ShEquity

One #solarhomesystem can ignite transformation! 🌟 Recently, our founder, Pauline Koelbl, visited WidEnergy Africa Ltd, one of our portfolio companies in #Zambia 🇿🇲. A women-led business, WidEnergy is led by Liliane Munezero Ndabaneze Chabuka and provides #clean, affordable solar home systems to rural and peri-urban communities while empowering women through training and job opportunities as #solarambassadors. During her visit to a rural area, Pauline met Mary Sitolo, a community health worker who turned her solar system into a spark for growth and transformation. 💡 ✨ Mary’s journey: ✅ First to adopt WidEnergy’s pay-as-you-go solar home system in her area. ✅ Became a Solar Ambassador, earning commissions by mobilizing her community. ✅ Used her earnings to open a shop and build a 3-bedroom brick house. ✅ Her DREAM? Once the house is complete, Mary plans to raise chickens and build a hammer mill for her community—so women no longer need to walk long distances to process maize, Zambia’s staple food. 🌽 Other inspiring women Pauline met include: 1️⃣ Sylvia Musonda – A restaurant owner in Mishikishi, Copperbelt Province. Thanks to her solar home system, Sylvia operates her restaurant for longer hours and has saved enough to purchase land where she is now building a larger restaurant. Her DREAM: Buy a freezer, allowing her to preserve food and serve more customers. 2️⃣ Jane – A single mother of two who runs a small hair salon in rural Copperbelt Province. With solar-powered lighting, Jane can braid hair and make wigs at night. Her DREAM? To save enough money to return to school and complete her 10th grade, with hopes of becoming a nurse. Jane shared that she got pregnant at 15 and never had the opportunity to finish her education. These stories highlight the transformative power of clean energy solutions—unlocking potential, creating opportunities, and empowering women to dream, grow, and take their destiny into their own hands. 💡 Pauline reflects: “It was super inspiring to listen to Mary, Sylvia, and Jane, and be reminded how everyone has a dream, no matter where you live or how less privileged you are. It was also heartwarming to witness how our investment at ShEquity is transforming the lives of women in Zambia and beyond —living up to our commitment of doing well while doing good!” At ShEquity, we’re proud to have been early investors in WidEnergy, and we hope you are as inspired as we are by these stories of how one solar home system can ignite #transformation. 🔆 As we wrap up the year, we remain more committed than ever to backing gender-smart and green businesses that are transforming the lives of African women and their communities. Together, we can drive #inclusivegrowth while addressing #climatechallenges. 🌍 #WomenEmpowerment #CleanEnergy #ImpactInvestment #SmartInvesting #GenderLensInvesting #ClimateAction #SustainableDevelopment #GreenBusiness #InnovationForGood #DreamBig 🚀

Do you want to be a part of an honest conversation about #GenderSmartInvesting in Africa? If yes, ensure to get your ticket for this session! Our founder Pauline Koelbl will join other GenderSmart investors and experts, Yemi Keri, Aly El Shalakany and Eghosa Omoigui to unpack why gender-lens investing is a smart investing ! See more below 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

Great to see our Founder Pauline Koelbl engaging with innovators and innovation ecosystems, highlighting the fact that African innovators are creating unique solutions addressing local and global challenges! 🙌🏾🙌🏾

Big congrats to our founder, Pauline Koelbl, on her new role as Senior Advisor to BeThatGirl Foundation! 🙌 The synergy between their vision and ours is next level—here’s to amplifying impact and empowering women together! Let’s go! 🚀✨ #PowerMoves #BeThatGirl #ShEquity #Impact

“Smart Investments For the Future, Are Gender Smart” UNICEF! We can’t agree more ! This article by UNICEF, exemplifies how investments in the future need to be gender smart. Gender lens investing is the key to unlocking economic potential across the world. Specifically, the article suggests that the frontier tech sector needs more diverse investment to accelerate progress. UNICEF’s very own venture fund addresses this by investing in women led startups that support the rights of children. Yet, systemic barriers continue to hinder women-owned businesses. UNICEF's message, backed by solid data, calls for international intervention to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion within investment value chains. This aligns perfectly with what we champion at ShEquity: Gender-lens investing IS smart investing. Together, we can build a future where all voices are represented in shaping the global economy. 🌟 Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/exemDAPT #GenderLensInvesting #SmartInvesting #WomenInBusiness #DiversityAndInclusion #InvestInWomen #SDGS #FrontierTech #SustainableFuture

At ShEquity, we believe that empowering #girls is the foundation for building a #sustainable, #inclusive and #equitable future. When girls are given the opportunity to thrive, they transform communities, industries, and the world. On this special day, we celebrate the incredible potential of girls everywhere and stand firm in our commitment to supporting #women and #girls through #gendersmartinvestment, #entrepreneurship, and #economicempowerment .  Learn more about this #DayoftheGirl https://lnkd.in/gn6uQwz 💡 Let’s continue to break barriers, foster innovation, and create an ecosystem where every girl has the tools and support to succeed. Together, we can build a future where #GenderEquality isn’t just a goal, but a reality. 💪🏽🌍 #DayoftheGirl  #unlockinggirlspotential #WomenEmpowerment #FutureLeaders

Check out this great opportunities by Melinda French Gates's Pivotal Ventures's funding opportunity for those focusing on #Women's #Health. Learn more + apply here: https://lnkd.in/dK5rMnBU

"Out of the 100 most-funded start-ups in Africa since 2019, only two currently have a #femaleCEO " The recent newsletter from Africa: The Big Deal by Max Cuvellier Giacomelli and Maxime Bayen revealed the persisting #genderinequity in startups funding. Indeed we still have a long way to go towards closing the gender funding gap in Africa. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e9kGDNaG At ShEquity, we are proud to be intentionally focusing on addressing the gender-funding gap and building an inclusive Africa. We need many more gender champions such as our founder Pauline Koelbl working tiresly to catalyze smart investments for African female-led and owned businesses. #smartinvesting #genderlensinvesting #genderfundinggap #Africa #impactinvesting #Africanstartups

As many people are heading to #NYC for #UNGA2024 and side events, including the NYC #ClimateWeek, we hope to see more commitments and actions towards ending #women’s #energypoverty. We are inspired by this #TedTalk by Sheila Oparaocha which highlights how #women are the key to #cleanenergytransition and how it is urgently important to address women’s energy poverty. With only 15% of the energy workforce made up of women, the policies developed in this space often fail to address the specific needs of women, resulting in gender-blind approaches. These policies overlook the fact that women, especially those in rural or impoverished areas, are the most vulnerable to energy poverty but also the most capable of being agents of change. Oparaocha underscores the importance of #empoweringwomen in the energy transition. #Womenentrepreneurs already provide #renewableenergy services to 21 million consumers, showcasing their ability to create tangible results. She calls for grassroots groups to be supported and transformed into associations that can influence #policy and the political landscape. We at ShEquity recognize this fact, which is why we invested in WidEnergy Africa Ltd (a gender-smart company founded by Liliane Munezero Ndabaneze Chabuka) and also look forward to investing in more climate related businesses that are #gendersmart. Oparaocha’s Ted Talk highlights the urgent need to acknowledge intersection between gender and climate. Check out the full TED talks here: https://lnkd.in/eYDeE6BM  #womenentrepreuners #genderequity #genderequality #climate #cleanenergy 

Great to see our Founder, Pauline Koelbl, engaging with other leaders interested in building a sustainable and inclusive world! See more below!