What is ShEquity Partners?
ShEquity Partners (“ShEquity”) is a gender-lens investment firm on a mission to accelerate Africa’s green transition through gender-smart investing. They back early-growth-stage gender-smart green SME ventures that meet the 2X Challenge criteria. So, what does “gender-smart” mean here? It’s businesses founded or co-founded by women, women-led businesses, or those offering products and services that disproportionately benefit women. The focus is on high-potential ventures that blend commercial viability with scalable climate solutions. Eligible businesses need at least three years of operations, strong leadership, and a clear path to profitability. Plus, ShEquity prioritizes companies ready to pursue environmental certifications like carbon credits, boosting both financial returns and measurable impact.
Main Benefits of Investing with ShEquity
Investing with ShEquity opens doors to a unique blend of financial and social returns. Here are some key figures and facts that highlight why this approach stands out:
- Access to high-growth, gender-smart, sustainable ventures across underserved African markets
- Locally rooted Fund Managers with deep contextual insight and strong networks
- Combination of private capital and strategic Technical Assistance (TA) to strengthen SMEs
- Focus on unlocking new revenue streams, such as carbon credits
- Women reinvest up to 90% of their income into families and communities, amplifying impact
- Africa poised to supply over 30% of the global voluntary carbon credit market, a $50B+ opportunity by 2030
ShEquity’s Vision and Mission
The vision is clear: a gender-inclusive, climate-resilient Africa where women-led and gender-smart businesses drive sustainable growth and innovation. Their mission? To catalyze and scale gender-smart, climate-focused businesses by providing financial capital and technical support. This unlocks new revenue streams—think carbon and other environmental certifications—while fueling inclusive economic growth. It’s about creating lasting value for Profit, People, Planet, and Society.
How ShEquity Builds and Supports Its Pipeline
ShEquity’s approach rests on two core pillars: developing and de-risking a strong pipeline, and investing in high-potential gender-smart SME ventures. To build this pipeline, they leverage the ShEquity Technical Assistance (TA) Facility—a philanthropy-backed initiative that offers tailored support to de-risk gender-smart, climate-focused SMEs and prepare them for investment. This means helping businesses strengthen operational and financial resilience, unlock new revenue streams like carbon credits, expand into underserved markets, and scale sustainably and inclusively. It’s a smart combo of capital and hands-on support.
Focus Sectors and Strategic Priorities
ShEquity zeroes in on gender-smart sustainable SME ventures that deliver positive outcomes for people, planet, and society across Africa and beyond. The key sectors include:
- Circular economy & bio-economy
- Clean transportation
- Climate tech & digital enablers
- Nature-based solutions
- Renewable energy & energy efficiency
- Sustainable agriculture & food systems
- Water resource management
These sectors represent areas where gender-smart climate solutions can truly make a difference, driving both environmental and social impact.
Impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 5: Gender Equality – empowering women-led and gender-smart businesses
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – supporting inclusive economic growth through SMEs
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – promoting circular economy and sustainable agriculture
- SDG 13: Climate Action – advancing scalable climate solutions and carbon credit markets
- SDG 15: Life on Land – supporting nature-based solutions and water resource management
Why ShEquity Stands Out
ShEquity is uniquely positioned at the intersection of climate action and gender equity. Their integrated strategy combines a Technical Assistance Facility with an Investment Fund, ensuring high-quality, de-risked deal flow and strong follow-on investment potential. The team is mission-driven, with proven expertise in impact investing, climate finance, gender-lens strategies, and venture building. Plus, they collaborate with a trusted network of advisors and partners who lead in gender-lens investing, women’s economic empowerment, climate finance, and inclusive entrepreneurship across Africa and beyond. Simply put, ShEquity is unlocking Africa’s untapped potential—women-led, gender-smart, profitable, and sustainable businesses that can deliver strong financial returns while accelerating a gender-equal future and driving the continent’s climate transition.
