Businesses beat a ‘green path’ to Africa – HBL article showcases Aavishkaar Capital and Intellecap’s work in enabling climate innovation

Abhishek Mittal, Partner, Aavishkaar Capital and Susmit Datta, Partner, Intellecap was recently interviewed by The Hindu Business Line on a story titled “Businesses beat a ‘green’ path to Africa which highlights the increasing flow of sustainable, climate-smart solutions from India to Africa. The story has been covered by HBL on Print and Online.
The article reinforces Aavishkaar Capital’s GSC Support Fund and Intellecap’s work in enabling climate innovation in Africa, while also spotlighting the strategic, on-ground role of Intellecap in ecosystem development and investment facilitation. It further explores how Indian enterprises are leveraging clean technologies, innovative financing models, and climate-resilient strategies to support development challenges in African countries—particularly around clean energy access, sustainable agriculture, and carbon credit-linked businesses.
The article mentions the Global Supply Chain Support Fund, Aavishkaar Capital’s $250 million fund in partnership with KfW, launched in 2022, focused on strengthening ESG practices among mid-cap businesses in Africa and Asia. The Fund preference for providing credit rather than early-stage equity in Africa was also highlighted, aligning with the continent’s evolving early-stage investment ecosystem. It spotlights the GSC Support Fund’s investments in Kenyan textile firms and macadamia nut processing, emphasizing the use of solar energy and carbon sequestration as commercially viable, climate-positive solutions.
In the interview, Abhishek Mittal, Partner at Aavishkaar Capital, also shared that macadamia nut processing offers high profit margins due to low competition and high demand—comparable to historic peaks seen in India’s IT sector.
The article further outlines Intellecap’s role In Africa as an ecosystem builder, supporting significant startups annually, including several in the climate space. One example cited in the article was that of Prompt Innovation, a startup from Intellecap’s SSAGA engagement, which offers solar-powered milk chilling units piloted in Kenya, with Intellecap providing grant support and partner facilitation.
Read the story on The Hindu Business Line (subscription based) – Click Here
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