SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 28, 2023 – Designed to support and scale high-performing enterprises for maximum social and environmental impact, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and AlphaMundi Foundation (AMF) today announced a partnership bringing together two respected leaders in the social entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The partnership builds on AMF’s expertise in gender and climate investing to provide structured blended finance products to scale small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa and Latin America, combined with Miller Center’s leadership in accelerating social enterprises.
The two organizations will work together to scale enterprises by sharing knowledge and resources, in addition to seeking opportunities for co-investment and pipeline sharing across their respective networks.
“By joining forces and referring impactful enterprises to each other’s networks, we can help businesses explore new opportunities, gain access to capital, and expand beyond their current markets,” said Ladé Araba, executive director, AlphaMundi Foundation. “This can provide opportunities for growth and help businesses to become more competitive and bring economic benefits to their communities.”
During the two-year partnership, Miller Center will reserve spots for up to five qualified AMF-referred social enterprises per year in its globally recognized accelerator programs. It will also identify and prepare Santa Clara University interns to support AMF’s work. Additionally, Miller Center will recommend social entrepreneurs who have successfully completed its accelerator programs to AMF for investment consideration.
AMF commits to participating in Miller Center mock investor panels to provide social entrepreneurs with expert feedback. They will also consider co-funding Miller Center alumni enterprises in conjunction with Miller Center Invest, a funding vehicle designed to unlock and catalyze capital for social enterprises that are women-led or led by local leaders typically left behind in the investing ecosystem.
“Our organizations share a vision of what a more equitable, inclusive future looks like and support entrepreneurs as the innovators and agents of change to bring about this future,” said Brigit Helms, executive director, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. “Through our collaboration, we can reach a greater number of entrepreneurs and provide them with more seamless, integrated support leveraging our combined expertise and resources.”
Miller Center created the Community Partners Program to extend its reach and impact around the world by developing deeper connections across the social entrepreneurship ecosystem. Organizations participating in this program play an essential role in helping scalable social enterprises gain access to Miller Center’s global accelerator programs and for Miller Center alumni to access complementary services and capital from community partners.
AlphaMundi Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the commercial viability of SMEs in Africa and Latin America to drive economic transformation. It leverages financing and technical assistance to provide catalytic capital to facilitate follow-on private investment for the companies.
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About AlphaMundi Foundation
The AlphaMundi Foundation provides structured blended finance products (technical assistance, investment stage grants, concessional loans, first loss guarantees, and scaling capital) to scale SMEs in Africa and Latin America. The Foundation supports these companies to incorporate a gender lens and environmental sustainability to create attractive risk-adjusted returns and positive social outcomes.
About Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
For over 25 years, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship has been a leader in the global social enterprise movement. With an emphasis on climate resilience and women’s economic empowerment, Miller Center accelerates social entrepreneurship to end poverty and protect the planet. Located at Santa Clara University, the organization has served more than 1,300 social entrepreneurs based in over 100 countries that have impacted hundreds of millions of lives. Fusing the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the university’s heritage of social justice, community engagement, and global impact, Miller Center is guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Media ContactsRemove featured image
Hayley Mundeva, Communications Lead of the AlphaMundi Foundation, hayley.mundeva@alphamundi.ch
Rhonda Brauer, for Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, rhonda@rbrauerconsult.com, (310) 508-0426
