VentureBuilder and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) announced their partnership to support indigenous African off-grid solar enterprises to sustainably scale. With over 100 million African households still lacking access to modern energy services, this new partnership supports the development of off-grid solar energy enterprises that can meet the demands of underserved populations.

Through this partnership, announced ahead of the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum (Nairobi Kenya, February 18–20), USADF and VentureBuilder will join forces to leverage each other's complementary expertise in the sector. VentureBuilder is pioneering an innovative business model by providing 'patient' early-stage equity as well as enterprise development services, to off-grid solar enterprises in Africa. Similarly, USADF provides early-stage seed funding in the form of grants, as well as intensive local technical support, to strengthen off-grid energy enterprises' ability to scale in less mature markets.

VentureBuilder and USADF invest in African-owned enterprises that improve the lives of the most vulnerable and poor in Africa through investments and technical assistance to foster local economic development. As co-investors, they share a commitment to funding only enterprises that are African-owned and managed, and meet rigorous due diligence standards related to governance, operations, and fiduciary matters.

"We're thrilled to announce this collaboration with USADF, given our shared mission to catalyze a new generation of indigenous off-grid solar businesses across Africa," stated VentureBuilder's Managing Director. The partnership enables more efficient equity deployment and accelerated company scaling.

"Local off-grid energy enterprises will be able to access the three key ingredients they need to grow," explained the USADF President and CEO, highlighting non-returnable capital, equity investment, and local technical assistance as essential growth components.