elea invests philanthropic capital in and provides strategic support to entrepreneurially led ventures that create lasting social impact by giving people living in absolute poverty access to employment, markets, and value chains. Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, we collaborate with impact ventures that have innovative, economically viable models which catalyze change in their ecosystems and eventually attract further capital. Our investments are centered around agricultural value chains, last-mile retail and services, employable skills, and climate and livelihoods.

Farming is the primary source of livelihood for a significant share of people living in absolute poverty. elea invests in impact ventures with innovative business models that enhance smallholder farmers’ productivity and resilience, improve the quality of their produce, and contribute to food security. As most of these farmers have no direct access to markets, elea portfolio companies help to build skills and foster the integration of smallholders into agricultural value chains – making smallholder farming an avenue for sustainable livelihood and growth.

Most goods and services in low- and middle-income countries are sold on the informal retail market. Inadequate infrastructure and inefficient market structures limit their availability, reduce their quality, and often force customers to pay a premium. elea invests in impact ventures that strengthen the productivity of small merchants and informal agents, thereby enabling their integration into digitized supply and distribution systems. Through innovative entrepreneurial solutions, elea portfolio companies help to build the infrastructure needed to expand access to socially impactful, productivity-enhancing goods and services at fair prices.

One of the greatest challenges in fighting absolute poverty is equipping young people with the necessary skills to earn a living. elea invests in impact ventures that offer market-relevant, practical 21st-century skills training for motivated youth from low-income communities to create pathways for them out of poverty. Once these students have completed their training, elea portfolio ventures help to place them in employment, so they can live a more independent life with better economic possibilities.

If unaddressed, climate change could push up to 130 million people into poverty within the next decade and force more than 200 million to migrate within their own countries by 2050. People living in absolute poverty are disproportionally affected. elea invests in impact ventures with innovative business models that create synergies between environmental and social impact, thereby catalyzing climate-smart solutions and inclusion into regenerative value chains. As a result, elea portfolio companies strengthen climate resilience, support sustainable livelihoods, and mitigate climate change.

Once our role as an active impact investor is fulfilled, we withdraw from these investments. In addition to philanthropic capital, we provide intensive multi-year support in the areas of strategy, team development, and governance. This significantly contributes to fostering organizational and impact growth while simultaneously increasing the company's value. When capital is released through these exits, we reinvest it into new impact ventures.