Ground Squirrel Ventures

Fortis Green Renewables Investment Management provides flexible capital to renewable energy assets in Sub-Saharan Africa. The management team has extensive African investment experience: $14 billion across 20 African countries. The company was founded in 2020 and is based in Kigali, Africa.

GET IT is providing produce and dry goods delivery services, including cold storage, beginning with hotels and restaurants. Through its focus on systems, training and superior execution, GET IT seeks to solve the deficiency of cold storage and logistics services in Rwanda and beyond. The company sources produce directly from farmers, cutting out several middlemen who add little value, providing higher quality products at lower cost. GET IT is also introducing new, high demand products to the East African market.

Virunga Power is an electric utility company that develops, invests, and operates of renewable power projects and rural distribution grids. Their focus is on megawatt-scale rural utility projects across several countries in East Africa and beyond with a goal of bringing high-quality, low-cost power to rural communities that currently lack reliable access to modern energy. They engage local and regional stakeholders to tailor renewable power solutions to match local needs and resources. The company's mission is to build the leading rural utility company in sub-Saharan Africa and to continuously strive to bring the full benefits of electrification to new rural communities and consumers in a sustainable manner. It provides clean electricity to communities living in and around Virunga National Park in North Kivu, Eastern Congo.

DO4Africa operates a collaborative platform focused on identifying and listing digital projects across Africa. The company specializes in the aggregation and dissemination of up-to-date data on technical and social innovations. By promoting open datasets, DO4Africa aims to facilitate the sharing of information, thereby enabling businesses to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives. Through its platform, it seeks to enhance visibility and collaboration among stakeholders involved in digital development, ultimately contributing to the growth of the digital economy in the region.

OffGridBox is a company that specializes in delivering renewable energy and clean water solutions to remote areas and developing countries through its innovative OffGridBox™ system. This modular unit, housed within a compact 6x6x6 feet shipping container, is equipped with the necessary technology to generate electricity and purify water. OffGridBox aims to address the needs of over 2 billion people who lack access to reliable energy and clean water. Each unit can serve approximately 300 families, potentially impacting around 1,500 individuals, and is often managed by local cooperatives, such as women-led organizations in Rwanda. The company has successfully deployed 38 units across nine countries, including Italy, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, the Philippines, Madagascar, the United States, and Colombia, serving various sectors such as humanitarian efforts, household retail, and industrial services. To date, these units have accumulated over 400,000 working hours, demonstrating their effectiveness and sustainability.