We are pleased to announce our first portfolio investment: Climate Edge

We have been asked many times why we invested in Climate Edge. Simply, we think that Climate Edge has the most phenomenal potential in meeting a truly global need. Here’s why.

It is estimated that there are over 500 million smallholder farms globally and that each one is a potential user of the services offered by Climate Edge.

Smallholdings are massively less efficient than farms that benefit from advanced farming methods, high quality seeds, fertilizers and irrigation. This needs to change.

The Climate Edge SMS service links farmers with a wide range of suppliers that are currently unknown to them. These can provide critical tools and support including access to better seeds, fertiliser and pesticides, advice on best practices and other services such as finance and insurance. More than 200,000 farmers in Kenya and Tanzania use the platform and over 1100 companies and organisations, ranging from Unilever to SMEs, and NGOs and charities, have joined it. The business is on track to have one million users by the end of 2022.

Climate Edge makes money by solving farmers’ problems at the same time as delivering wider advantages – in this case, helping to move millions of people out of poverty.