UNDP Growth Stage Impact Ventures – Programme in Tanzania

About the program

The Growth Stage Impact Ventures (GSIV) program identifies through a highly competitive process enterprises from developing countries that have developed at-scale products and services that contribute to the SDGs while achieving commercial success and are committed to embedding impact considerations into decision-making. By showcasing and supporting these ventures, UNDP aims to bring forward evidence of the existence of pipelines of investable ventures that can advance the transition to SDG-aligned investment in developing countries.

The program is based on the findings that emerged from the SDG Investor Map of Tanzania, a market intelligence tool designed to help private investors (funds, financiers, corporations) identify investment opportunities areas and business models that advance the SDGs. The SDG Investor Map of Tanzania revealed market insights around five sectors aligned with the country’s national development needs and policy priorities, where private capital can make a difference to people and the planet.

The GSIV takes the SDG Investor Map one step further, defining a mechanism to identify and support specific ventures operating in the priority investment sectors coming out of the SDG Investor Map, and therefore, a potential investable pipeline to advancing the SDGs at the country level.  This pipeline is then presented during a national investor convening. In addition, the program supports finalists in adopting the SDG Impact Standards for Enterprises, the only management standards in the market that embed sustainability at the core of an organization holistically.

Nomination process

1. Call for nominations: Download here the Call for Nominations describing the details of the program and the eligibility criteria.
2. Nomination form: To nominate impact ventures committed to the achievement of the SDGs, click here and fill out the form. Nominations should be submitted in English.

Important: Nominations may be made by third parties, namely entities that have, or had in the past, a working relationship with the nominated enterprise.  This might include accelerators, impact funds, family offices, international organizations, development banks, governments, and NGOs, among others.  Self-nomination by enterprises is not accepted, however, we encourage third parties to complete the nomination form in cooperation with the nominated venture, in order to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.

What are the eligibility criteria for nominated enterprises? 

• Geographic criteria: This Call for Nominations aims to promote the development of the private sector in Tanzania. Only ventures with substantial operations in Tanzania, with a management team and workforce primarily based in Tanzania and providing products and services mostly in Tanzania and other African countries, are eligible.
• Business model criteria: Eligible ventures, which should be seeking partners (technical, financial, or other) to grow, will be evaluated according to a business model criteria covering their impact, financial record, investment, innovation, and team profile and scalability. The criteria are listed in detail in the Call for Nominations document at the top of this page.
• Thematic criteria: The program aims to identify and aggregate a pool of partnership and investment-ready enterprises within the sectors that help advance the SDGs in the country. Only enterprises operating in one of the following five sectors will be considered for the selection process: Food & Agriculture, Renewable Resources and Alternative Energy, Infrastructure, Education, and Services. Please refer to the Call for Nominations document at the top of this page for more details.

What are the benefits for selected ventures? 

The GSIV program has the objective to improve the visibility and exposure of the selected enterprise in the impact investment ecosystem at the local and international levels and to offer concrete possibilities for developing new connections and access to networking opportunities.  Ventures selected as finalists will be endorsed by UNDP and will receive capacity building and training to improve their impact management practices. UNDP will also extend to all finalist ventures an invitation to attend and pitch their solution at the hybrid Tanzania Investor Convening in the context of the presentation of the Tanzania SDG Investor Map in November 2022. This will be an occasion to meet the investor community and discuss partnerships and investment opportunities.

What are the benefits for third-party nominators? 

Third parties nominating ventures to the GSIV will be acknowledged on the UNDP website and will be invited to attend exclusive events and investor convenings organized by UNDP

Contact details  

For additional details, please contact lindis.norlund@undp.org, miriam.mondosha@undp.org, and eva.bortolotti@undp.org