Learning from Startups | Pace Able Foundation

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My story of transforming rural farming in Zimbabwe.

| By Ruramiso Mashumba | CEO Mnandi Africa

I formed Mnandi Africa in 2016 with a vision to end hunger and poverty in rural homesteads in Zimbabwe and neighboring countries.

Startup learnings so far during COVID-19.

| By Bart Burstein | Co-founder at Pace Able Foundation

Business basics that are working (and not) for our partners during the crisis.

Quick pivots in the time of COVID-19.

| By Olivia Mugabirwe | Executive Director at PeerLink Initiative Uganda

How community-based organizations can shift their mission during the pandemic, without losing their vision. PeerLink Initiative Uganda is a children, youth and women focused not-for profit, non-governmental organization.

Reset your organization to survive.

| By Bart Burstein | Co-founder at Pace Able Foundation

“Must do” guidance for grantees learned from the 2008 recession. And the COVID-19 advice we gave our partners.

Preparing a social venture for second-generation leadership.

| By Laura Brown | CEO at PEAS

Four reflections for a successful CEO transition. PEAS is a not-for-profit which has established one of the leading secondary school networks in Africa.

Four steps to master private sector partnerships.

| By Jehiel Oliver | Chief Executive Officer at Hello Tractor

What our cross-sector collaborations have taught us about joining forces to achieve impact at scale. Hello Tractor offers technology for smarter, better maintained, and more profitable tractors now powered by artificial intelligence for better and faster decision making.

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Pace Able Foundation

Advisory and funding for early-stage social ventures.

$40,000

Fresh Life designs, manufactures, installs and services quality and affordable eco-friendly sanitation products and services in Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret in Kenya. Through a circular economy approach, the sanitation waste is safely removed from the community, treated and upcycled into agricultural inputs, such as organic fertilizer which is used by local farmers. Fresh Life has a network of over 7,500 Toilets, and currently serves over 270,000 residents of informal settlements with daily access to sanitation. Pace Able is working with the Sanergy Collaborative innovation team to develop new products for underserved constituencies.

$40,000

Max Dental, established in 2017, is a pioneering social enterprise committed to increasing the accessibility and affordability of top-quality dental care for the people of Uganda. Operating through three dental clinics in Kampala and a mobile clinic for community outreach, their vision is to become Uganda’s most trusted dental care partner by 2030. Max Dental is on a mission to offer high-quality, affordable, and accessible dental care, guided by their core values of respect, quality and timeliness, inclusiveness, continuous learning, integrity, and accountability. Their comprehensive services cover emergency care, preventive measures, restorative procedures, cosmetic treatments, and rehabilitative services for both adults and children, with a strong emphasis on preventive dentistry.

$172,000

RISE is a not-for-profit organization that works closely with families and educators to provide children in East Palo Alto with a strong academic foundation and the self-confidence necessary to excel in life. Committed to offering ongoing and collaborative support starting from infancy, RISE works to support students’ early success and continue to succeed throughout their education and beyond. We desire that students will leave us eager to inspire future generations to make a lasting impact on the community.

$82,894

PEAS builds and runs one of the largest, fastest-growing not-for-profit secondary school networks in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each year, 19,000+ students learn at their 36 schools in rural communities across Uganda and Zambia. Drawing on their practical experience, they also work hand in hand with governments to improve the wider education system. That way, entire national education systems can deliver better secondary education to everyone. Pace-able is working with PEAS to increase enrolment by developing radio shows and other innovative marketing mediums targeting marginalized, out-of-school young people with key messages on the importance of education.

$174,100

Peerlink Initiative Uganda (Peli-U) is a community-based organization serving Nyarushanje, in rural southwest Uganda. It has a vision to nurture a conducive and supportive environment for children and youth to thrive. It accomplishes this by establishing and strengthening community-based structures that address the basic needs of children and youth in education, health and social-economic empowerment.

$25,000

BIOSORRA is a carbon removal solution for farming that primarily focuses on addressing climate justice in the Global South by producing affordable, durable, and sustainable biofertilizer (biochar) that boosts yield productivity by 40% and stores CO2 for thousands of years in the soil. This is done by transforming agricultural waste (that would be otherwise burned) into biochar and clean energy.

BIOSORRA leverages its own patented technologies and R&D to maximize growth. Its operations enable village-based production of biofertilizers, improving job creation, food security, climate change, and farmers’ incomes.

$46,000

OPERO Services is a Kenyan engineering, business development and market research firm that specializes in scaling water, sanitation and hygiene technologies and enterprises. We bring together innovative thinking, technical expertise and in-depth knowledge of local markets to address WASH challenges in East Africa.

$10,700 $35,000

Global Leading Light Initiatives empowers youths and women by providing access to technology, specialized training, coaching, mentorship, and investment support, with the aim of increasing their potential for positive change and eradicating poverty and inequality. They envision a world where ambitious individuals have the resources to create successful enterprises, leaving a positive impact. This organization is supported by a diverse community of volunteers, experienced professionals, consultants, board members, and partners dedicated to driving meaningful change.

ZAR 1,757,000

EMGuidance is a platform founded by doctors for doctors that aims to empower the frontline of healthcare delivery.

The leading independent digital platform that provides locally relevant medicines and clinical support to empower healthcare professional decision-making at the point of care. We connect the healthcare ecosystem and medical industry to the frontline, to introduce the latest clinical standards, and advances in medicines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

81,300,000 Uganda Shillings

SHONA is a program-based business development service provider in East Africa supporting high potential entrepreneurs building Good Business to address their growth challenges. They work with a network of experts who provide hands-on support to these businesses in different areas of work such as operations, sales, strategy, finance and branding.

ZAR 1,860,000

Lumkani’s purpose is to create safe & resilient communities for under-served people, reducing risks & inequalities and promoting inclusive economic growth. We work with low-income communities to co-develop products & services that improve dignity, safety & financial security.

$75,000 Equity

Roam vision is to make electric transport more accessible to a broader market by making the technology more cost efficient and simplifying deployment. The company focuses on all-electric conversion kits for fleet vehicles such as light trucks, public transport and buses, as well as electric motorcycles and energy systems. These focus areas have been chosen to maximize impact, as these vehicles are some of the highest CO2 emitting vehicles on the market and are largely an untapped opportunity. Therefore, creating the standard for electric mobility in Africa.

$80,000

Open Capital is a management consulting and financial advisory firm based in Africa. Through the Arcadia service offering, Open Capital enables organizations to achieve their goals by providing high-quality, local talent at critical times to ensure talent is never a barrier to growth. Analysts work full-time for 3-6 months, or longer on a rotating basis to implement projects, and provide operational support. To date, Arcadia has completed 120+ secondments across 7 Sub-Saharan African countries.

$205,000

Cycle Connect increases income for East African smallholder farmers through productive asset-financing and training. They are entirely focused on getting smallholder farmers out of extreme poverty. Their portfolio of income-generating products includes oxen and plow, bicycles, motorcycles, grinding machines, and they have an innovations team for new product development. Cycle Connect has impacted 30,000+ people – increasing their income by 35% on average using assets throughout the value chain.

$91,000

We started as just 5 teachers, running workshops in Uganda. By 2021, more than 2360 teachers had joined our Fellowships. Today, our programs equip school and system leaders with tools that enable them to systematically support teachers so they can make a greater impact in their classrooms.

$1,400

Eggpreneur trains and engages women groups, youths, self-help groups, faith-based and community-based organizations by equipping them with knowledge, skills, and partnerships for sustainable Farm Enterprises. This approach aims to use Farm-Microenterprises (Poultry, Piggery, Rabbitry and Beekeeping) techniques to tackle poverty, create jobs and increase household income for women and smallholder farmers in rural communities.

$42,000

Fargreen is a pioneer in social business and a leader in Vietnam’s green food movement. Pace Able provided financial support so Fargreen could increase operations staff on its farm. We are also providing ongoing business structure consulting.

$10,000

Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC) is a women-led, proximate, membership organisation with solidarity at its core, consisting of over 6,500 indigenous women from three districts of northern Tanzania. Our vision is to have a developed, inclusive and equitable society, which respects pastoralist women and girls rights and voices. 25 years ago, ten Maasai women met under a sacred Osiki tree in a remote village in Ngorongoro district. They wanted the next generation of Maasai women to have control over their lives and to influence community advancement. They also wanted to provide a platform for indigenous women to openly discuss challenges and identify solutions to transform the deeply ingrained patriarchal culture that fosters multiple layers of marginalization of pastoralist and indigenous women and girls. Together, they formed PWC to help pastoralist women and girls have their voices heard and their rights respected. Built on trust, mutual respect, deep cultural knowledge and a shared understanding of the issues, we have worked tirelessly to facilitate community-led transformation and sustainable change.

We work in remote, rural pastoralist communities to: end poverty through inclusive, sustainable economic growth; ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development; provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels; achieve gender equality and empower of all women and girls; ensure availability and sustainable management of clean water; and improve access to healthcare.

$100,000 Equity

Aflore is a financial services company empowering the un-banked of Colombia. Aflore identifies and partners with trusted financial advisors within communities and mobilizes them with support and tools to distribute loans and financial products within their networks. Pace Able is an equity investor in Aflore.

$22,700

Unlock Impact’s mission is to unlock the potential of Africa’s human capital to catalyze impact and drive the progress of local game-changing organizations. Unlock Impact achieves this mission by identifying and equipping promising young talent with managerial soft skills through a year-long fellowship program. Pace Able Foundation is supporting Unlock Impact’s strategy development and implementation.

$80,000

Root Capital invests in agricultural enterprises that transform rural communities. Since 1999, it has loaned $B1.2 to over 670 businesses in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Root Capital has developed complementary mobile technology services that help businesses harness data on farmer suppliers. Pace Able is supporting a next generation implementation of a global data platform that includes additional supply chain actors.

$63,000

The Banyatereza Sisters are a religious Institute based in Fort Portal, Uganda and founded in 1937. Their primary work is teaching catechism. But the nearly 400 Sisters have also moved into other areas of development. Such as teaching in schools, community economic empowerment, agro enterprise, and the St. Therese of Lisieux Rwibaale Health Centre.

Soko works with artisan entrepreneurs to build their businesses, improve production capacity, and sustainably increase income, using in part a technology platform that creates a “virtual factory” by combining individual artisans capacity. Pace Able has worked with the Soko Nairobi technology team on best practices, system design and future product planning, and has provided an unrestricted support grant.

Tulaa is a marketplace solution for smallholder farmers to access quality agricultural inputs, affordable finance and competitive markets for their products. Through innovative mobile technology, Tulaa lowers the cost and risk for companies to do business with smallholder farmers in Africa. We support Tulaa by participating in go to market planning and other areas.

$44,341

Mnandi Africa is a Zimbabwe based agricultural support organization, organized in a manner similar to a farm cooperative – today in a single rural village. It is dedicated to improving family income through productivity improvements: farm practice and mechanization. Pace Able provided unrestricted support to assist in purchasing tractor tiller attachment and multiple irrigation installations.

$36,000

Hello Tractor, Inc. is an ag-tech startup focused on improving food and income security for the rural poor, by offering a Uber-like service – for tractors. Pace Able assisted Hello Tractor to purchase two tractors that will be leased to operators.

$120,000

Watsi builds technology to finance healthcare for people around the world. Starting in 2017, Watsi worked with local partners in Rwibaale, Uganda to design and build Watsi Coverage, a technology platform to administer health insurance. Pace Able is a supporter of the pilot and Watsi’s Uganda-based efforts.

Ignitia provides a highly accurate, hyper-local weather forecast, delivered via SMS to farmers across West Africa. Ignitia’s forecasting model was developed specifically for the tropics and is twice as accurate as global models. Access to reliable weather information allows farmers to improve farming practices, increase yields and maximize their profits.

Kheyti helps smallholder farmers battle climate change through the “Greenhouse-in-a-Box”, a low-cost greenhouse bundled with end-to-end services. Our greenhouse costs 85% lower than regular greenhouses, protects crops from climate risks and grows 7x more food using 1/50th the water/kg. Along with the greenhouse, we offer farmers financing, inputs, advice and market support, generating steady additional incomes of upto $1,200/year, a 2x increase in farm incomes.