Yunus Social Business

Yunus Social Business, founded in 2011 by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus, is a non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. Its mission is to promote the concept of social business by helping local entrepreneurs in seven countries develop and scale their ideas aimed at addressing social issues. The organization runs accelerator and incubator programs that provide seed capital and ongoing support to promising social enterprises. By converting donations into investments, Yunus Social Business empowers these enterprises to tackle challenges related to employment, healthcare, education, clean water, and clean energy in a financially sustainable manner. Through its initiatives, the organization seeks to replicate the success of social business models first established in Bangladesh on a global scale.

Saskia Bruysten

Co-Founder and CEO

Bharat Doshi

Country Partner

Srinivas TR

Director

13 past transactions

Deevabits Green Energy

Debt Financing in 2022
Deevabits Green Energy is a for-profit social enterprise based in Kenya, dedicated to improving energy access for underserved rural communities. The company distributes and finances essential solar products, including solar lamps and semiconductors, through a network of commission-based village social entrepreneurs (VSEs). This approach creates a robust distribution channel that supports the livelihoods of rural residents. Utilizing a pay-as-you-go model, Deevabits allows low-income households to acquire solar lighting products by making small, manageable payments, effectively removing the barrier of upfront costs. The company's vision is to foster an Africa where equitable access to basic goods and services is a reality for all.

Escola do Mecânico

Venture Round in 2021
Mechanic's School specialized labor in the automotive segment. They provide training school, mechanics training school, and social impact company.

PROtalento

Seed Round in 2021
Protalento is an edtech company focused on supporting individuals in Latin America and the Caribbean as they navigate their career paths. It provides private educational and training services through a specialized platform that offers various workshops and programs. By utilizing digital content, including videos and interactive simulations, Protalento enhances language proficiency and makes learning more contextual and practical. The company emphasizes personalized attention for job seekers, allowing them to pay for services after achieving their employment goals, thereby making quality career development more accessible and affordable.

Finaktiva

Debt Financing in 2021
Finaktiva is a leading digital financing ecosystem for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Colombia. The company provides a comprehensive platform that addresses the cash flow management, liquidity needs, and growth financing requirements of SMEs. By integrating cash management, supply chain finance, and lending services, Finaktiva enables businesses to obtain timely credit disbursement following a thorough analysis of their ventures and documentation. This streamlined approach allows SMEs to access necessary financing, achieve immediate liquidity, and facilitate payments to suppliers effectively.

Farm Trust

Grant in 2021
Farm Trust operates an e-commerce platform that specializes in delivering organic fruits and vegetables directly to consumers' homes. The company focuses on providing a variety of groceries, including fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, concentrated foods, olive oils, and honey, all of which are free from pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). By utilizing blockchain technology, Farm Trust ensures traceability of its products, allowing customers to have confidence in the freshness and quality of the farm produce they purchase.

S4S Technologies

Debt Financing in 2020
S4S Technologies is a food preservation company that invents new food processing machines. It sells the machines to farmers or uses them at its own facility to produce the highest-quality processed food. S4S Technologies works with many partner organizations to create a sustainable supply of processed food products.

Virohan

Debt Financing in 2020
Virohan is an EdTech platform focused on providing training for the healthcare industry, established in 2018. It aims to address the disconnect between traditional higher education and industry needs through a demand-led, technology-driven approach. The platform offers standardized, quality learning outcomes via gamified blended learning, which incorporates classroom instruction and long internships at hospitals for practical experience. Virohan operates under a fee-based model and facilitates access to education by providing financial support options that allow students to pay back fees after securing employment. With a market size of approximately $7.5 billion in India, Virohan has trained over 3,000 youth, achieving a job placement rate of over 94%. The company has experienced significant growth, operating in 20 cities and partnering with more than 750 employers. Virohan is supported by various investors and participates in accelerator programs such as Google for Startups and AWS EdStart, enhancing its capacity to connect trained professionals with job opportunities in the healthcare sector.

Burn

Venture Round in 2019
BURN Design Lab is a nonprofit organization focused on creating customized biomass stove solutions for the developing world. The organization collaborates with implementing partners to establish sustainable stove dissemination systems that address cooking needs while tackling issues such as deforestation, women's health, and global warming. BURN's primary activities include the design, local manufacture, and distribution of fuel-efficient cooking products aimed at enhancing the lives of underserved communities. Operating a modern manufacturing facility near Nairobi, BURN produces a stove every minute, making it the largest facility of its kind in Africa. Their range of affordable and durable cookstoves, which include biomass, liquid fuel, and electric options, is designed to reduce harmful emissions and improve indoor air quality, enabling families to cook safely and sustainably while protecting their health and the environment.

SMV Green Solutions

Seed Round in 2019
SMV Green Solutions is a social enterprise focused on providing safe, clean, and affordable mobility in last-mile transportation. The company offers electric rickshaws equipped with cloud-based cameras and smartphones, which empower women by creating opportunities for them to become micro-entrepreneurs in this sector. SMV also facilitates access to formal financial services, insurance, and training, effectively removing barriers to entry and fostering financial inclusion. Through its initiatives, the company aims to support rural communities by enabling access to loans from formal financial institutions and providing occupational support, contributing to sustainable energy, gender inclusion, and poverty alleviation.

Farm Trust

Grant in 2019
Farm Trust operates an e-commerce platform that specializes in delivering organic fruits and vegetables directly to consumers' homes. The company focuses on providing a variety of groceries, including fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, concentrated foods, olive oils, and honey, all of which are free from pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). By utilizing blockchain technology, Farm Trust ensures traceability of its products, allowing customers to have confidence in the freshness and quality of the farm produce they purchase.

Virohan

Seed Round in 2018
Virohan is an EdTech platform focused on providing training for the healthcare industry, established in 2018. It aims to address the disconnect between traditional higher education and industry needs through a demand-led, technology-driven approach. The platform offers standardized, quality learning outcomes via gamified blended learning, which incorporates classroom instruction and long internships at hospitals for practical experience. Virohan operates under a fee-based model and facilitates access to education by providing financial support options that allow students to pay back fees after securing employment. With a market size of approximately $7.5 billion in India, Virohan has trained over 3,000 youth, achieving a job placement rate of over 94%. The company has experienced significant growth, operating in 20 cities and partnering with more than 750 employers. Virohan is supported by various investors and participates in accelerator programs such as Google for Startups and AWS EdStart, enhancing its capacity to connect trained professionals with job opportunities in the healthcare sector.

Agruppa

Seed Round in 2017
Agruppa leverages mobile phone technology to empower small food vendors in low income neighborhoods by providing them with fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices.
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