Annual Review 2025

2025 was a year of strong results, with all core areas contributing to this achievement. Investment activity and philanthropic investor engagement have nearly doubled over the past three years, and with 50 colleagues across various specialized fields and a deep global network, we are on track to realize our vision for 2030 of tripling our impact relative to 2022.

We achieved this success despite an increasingly challenging environment. Ethics and globalization, which are both central to elea’s identity and the realization of our purpose, are facing headwinds today. At the same time, entrepreneurship is more important than ever to maintain competitiveness, preserve prosperity, and fight poverty.

In 2025, eight new investments grew our portfolio to 38 ventures. Our hubs in Africa and Latin America continued to provide deep-rooted access to local networks and promising ventures. Strategic partnerships in Southeast Asia expanded our presence in that dynamic region. Furthermore, we made five add-on investments that extended our support for existing portfolio ventures.

Our approach resonates with philanthropic investors, particularly younger generations seeking more entrepreneurial ways to engage. Throughout the year, we strengthened our existing strategic partnerships, including those with the Fourfold Foundation and the Livelihood Impact Fund, and diversified our investor base.

Together with a group of Singaporean philanthropic investors, we also launched the Philanthropic Investing Collective to expand the impact investing ecosystem in Southeast Asia, as well as our presence there. In a conversation with Andreas Kirchschläger, Francesco Caruso and Lionel Li, whose early convicting made the initiative possible, reflect on philanthropy as a journey of shared learning and why elea’s model is the right fit for the region.

The elea Entrepreneurs’ Community, now comprising over 65 entrepreneurs, offers a trusted space for learning, reflection, and mutual support. In January 2025, entrepreneurs from eight countries met for a regional gathering focused on overcoming real leadership challenges. More broadly, community members actively shaped our investment work by contributing to our internal practice groups and helping to develop our investment theses.

As we publish this review of 2025, elea is marking a milestone: 20 years of fighting absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means. We look ahead with both humility and purpose. Two decades of collaborating closely with entrepreneurs, investors, and communities have given us a deeper understanding of what it takes to fight absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means and a clear mandate for the years ahead.

We thank the elea Comité de Patronage and our circle of philanthropic investors for their financial support, professional expertise, and personal engagement, which strengthen our ability to support innovative impact entrepreneurs. We are equally grateful to the impact entrepreneurs of our portfolio ventures and their teams, who open new pathways out of poverty.

Dr. Peter A. Wuffli, Founder & Chairman

Andreas R. Kirchschläger, Founding Partner & CEO