Access to Green Finance Project

Catalyzing Investment in India and Kenya for SGBs in Waste Management and Circular Economy 

ANDE, in partnership with the IKEA Foundation, launched the second phase of its project supporting green entrepreneurship in India and Kenya.

 

Through an innovative project aimed at increasing the financing available to early-stage enterprises operating in the Waste Management & Circular Economy sectors, this initiative marks a significant stride toward a greener, more inclusive economy where entrepreneurs in India and Kenya can flourish and generate quality employment opportunities in the waste and circularity sector.

About the Project

In partnership with the IKEA Foundation, ANDE set out in 2021 to understand and bolster support for green entrepreneurial ecosystems in India and Kenya to help both countries adapt to the effects of climate change. The project brought together donors, investors, enterprise support organizations, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to identify and support solutions to propel the growth of green enterprises in India and Kenya.

The initial effort culminated in four research studies that delineated the current state of green entrepreneurial activity and identified opportunities and challenges unique to green SGBs in each country. 

Now, ANDE and the IKEA Foundation are pleased to launch a second phase of the project, specifically aiming to improve access to finance in the waste and circularity sector.

The waste and circularity sector presents one of the largest market opportunities in India (US $823.2 billion) and Kenya (US $53.9 billion) but receives inadequate levels of support from stakeholders.

The primary challenge identified by stakeholders was access to finance, with barriers including low investor confidence and familiarity with green business models, a limited number of investment-ready green businesses, and a need for more policy support to incentivize formalization and improve the competitiveness of green businesses.

The project will address these challenges by:

The project will address these challenges by: Boosting early-stage capital availability The project aims to increase funding for waste and circularity enterprises by addressing investors' knowledge gaps and provide guidance on promising investment opportunities. Strengthening intermediary support By facilitating and funding new connections between investors and entrepreneur support organizations, the project will improve the pipeline of investment-ready waste and circularity enterprises. Policy advocacy and engagement ANDE will collaborate with local experts to identify and advocate for policy change in each country that would incentivize formality, improve competitiveness, and ease the flow of capital.

Key Components of the Project
Waste & Circularity Investor Cohort

ANDE will support a selected group of investors interested in waste management and circularity in India or Kenya through a series of activities to improve their knowledge, networks, and strategies around investing in the sector.

Investment Innovation Fund

The Investment Innovation Fund enables selected entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs) to design interventions in consultation with investors that are likely to lead to more capital deployed in waste and circularity businesses.

Kenya Action Lab

ANDE’s Waste & Circularity Action Lab in Kenya will bring together a variety of sector stakeholders to identify innovative, collaborative solutions to systemic challenges facing the waste and circularity sector in Kenya.

Policy Working Groups

ANDE will partner with local advocacy partner organizations in India and Kenya to connect 20+ public and private ecosystem actors, validate policy recommendations, and advocate for policy reform in the waste management and circular economy sector.

Waste Pickers In Muzaffarnagar Sift Through Mounds Of Plastic Trash For Metal Cans Or Or Intact Plastic Bottles That Could Be Sold, While Children Look For Discarded Toys. Photographer Prashanth Courtesy of Bloomberg.

Fueling Circular Economy Growth in India with $300,000 Investment

The Waste & Circularity Investment Innovation Fund awards $300,000 to two Indian organizations to accelerate capital flow to waste and circularity businesses, fostering a thriving green entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Learn More
Research Insights
Join us

Join ANDE in this transformative journey towards a sustainable future, where green businesses succeed and lead the way in innovation and job creation.

For more details or to get involved, reach out to: