SVX Colombia commits half a million dollars to entrepreneurs driving gender equality, climate action and rural development

Funded by the Government of Canada, 7 accelerators and 10 high impact enterprises from Colombia selected from over 200 applications

9 min readFeb 8, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / SVX Canada / SVX Colombia

BOGOTÁ, February 8, 2024 — SVX Colombia is thrilled to announce the launch of its second cohort of impact-driven accelerators and enterprises through its investment readiness program known as El Programa de Apoyo a la Inversión de Impacto en Colombia (PAIIC). Developed by SVX, SVX Mexico, and SVX Colombia with the support and funding of the Government of Canada, PAIIC seeks to catalyze the impact investing market in Colombia towards a shared goal: restored ecosystems and improved sustainable livelihoods and economic well-being, particularly for women, their families and their communities, in rural regions of Colombia.

Last October, SVX Colombia opened applications for accelerators and enterprises to join the program’s second cohort. Accelerator programs and enterprises advancing gender equality and/or climate action and biodiversity in rural areas of Colombia were invited to apply to receive technical assistance and grant funding.

Participants in both the accelerator and enterprise tracks will benefit from comprehensive support, including gender-lens expertise, guidance in climate finance, investment readiness preparation, and impact measurement. Additionally, enterprises will receive legal, administrative, financial, and operational support. Participants will be connected with networks of investors and impact funds, paired with mentors, and provided with access to events in the Colombian impact investment ecosystem.

For enterprises, the program seeks to make meaningful connections with investors, enhance investment readiness and improve business operations so they can start or scale their impact . Accelerators will learn how to enhance opportunities for women in businesses, ways to improve accelerated company readiness to secure capital, and ways to create a robust pipeline to share with investors and impact funds.

Quick Facts

The most recent data from the National Advisory Board (NAB) on impact investing in Colombia reported that there is $473M USD in impact investments in the country.
SVX Colombia received 50 applications from accelerators and 167 applications from enterprises. Of the 217 applications, seven (7) accelerators and ten (10) enterprises were selected to be welcomed into PAIIC’s second cohort
The cohort includes enterprises and accelerators across sectors including clean tech and energy solutions, sustainable food, and inclusive financial services

TEN HIGH IMPACT COLOMBIAN ENTERPRISES

Meet the enterprises below.

The INTERACTUAR Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting social and business development programs to improve the economic situation of the most vulnerable. The Corporation’s social and business development programs aims to generate employment and self-employment through the creation and strengthening of urban and rural startups and microenterprises.

Indiegrow serves as a gateway to sustainable coffee sourcing. They empower small coffee-growing communities and coffee businesses to co-create a brighter future for the industry.

As a bio-innovations company, Ecoflora develops high-value added natural ingredients and colours from Colombia’s botanical biodiversity to a range of products including personal care and cosmetics, global food and beverage, pet food, textile, tattoos, dyes and pigments. Ecoflora is dedicated to implementing a regenerative impact model that embraces nature-based solutions and relies on rural and indigenous communities. Their focus is on developing a sustainable supply chain of botanical raw materials, which in turn creates innovative incentives for conserving and regenerating tropical forests and agroecosystems.

PROtalento is a digital platform designed to mentor and educate individuals in Latin America and the Caribbean as they navigate their career paths. Their mission is to empower them to become more successful professionals by fostering the development of skills essential for the future of work.

Torna is a sustainable cleaning company that transforms used cooking oil, the largest wastewater contaminant in the world, into biodegradable domestic and industrial cleaning products

ZhanaSolutions is a cleantech company dedicated to safeguarding water resources and combating climate change. Their circular economy service utilizes environmental innovation to capture grease from industrial kitchens, which is then repurposed into sustainable alternative energy, specifically biodiesel.

Selva Nevada specializes in crafting premium ice cream and frozen fruit products using sustainably harvested indigenous fruits sourced from smallholder farmers in post-conflict regions of Colombia.

SEOS is revolutionizing LATAM’s solar industry by offering a unique fintech solution specifically designed for emerging markets. They provide flexible solar financing to homeowners and microbusinesses, while also equipping the solar installation ecosystem with cutting-edge technology. Their approach ensures a trusted and seamless transition to solar energy.

Energía Vectorial is a technology-driven startup with a mission to decarbonize global mobility. Their focus is on transforming Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs) into Electric Vehicles (EVs) by upgrading the internal propulsion system of the vehicle.

IncluirTec is an agri-fintech company located in Colombia and Mexico, serving as a digital bridge between agricultural producers and financial institutions (banking and non-banking) specialized in microfinance. Their software is designed so that smallholder farmers (“SHFs”) and rural microentrepreneurs can access formal loans easily, 100% digitally, regardless of location and connectivity constraints. The Company’s software empowers financial institutions to streamline processing and credit analysis for the agricultural sector by assessing capital needs and determining optimal payment structures for each farmer based on the crop size, products, and the region in which they operate.

SEVEN HIGH IMPACT COLOMBIAN ACCELERATORS

Meet the accelerators:

Impact Hub Medellin is a worldwide business development platform, which articulates impact ecosystems on topics such as climate, agriculture and gender. The platform’s primary focus lies in the development of capabilities for internationalization, facilitated by their affiliation with the European Business Network.

BICTIA is an accelerator supporting early-stage and expansion-stage companies, aiming to foster the country’s economic growth by nurturing ventures and offering comprehensive training in programming languages.

Amplo actively promotes inclusive and sustainable economic development in Latin America. Through over 50 projects, they have successfully created conditions for public and private capital to invest in profitable projects that are solving critical social and environmental challenges. Since 2018, they have mobilized more than 25 million dollars, positively impacted the quality of life of more than 7,800 families and achieved that more than 73,000 hectares have a better use under sustainable practices.

Pantera is one of the most successful business accelerators in Colombia and LATAM with more than 12 years of experience in the market and in the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. They have grown startups and companies from multiple sectors, regions, sizes or stages.

2811 is a B-company with an international presence and experience, serving as a platform for social and ecological change by providing support and guidance to organizations in their journey toward co-creating regenerative development. Their vision is to impact 1 million agents of change globally by 2030. Boasting over seven years of experience, 2811 has actively supported entrepreneurs and social innovations through collaborations with diverse entities such as universities, governments, private companies, and social sector organizations.

The Icesi University stands out for its focus on the business sector, its commitment to excellence, and its leadership in the region and the country. In 1985, it established the Entrepreneurship Development Center (CDEE), which has fostered innovation and business leadership.

Emprendeverde is the Social Accelerator of the Social Innovation Science Park (PCIS) of UNMINUTO, which provides acceleration services through intensive training to social entrepreneurs in the country who seek to establish themselves in local, national, and international markets and require investment to increase their social and environmental impact in rural areas of the country.

Quotes

“As we kick off this exciting journey with our second cohort, SVX looks forward to witnessing the positive impact and growth that will emanate from this dynamic group of accelerators and enterprises committed to driving change in Colombia’s impact investment landscape.” — Paula Delgadillo, Project Director, SVX Colombia

“What exciting news! Thank you very much and all our commitment so that “This is a great step for Interactuar to strengthen its competencies in the world of impact investing.” — Lina Montoya, Executive Director, Interactuar

“We are very excited about the possibilities that entering this program opens up for us. We are very happy to work together for the country.” — Anibal Yamhure, Chief Finance and Operations Officer, PROtalento

“We are very happy to continue this great process hand in hand with SVX, we want to impact the largest number of rural communities in the country and dynamize the impact investment ecosystem in the country.” — Camilo Velasquez, EmprendeVerde (Uniminuto)

About SVX

SVX is a nonprofit, diversified financial services firm driving impact for investors, organizations, funds, and enterprises. We provide knowledge and insights, advisory solutions, fund solutions, an investment platform and services for investors, and systems change solutions. We work across sectors that deliver meaningful impact: climate action, health, education, food, equity, housing and impact real estate, helping investors find and make impact investments and issuers raise impact capital.

We work with issuers from place-based impact investing funds to community power co-operatives producing renewable energy to charitable organizations tackling mental health and addictions. We work with all investors, from foundations and family offices to everyday investors, to help them identify opportunities and to support their decision-making efforts so they can match their money with meaning.

SVX is regulated by the Ontario Securities Commission and is registered as an Exempt Market Dealer (EMD) in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec. We have partners and operations across Canada, as well as in the US, Mexico, and Colombia. For more information about SVX, please visit: https://www.svx.ca/

About Programa de Apoyo a la Inversión de Impacto en Colombia (PAIIC)

Programa de Apoyo a la Inversión de Impacto en Colombia (PAIIC) is an impact investing ecosystem support program that provides both capital and capacity supports for enterprises, organizations and funds seeking to start or scale their impact, particularly focused on rural regions in Colombia, women, and climate action. This impact investing infrastructure program seeks to leverage and support the work of existing stakeholders while tactically filling market gaps in capital, capacity and network development with resources and new programs. This program has been designed and led by SVX in collaboration with ecosystem partners.

The core program is implemented through:

Support Programs: Hands-on capacity building support to impact enterprises, organizations, projects, intermediaries and investors.
Granting Streams: Grant funding to enterprises, organizations, funds, and capacity building organizations including an innovative finance grant program, accelerator grant program, and enterprise grant program.
Partners: The program will have both core and delivery partners to ensure successful program delivery.

For more information, please visit: https://svxcolombia.com/