YGAP
YGAP is an Australian-registered nonprofit accelerator, founded 2008, that runs a five-year, locally-led impact venture model across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia, supporting women-led social entrepreneurs through accelerators, mentorship, capital and an AI-powered evaluation platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersRichmond, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What YGAP does
YGAP is an Australian-registered Public Benevolent Institution and Deductible Gift Recipient (ABN 49133193129) founded in 2008 that runs a five-year, locally-led impact venture accelerator model. Headquartered in Naarm/Melbourne with in-country hubs in Nairobi (Kenya) and Suva (Fiji), YGAP backs under-estimated local impact entrepreneurs — 80% women-led — across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia, with a cumulative footprint of 72 accelerators delivered, 817 innovators supported and approximately 1,000,000 lives changed through programs in school feeding, maternal healthcare and rural livelihoods.
The organisation's platform is built around five named program modules: tula.ai (proprietary AI-powered impact evaluation that listens to community voices via WhatsApp flows and produces real-time venture and beneficiary-level insights), yLab (localised design and delivery), yCapital / yCapital Continuum (a flexible mix of seed, patient and commercial capital deployed via curated partnerships — A$1.4M to date), yCollective (a glocal mentor and partner network of 800+ alumni) and a Self-Paced Online Learning Academy combined with 1:1 mentorship. The model operates in five stages — Seek, Support, Convene, Invest, Evaluate — and is supported by dedicated in-country Program Leads and an Impact & Tech Lead.
YGAP is funded primarily through tax-deductible donations (A$2 or more) channelled via its 'Give' page, alongside institutional grants (notably A$304K from LaunchVic in August 2017 and A$250K from LaunchVic in August 2019) and deployed impact capital. It does not sell products or services commercially; the Polished Man fundraising campaign is a key awareness and donor-acquisition channel. The CEO is Meenal Khare, the Board is chaired by Nima Sedaghat, and 100% of staff are based in focus markets with 70% of leadership roles held by women.
YGAP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- YGAP
- Legal name
- ygap (ABN 49133193129)
- Website
- https://ygap.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- YGAP is an Australian-registered nonprofit accelerator, founded 2008, that runs a five-year, locally-led impact venture model across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia, supporting women-led social entrepreneurs through accelerators, mentorship, capital and an AI-powered evaluation platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
YGAP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Acceleration
- NAICS
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Impact / ESG Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAJ)
Keywords
Where YGAP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Richmond
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
YGAP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tax-deductible donations: As a Public Benevolent Institution endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) in Australia, ygap accepts tax-deductible donations of A$2 or more. Donations are recognised on the 'Give' page of the website.
- Impact capital deployment (yCapital): A$1.4M impact capital deployed to accelerate social ventures via the yCapital fund and curated partnerships providing seed, patient and commercial capital.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Donations are tax-deductible (minimum A$2). |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
YGAP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YGAP runs locally-led accelerators, mentorship, capital deployment and AI-powered impact evaluation to back under-estimated local impact entrepreneurs in under-served communities across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia. Its model combines a five-year support cycle, the proprietary tula.ai evaluation platform, the yCapital continuum, the yCollective mentor network and the yLab online learning academy to help impact ventures—80% led by women—achieve financial sustainability and measurable community impact.
Product overview
YGAP operates a single, unified impact-venture support platform composed of named program modules: tula.ai (the AI-powered impact evaluation core), yLab (localised design and delivery), yCapital/yCapital Continuum (flexible capital continuum), yCollective (mentor and partner network), and an Online Learning Academy (knowledge pillar). These modules together deliver a five-year, AI-supercharged model covering Seek, Support, Convene, Invest, and Evaluate stages, complemented by the Polished Man fundraising campaign and the Impact Venture Profiles showcase.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- yLab: ygap's localized design & delivery mechanism for outreach and engagement.
- yCapital
- tula.ai
- Polished Man
Products and services
- tula.ai Impact Evaluation Platform Human-centred, AI-powered impact evaluation system that captures real-time community feedback via WhatsApp flows and produces structured insights at the venture and beneficiary level for impact ventures in under-served markets.
- Locally-Led Accelerators Locally-led accelerator programs delivered across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia, providing 5-year sustained support to under-estimated local impact entrepreneurs focused on livelihoods and health of women and youth.
- yCapital Continuum (Impact Capital) A curated capital continuum combining the yCapital fund with partnerships to deploy seed, patient and commercial capital directly to impact ventures, supporting investment-readiness alongside direct funding.
- Polished Man Campaign YGAP's flagship fundraising and awareness campaign, stewarded by a dedicated Campaign Manager, supporting donor engagement and tax-deductible giving in Australia.
Quantifiable outcome
- A$1.4M impact capital deployed to accelerate social ventures
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use YGAP
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
YGAP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
YGAP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core (regulatory) and core.
- Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)core (regulatory)ygap is registered with the ACNC as a Public Benevolent Institution (ABN 49133193129) and endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR). ygap publishes its annual and financial reports via the ACNC register, providing transparency and regulatory compliance in Australia.
- yCollective (global & local mentors, peers, investors, sector experts, partners)coreA 'glocal' ecosystem of partners, capital providers, mentors and technology providers convened by ygap to back entrepreneurs across every stage of their journey. Includes global and local mentors, peers, investors, sector experts and partners.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
YGAP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Acumen: Global impact investor and accelerator backing social entrepreneurs in Africa, South Asia and Latin America with patient capital and leadership support. Closest functional peer to ygap's accelerator + impact capital model across the global south.
- Ashoka: Global network supporting leading social entrepreneurs via fellowships, peer support and convening. Comparable to ygap's mission of backing 'under-estimated' local innovators and the yCollective convening function.
- Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces. Overlaps with ygap's locally-led hub model (Kenya, Fiji, Australia) and accelerator programming.
- Unreasonable Group: Runs accelerator programs and a mentor network for entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental challenges. Directly comparable to ygap's accelerator + yCollective mentor convening model.
- Echoing Green: Provides fellowships and seed funding to emerging social entrepreneurs globally. Comparable to ygap's identification and backing of early-stage 'under-estimated' impact innovators.
Emerging players
- Villgro Africa: Early-stage impact investor and incubator focused on African health, agriculture and livelihoods ventures. Overlaps with ygap's Kenya hub and focus on women/youth livelihoods.
- 60 Decibels: Tech-enabled impact measurement company that listens to beneficiaries via phone and SMS to generate real-time impact insights. Directly comparable technology layer to ygap's tula.ai WhatsApp-based impact evaluation.
Broad incumbents
- Skoll Foundation: Major philanthropy backing proven social entrepreneurs via the Skoll Award and ecosystem investments. Larger, more established incumbent in the same space ygap occupies.
- Shell Foundation: Large impact-focused foundation supporting market-based solutions in energy, mobility and livelihoods across Africa and Asia. Comparable scale player operating in similar geographies.
Others
- DFAT (Australian NGO Cooperation Program partners): Australian government aid programme funding locally-led development in the Pacific, Africa and South Asia — a key institutional funder and adjacent ecosystem player to ygap's focus markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
YGAP social profiles
Digital presenceYGAP compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
YGAP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
YGAP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
YGAP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
YGAP M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about YGAP
What does YGAP do?
YGAP runs locally-led accelerators, mentorship, capital deployment and AI-powered impact evaluation to back under-estimated local impact entrepreneurs in under-served communities across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia. Its model combines a five-year support cycle, the proprietary tula.ai evaluation platform, the yCapital continuum, the yCollective mentor network and the yLab online learning academy to help impact ventures—80% led by women—achieve financial sustainability and measurable community impact.
Is YGAP a public or private company?
YGAP is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was YGAP founded?
YGAP was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is YGAP based?
YGAP is headquartered in Richmond, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does YGAP make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tax-deductible donations are the primary driver. The others are impact capital deployment (yCapital).
Who are YGAP's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Acumen, Ashoka, Impact Hub, Unreasonable Group and Echoing Green. Emerging players are Villgro Africa and 60 Decibels. Broad incumbents are Skoll Foundation and Shell Foundation. DFAT (Australian NGO Cooperation Program partners) is listed as an others.
Does YGAP have an API?
No public API is recorded for YGAP.
What industry is YGAP in?
YGAP's product category is Social Impact Acceleration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAGAJ, Impact / ESG Multi-Manager Platforms. Its NAICS code is 6243 and its SIC code is 8300.