time because climate change made rainfall ever more unpredictable. So Eric founded Irrihub, a company that combines rainwater catchment basins with solar-powered drip irrigation. With our investment, they could expand operations across Kenya. Their product has helped thousands of smallholder farmers irrigate more than 3 million square meters of land and double their yields.

Stories like this are not exceptions in our portfolio. Across 14 ventures in four countries, we’ve seen entrepreneurs turn plastic waste into durable building materials or build biodigested toilets in slums. These are companies that create real jobs — more than 2,200 so far, 44% held by women — and they build economic resilience in places where it’s most needed.

Since 2020, Impacc has steadily expanded its portfolio and donor engagement. What signals do you see that show this model is addressing a real financing need in African markets?

The strongest signal is the pipeline itself. We see a steady rise in founders who have viable products and early revenue but cannot access capital to reach the next stage. This segment is too early for most investors and too entrepreneurial for traditional development projects. Our model sits exactly in that gap. Another signal is donor engagement, e.g. from names like Frosta or Deichmann. Since our launch, donations to Impacc have grown by 145% per year which is far above the sector’s 6% average. For us, that’s not a measure of “performance,” but of resonance: people recognise the need and the logic behind the model. Add to that the growing support from partners, and the picture becomes clear: there is both demand from founders and trust from donors for a more structured way of giving.

“Our goal is to mobilise EUR 1 billion, supporting 1,000 startups and creating 1 million jobs. So a single donation contributes to something much larger: a long-term financing architecture for African entrepreneurship.“

When someone donates today, what does that decision set in motion — immediately for the next entrepreneur, and over time through the evergreen fund?

In the short term, a donation allows us to finance the next venture. Our teams in Kenya and Ethiopia work closely with founders on operations, compliance and market access, so the capital reaches them with real support behind it. Over time, the donation becomes part of the evergreen cycle. If the investment generates returns or if we exit, the proceeds flow back to Impacc and are reinvested. That creates a self-sustaining pool of capital. Our goal is to mobilise EUR 1 billion, supporting 1,000 start-ups and creating 1 million jobs. So a single donation contributes to something much larger: a long-term financing architecture for African entrepreneurship. 

Donate like an investor — and support a structured, scalable model that empowers African founders and strengthens economic development within African communities.

Curious? Find more information about Impacc or directly contact Juliane von Boeselager.