Village Capital

This June, founders, mentors, investors, and ecosystem leaders came together in Atlanta and London for the Sage Impact Entrepreneurship Summits. Entrepreneurs solving urgent challenges need more than a single moment of support. They need opportunities to challenge their thinking, strengthen their strategies, build trusted relationships, and connect with the resources that help businesses grow. Over four days, founders from the program’s second cohort did exactly that through peer learning, mentorship, network-building, and Village Capital’s founder-led peer review process. We are grateful to Sage Foundation for supporting this work and helping make it possible – backing entrepreneurs and the networks and support systems that help businesses grow stronger. Hear directly from the founders and partners on what this year’s Summits meant to them. And stay tuned — applications for the program’s third cohort will be opening soon.

If you're a woman building an impact-driven company, you’ve gained traction but still need support, this is for you. The Cartier Women’s Initiative supports women founders in Latin America who are ready to scale their revenue-generating businesses creating social or environmental impact. The program offers: - 3 grants (100K, 60K, 30K USD) - An entrepreneurship program with INSEAD business school - Executive leadership coaching - Access to a global community of 500+ impact leaders 📅 Apply from April 16 to June 16. Find the eligibility criteria here: https://lnkd.in/gVCWRRHW *** Si eres una mujer que está creando una empresa con impacto, has logrado crecer pero aún necesitas apoyo, este programa es para ti. Cartier Women’s Initiative apoya a mujeres emprendedoras en Latinoamérica que están listas para escalar sus negocios y generan ingresos e impacto social o ambiental. El programa ofrece: - 3 apoyos financieros ($100,000, $60,000 y $30,000 USD) - Un programa de emprendimiento con la escuela de negocios INSEAD - Coaching de liderazgo ejecutivo - Acceso a una comunidad global de más de 500 líderes de impacto 📅 Postúlate del 16 de abril al 16 de junio. Consulta los criterios de elegibilidad aquí: https://lnkd.in/gVCWRRHW

There’s a $331B financing gap for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. At the Forbes Africa Leading Women Summit, our CEO, Ellen Brooks, spoke about what it takes to close that gap – and why aligning capital with how businesses actually grow is critical. At Village Capital, we’re working to do exactly that – supporting entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses, create jobs, and grow at the pace their communities need. Watch the full video at the link in the comments. #LWS2026 #redefininggrowth

¡La conversación sobre diseño de capital está ganando espacio en los medios! Abrir la puerta nunca ha sido suficiente; el cuarto mismo necesita una reestructura. El capital de impacto por sí solo no construye negocios sostenibles, lo que marca la diferencia es la estructura detrás: cómo se diseñan los acuerdos y cómo se acompaña a los fundadores. No es un problema de falta de innovación. Es un problema de diseño de capital. Y esa es exactamente la brecha en la que trabajamos. ¡Grupo REFORMA publicó esta historia! Gracias a la periodista Arely Sherice Sánchez y a Laura Rodríguez por llevar esta conversación a la prensa. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e2zAxqWT #FitForPurposeCapital #InnovativeFiance #ImpactInvesting

In Mombasa, only 5% of plastic waste is recycled. The rest? It often ends up in the ocean, impacting marine life and eventually making its way back to us through the food chain. VilCap alum Twende Green Ecocycle is tackling this challenge head-on, cleaning up beaches along the Indian Ocean shores of Mombasa, Kenya, and transforming plastic waste into eco-friendly furniture. They’re not just reducing waste, they’re protecting ecosystems, livelihoods, and human health. Watch how they’re turning a growing crisis into an opportunity for sustainable change. Lawrence Kosgei

Today’s growth logic no longer works. Across markets, 8 out of 10 impact startups still can’t access the capital they need – and many who do are pushed into models optimized for speed, not purpose. This isn’t a funding gap. It’s a systemic issue with how capital flows. For decades, the dominant assumption has been that markets can grow endlessly while somehow reducing harm. But data tells a different story: rising economic activity continues to drive rising resource use, emissions, and pressure on ecosystems. At Village Capital, we believe it’s time to rethink what “growth” means – and align capital with resilience, sustainability, and long-term value. Today, we’re releasing our new Impact Report: Redefining Growth. Drawing on insights from supporting startups in more than 70 countries, the report shows how community-led decision-making strengthens ecosystems and helps early-stage entrepreneurs build solutions within the planet’s limits. 👉 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/ddsYTSAp