Persistent Africa Climate Venture Fund

About Persistent Africa Climate Venture Fund

$52M first close on $70M target. Blended finance vehicle targeting pre-seed to Series A climate tech startups across Africa. Anchored by African Development Bank (SEFA), JICA, Soros Economic Development Fund, and Nordic Development Fund. Includes $5M Venture Building Facility.

Investment Focus

Location / RegionUnited Kingdom

Funding StagePre Seed

Industry Focus

Climate Sustainability

Evs Charging

Energy Tech

Mobility Transport

Investor Signals Profile

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Sweet Spot

African climate tech founder at pre-seed to Series A in energy, agri, or mobility with measurable impact

africa-climate-tech

blended-finance

venture-building

pre-seed-to-series-a

energy-access

Bullish Signals

$52M first close anchored by SEFA, NDF, JICA, FSDAi — unusually deep DFI benchblog

Existing portfolio 200%+ average growth validates hands-on venture building modelblog

Blended finance structure absorbs first-loss risk, enabling commercial LP participationblog

$5M Venture Building Facility provides CFO, legal, ESG, and fundraising supportblog

Contrarian Signals

Africa climate exit environment thin — M&A and public markets remain underdevelopedblog

Fund rejects pure capital-provider model — operational co-building is non-negotiableblog

Returns depend heavily on Series B+ follow-on investors entering marketblog

Founder Do's

Demonstrate clear, measurable climate impact metrics alongside commercial traction

Show credible path to commercial sustainability — not just impact

Be prepared for institutional-quality ESG and impact reporting from day one

Focus pitch on energy access, clean agriculture, or electric mobility where Persistent has deepest expertise

Show openness to embedded operational support — CFO, legal, strategic co-building

Founder Don'ts

Pitch without quantifiable climate impact — narrative-only impact plays are rejected

Expect passive capital — Persistent embeds operationally into your company

Approach if you need a fast exit timeline; fund accommodates longer African market horizons

Key GPs & Partners

Wairimu Karanja

Partner and Chief Legal Officer

hands-onthesis-drivenex-operator

Toukam Ngoufanke

Partner

hands-onthesis-drivencommunity-builder

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Fund Overview

Fund Size$70M

Saves0

Website

Key People

Persistent Energy Capital

Wairimu KaranjaPartner and Chief Legal Officer

Toukam NgoufankePartner