Mercy Corps Ventures

Man in coffee bean field — Vega, a company we invest in, is disrupting the coffee value chain by paying small farmers a guaranteed premium price for their beans and hiring them to participate in roasting, packaging, and administration.

Entrepreneurs around the world are deploying disruptive business models and transformative technologies to solve the biggest challenges of our time. These startups have the potential to reach 3.3 billion climate-vulnerable people, 1.4 billion unbanked people, and 162 million small businesses with innovative climate-focused and digital finance products that could drive their resilience.However, they are often undercapitalised and don’t have access to the resources they need for their ventures to survive and scale.

Mercy Corps Ventures invests in and catalyses venture-led solutions to increase the resilience of underserved individuals and communities. Founded in 2015 as the impact investing arm of Mercy Corps, we’ve supported 41 early-stage ventures to scale and raise over $333.9 million in follow-on capital. Our portfolio centres around solutions in adaptive agriculture and food systems, inclusive fintech, and climate smart systems and tech infrastructure, so that those living in frontier markets can withstand disruption and plan for the future. Through capital and support, piloting new approaches, action-oriented insights, and rigourously managing impact, we catalyse the ecosystem towards smarter, more impactful investments.

In order to support underserved groups to join the global economy, we advance emerging decentralised finance (DeFi) solutions that accelerate global financial inclusion. We partner with companies to responsibly pilot the application of cryptocurrencies and blockchain tools to provide reliable and direct access to financial services for un/underbanked populations.

Mercy Corps Ventures will be launching Fund II, our Resilient Future Fund, to invest in and support approximately 20 early-stage startups in frontier markets with solutions that build resilience to the accelerating shocks caused by climate change.

Resilient Future Thesis

Globally, we're undergoing dramatic advancements in tech and increasingly severe disruption. At this inflection point, we see the opportunity to scale companies creating a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient world. We invest in adaptive agriculture and food systems, frontier fintech, and climate smart systems.

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Our portfolio

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Powered by Mercy Corps

Outside of Mercy Corps Ventures, we support entrepreneurs within Mercy Corps to develop and grow social enterprise-inspired models for impact.

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The Community Investment Trust

Owning real estate is one of the major drivers of wealth in the United States. But for many, it's not a possibility. The Community Investment Trust is on a mission to bridge this gap and make it possible for all people to own commercial assets and build wealth where they live.

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Gaza Sky Geeks

Confined to an area the size of Manhattan Island in New York, youth in the Gaza Strip need an outlet for their ambition and creativity. Founded in 2011, Gaza Sky Geeks provides a vibrant co-working space, coding academy, and software development services to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship.

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MicroMentor

For entrepreneurs, turning a passion into a business is the ultimate dream. But that dream doesn’t come easily. On a mission to democratise social capital, the MicroMentor platform connects entrepreneurs in frontier markets with savvy mentors across the world, allowing them access to knowledge, guidance, and support so they don’t have to go it alone.

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