Village Capital

Entrepreneurs: Kickstart the new year by applying to our programs! Read on for more about our programs, eligibility, and application deadlines. ⤵️

After witnessing firsthand a widening health equity gap in services as a clinician, Emily Sylvester explored technology-based maternal and infant health solutions to reach more underserved families faster. Emily Sylvester, CEO and Founder of Mother of Fact (NurtureTalk Inc.) in Langdon, NH, is one of many entrepreneurs developing innovative, non-medical solutions to address the urgent health equity gap in the US, where income-related health disparities rank among the worst globally. A new blog post shares how the power of partnership, perspective, and planning can enable the scaling of innovative, non-medical solutions that address disparities in the social drivers of health, meeting historically marginalized and underserved communities where they are. Check out the full piece to hear entrepreneurs’ biggest takeaways from the LIFT: Accelerating Equitable Health Innovation 2024 program in collaboration with the Deloitte Health Equity Institute (DHEI) and with support from #ImpactVenturesbyJNJFoundation, and learn about an opportunity to get involved in our Thriving Communities initiative. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gSkhUWKb

There are just a few days left in the year to make tax-deductible donations to nonprofit organizations. Join us to end the year with a commitment to fuel impact-creating entrepreneurs. A great way to support our work is through our recently launched Giving Circle. Becoming a member allows you to be more deeply connected to our work, including invitations to community events and virtual salon conversations, recognition in our impact report, and dedicated staff check-ins. Learn more about the Giving Circle and join us: https://lnkd.in/gP_Q9epQ

Opportunities for Impact Startups 🌱 1. XR2Learn launches €2.1M Open Call - offering €30K-300K funding for XR-based educational applications. Small consortia (up to 3 partners) led by SMEs can apply for 12-month projects. The best project wins an additional €5K. Deadline: 27 Dec 2. Apply to participate in the 7th cohort of the Climatebase Fellowship and accelerate your #climate career. The Climatebase Fellowship is a career accelerator designed to help ambitious mission-driven professionals supercharge their careers in climate, land their next job, or start their own projects and ventures. Deadline: 6 Jan 3. Apply for the Sage Impact Entrepreneurship programme by Village Capital - an opportunity to participate in an equity-free accelerator for early-stage, underrepresented founders making a positive environmental, social, and economic impact in their communities. Eligible startups must be headquartered or have operations in Southern Europe or the UK. Deadline: 10 Jan 4. The DO School Fellowships is looking for young innovators to join beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, a free 3-year environmental fellowship. The programme starts with 12-month intensive training, offering mentorship, resources, and living support to launch planet-positive projects. Open to changemakers aged 16-28 globally. Deadline: 12 Jan 5. Applications are open for the Grace Berlin Accelerator - an 8-month equity-free programme for #femalefounders and mixed teams launching businesses in Berlin. The programme offers €2.2k monthly scholarship, free office space, access to workshops, mentoring, and childcare support while focusing on building your venture and becoming market- and investment-ready. Deadline: 19 Jan #opportunities #awards #grants #accelerator

🚀 Calling all Mexico-based professionals with strong financial analysis and modeling skills! 🚀 Village Capital is looking for a contractor to support our LatAm team in sourcing companies, conducting due diligence, facilitating program sessions, engaging with mentors, and supporting early-stage startups with innovative solutions for sustainable development. If you have expertise in early-stage financial analysis and modeling, and a passion for supporting entrepreneurs, we want to hear from you! Interested? Check out the link below or reach out to me for more details!

UK-based startup Lambda Agri created a spray paint that helps greenhouses grow crops more productively, while cutting their carbon footprint. Greenhouses often rely on artificial lighting to increase productivity. But this causes two challenges: super high energy costs that can be unaffordable for small growers, and increased carbon emissions. The innovative solution uses photochemistry to improve agricultural sustainability by developing a spray paint that converts unused sunlight into light used for photosynthesis, and it has led to increased food production without the need for additional electricity. Lambda is an example of science meeting sustainable innovation. They participated in our Greentech Europe 2024 program. Our Greentech Europe initiative also tackles two big challenges: enabling the green transition across all sectors in Europe, *and* working on tackling that inequality by supporting diverse-led startups. Read more about their story (and other women leading the greentech movement in Europe and beyond) here: https://lnkd.in/gJaFebeS

Expanding access to affordable, reliable, sustainable energy remains an urgent challenge in Africa. Uwana Energy, a Nigeria-based startup and alum of Greentech Africa 2024, is tackling the country’s energy challenges while accelerating its transition toward clean, renewable energy. This year, we ran Greentech programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, supporting 33 founders addressing climate change in their communities — including Uwana Energy. Learn more in Sun-Connect News: https://lnkd.in/gmvwFAYH

“An oasis within the VC world.” Greentech Europe alum Gabriela Timerman shared the unique experience of being among a cohort of diverse, women-led, climate-focused startups. These entrepreneurs are tackling Europe’s pressing environmental challenges with solutions in clean energy, waste reduction, sustainable agriculture, and more. Now in its third year, we’re proud of the incredible impact the Greentech Europe program has achieved: 🌍 We have supported over 200 women-led startups across more than 24 countries. 💰 We have channeled over USD 800K in non-dilutive funding to help close the gender financing gap in climate innovation. Learn more about the program and innovative startups, including Mardeca, from the Autumn 2024 cohort: https://lnkd.in/gb2vCK_F

Opportunity alert: Check out our programs with open applications in Europe and the US.  🌍 📣 Sage Impact Entrepreneurship United Kingdom, France, and Southern Europe In partnership with Sage Foundation, the program will support 12-13 early-stage and underrepresented startups based in the UK, France, and Southern Europe. Deadline to apply: January 10, 2025. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gMB3QJ99 📣 Sage Impact Entrepreneurship United States In partnership with Sage Foundation, the program will support 12-13 early-stage and underrepresented startups based in the US. Deadline to apply: January 10, 2025. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g-2hMrUU 📣 Women in Tech Accelerator US In partnership with Standard Chartered, the program will support 10-12 tech-based or tech-enabled startups in the US. Deadline to apply: January 31, 2025. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gex_XbkJ

“Entrepreneurs are important in the fight against climate change because they recognize the practical, local, immediate problems that we are facing as a people.” In September 2024, we hosted the Greentech Africa Stakeholder Summit in Nairobi, uniting climate founders from East, West, and North Africa, along with the vibrant local startup ecosystem, for three days of innovation, collaboration, and growth. Throughout the summit, founders showcased their product demos and participated in peer due diligence to identify the most investment-ready startups. The event also brought together a diverse group of mentors, investors, ESOs, corporates, and ecosystem leaders who generously shared their expertise and insights, fueling this growing community of changemakers. 🎥 Watch these inspiring moments unfold through our video. This summit was made possible thanks to the support of Moody's Corporation as part of the Greentech Initiative, which supported climate-focused startups across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.