In the past year, we positively impacted the lives of over 8.7 million people totaling more than 46.1 million people since our inception in 2006. Thanks to our intense pipeline work, we were able to invest in five new impact ventures. In addition, we opened the first elea Hub in Africa. Read our Annual Review 2022 to learn more!
In the blog article "The case for philanthropic impact investing", elea Founder and Chairman Peter Wuffli debates why a philanthropic approach to impact investing is needed to address absolute poverty effectively and sustainably. And in doing so, fully leverage the power of impact investing in solving societal problems with entrepreneurial means.
The elea movie takes you on a journey to our impact ventures and shows how we fight absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means. Featured impact entrepreneurs discuss their innovative, locally-rooted solutions to one of humanity's most pressing issues, explain how they create lasting social impact and how elea adds value along the way.
In September 2022, elea welcomed 32 entrepreneurs at IMD Lausanne to a tailor-made Leading for Impact program. Watch the video to learn what the elea Entrepreneurs’ Community means to its members, to feel the energy the community creates, and to get inspired by these charismatic leaders.
Coffee Circle buys specialty coffee from Ethiopian farmers at justifiably high prices and thereafter directly distributes it via the internet to the European market.
Zeyneba Awo, Coffee farmer from Oolmeehayee: "Our whole life is built on coffee ..."
Dharma Life provides rural regions in India with know-how and products that offer high social benefits. Thousands of small local merchants form a network and sell high quality products at affordable prices. Clients thereby learn how they can improve their daily lives.
Balasaheb Gaekwad, Dharma Life Entrepreneur: "What motivates me is that Dharma Life products are for the social well-being of the people ..."
Amazi is a nail and beauty salon chain that uses an entrepreneurial approach to fight inequality in South Africa. They train and hire disadvantaged women to work as nail technicians and cater to South Africa’s largely neglected lower- and middle-class customer segment.
Divya Vasant, Founder and CEO Amazi: "Amazi is an ecosystem of opportunities for marginalized women to realize their potential. The mental and emotional rifts ..."
iCow sends SMS text messages to smallholder farmers in Kenya to convey knowledge about farming practices from cattle breeding to grain production. Farmers can massively increase their earnings and benefit from new perspectives for their daily work.
Su Kahumbu, iCow Founder and CEO: "We are positioning iCow to become the first mobile phone based smallholder farmer agricultural curriculum ..."
The new book by Vanina Farber and Peter A. Wuffli summarizes insights from elea’s 15-year pioneering journey, from creating an investment organization, choosing purposeful themes, and sourcing opportunities, to partnering with entrepreneurs for impact creation.
