iGravity
iGravity is a Zurich-based, FINMA-licensed impact investment management and advisory firm that designs blended finance facilities and impact-linked debt instruments for institutional investors, foundations, and development partners, deploying capital to SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA, and Latin America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What iGravity does
iGravity is a Zurich-headquartered, FINMA-licensed impact investment management and advisory firm operating across Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA, and Latin America through offices in Zurich, Nairobi, Milan, Kampala, and Bogotá. The firm serves two distinct customer sets: (i) institutional and philanthropic investors — pension funds, family offices, development finance institutions, foundations (SDC, SECO, Jacobs Foundation, Swiss Re Foundation, SIFI), and government agencies — that seek impact-aligned emerging-market private debt exposure; and (ii) SMEs and high-impact enterprises in sectors including agriculture, water, energy, financial inclusion, healthcare, education, and businesses serving refugee and host communities, which receive debt financing and technical assistance.
iGravity's core technology is not a software product but a set of proprietary structuring methodologies. Its investment platform, iGravity Investment Solutions, encompasses the Emerging Impact Debt (EID) Strategy and the Impact Yield Strategy, deploying capital via private debt funds, structured notes, and listed bonds with built-in first-loss guarantees and subordinated structures. The firm pioneered impact-linked finance instruments (Impact-Linked Loans and Social Impact Incentives) and results-based financing program design. It co-manages several purpose-built facilities: the Refugee Investment Facility (RIF, with the Danish Refugee Council), Balim Investments (with HEKS/EPER and Somaha Foundation), the Impact-Linked Fund for Education (with SDC and Jacobs Foundation), ILF ESA, the SECO Startup Fund (with Seedstars), and the Green Rice Bond (with Helvetas under SIFI). Reported AUM is USD 50–100M as of March 2026.
Revenue derives from three streams: recurring management fees on AUM across managed mandates, performance fees tied to financial and impact outcomes, and fee-for-service advisory and consulting engagements with development partners for innovative finance structuring and impact management system design. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven — no retail channel, no public pricing — anchored by co-development with major Swiss and European development institutions.
iGravity firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- iGravity
- Legal name
- iGravity
- Website
- https://igravity.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- iGravity is a Zurich-based, FINMA-licensed impact investment management and advisory firm that designs blended finance facilities and impact-linked debt instruments for institutional investors, foundations, and development partners, deploying capital to SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA, and Latin America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
iGravity industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Impact Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes) (FSAAALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG), Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA), SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)
Keywords
Where iGravity is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
iGravity business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Investment Management Fees: iGravity manages private debt portfolios in emerging markets as a FINMA-licensed portfolio manager, earning management fees on assets under management across mandates such as the Emerging Impact Debt Strategy, Balim Investments, Refugee Investment Facility, and ILF ESA/ILF Education.
- Performance Fees: The firm earns performance-based fees tied to financial and impact outcomes of managed investment mandates and facilities, aligning firm compensation with results achieved.
- Advisory and Consulting Fees: iGravity provides advisory services to development partners (foundations, government agencies, DFIs) in exploration, design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative finance structures and impact management systems, earning fee-for-service compensation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
iGravity product offering
Product offeringCore offering
iGravity is a FINMA-licensed impact investment management and advisory firm that designs and manages blended finance facilities and impact investment mandates in emerging markets. It actively manages private debt portfolios through strategies such as the Emerging Impact Debt (EID) Strategy and a family of purpose-built funds including the Refugee Investment Facility (RIF), Balim Investments, the Impact-Linked Fund for Education (ILF Education), the Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA), and the SECO Startup Fund. It also provides fee-based advisory services to development partners on the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative finance structures and impact management systems.
Product overview
iGravity is a dedicated impact investment management and advisory firm that designs and manages financial solutions for philanthropic partners and institutional investors. The company operates as a unified platform with two core service lines: Investment Solutions (managing private debt portfolios in emerging markets through strategies like the Emerging Impact Debt Strategy and Impact Yield Strategy) and Advisory Services (providing strategic guidance and designing innovative finance structures). Under its investment solutions, iGravity manages several specialized sub-brands and funds including Balim Investments (African SMEs in agriculture, water, and energy), the Refugee Investment Facility/RIF (displacement-affected communities), the Impact-Linked Fund for Education (education enterprises), and the Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa/ILF ESA (climate and impact outcomes). The company also manages the SECO Startup Fund for Swiss emerging market investments and is developing the Green Rice Bond for food systems. All offerings are tied to measurable social and environmental outcomes through impact-linked financing mechanisms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Refugee Investment Facility (RIF): A blended finance impact investment facility co-managed with the Danish Refugee Council, providing impact-linked loans to enterprises operating in refugee-hosting communities.
- Balim Investments
- Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA)
- Impact-Linked Fund for Education
- Emerging Impact Debt (EID) Strategy
Products and services
- iGravity Investment Solutions (Emerging Impact Debt Strategy)
- iGravity Advisory
- Balim Investments Impact investment vehicle co-founded by HEKS/EPER Swiss Church Aid, Somaha Foundation, and iGravity in 2024, providing tailored debt financing and technical assistance to African SMEs operating in agriculture, water, and energy sectors.
- Refugee Investment Facility (RIF) Blended finance impact investment facility co-implemented by the Danish Refugee Council and iGravity, providing impact-linked loans and technical assistance to enterprises operating in and serving displacement-affected communities across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
- Impact-Linked Fund for Education (ILF Education) Fund providing innovative financing through Social Impact Incentives (SIINCs) and Impact-Linked Loans (ILLs) to organizations delivering inclusive, quality education for vulnerable children and youth, backed by SDC and Jacobs Foundation.
- Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA) Funding window under the Impact-Linked Finance Fund managed by iGravity, providing concessional financing tied to realized impact outcomes for high-impact enterprises in Eastern and Southern Africa, with sub-windows for resilience (Swiss Re Foundation) and climate adaptation (Fourfold Foundation).
- SECO Startup Fund Switzerland's government-backed startup fund managed by iGravity and Seedstars, providing debt financing to emerging market businesses, including a $300,000 senior loan to SmartSolar Vietnam as part of a broader $3.15M debt financing round; relaunched in March 2026 with $6.3M.
Quantifiable outcome
- 7,759 local MSMEs supported with USD 28.46M deployed capital (68% female-owned, 64% in rural areas) in 2024
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use iGravity
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
iGravity technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
iGravity partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- SeedstarscoreCo-manages the SECO Startup Fund alongside iGravity, providing USD 300,000 senior loan to SmartSolar Vietnam as part of a broader $3.15M debt financing round. Seedstars brings startup ecosystem expertise and deal sourcing capabilities.
- FE+MALE Think TanksupportingOrganizer of the Beat the Funding Bias Initiative (BFBI) Biennial Conference & Award, where iGravity won the Catalyst Capital & Community Impact Award for mobilizing capital toward women-owned businesses.
- MIT Educational Innovation LabsupportingCritertec (iGravity's portfolio company) has worked with MIT Educational Innovation Lab on early augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics, and 360° content production experiences in public schools.
- Laudes FoundationsupportingFeatured speaker and panel participant at Climate Week Zurich 2026. Contributed insights on philanthropy's pivotal role as catalyst in reshaping how finance can better serve humanity.
- The System Change FoundationsupportingPanel participant at Climate Week Zurich 2026, contributing perspectives on driving systemic change by backing the right people and ideas while remaining open to experimentation and new definitions of success.
- Forma Futura Invest AGsupportingCo-sponsor of Climate Week Zurich 2026 alongside iGravity, contributing to the panel discussion on financing climate solutions at scale.
- Swiss Embassy ColombiasupportingHosted an iGravity-led convening at the Swiss Embassy Residence in Bogotá on outcome-based financing initiatives, bringing together ~80 guests from public, private, and development sectors.
- HelvetascoreSelected alongside iGravity as a SIFI Innovator (third funding cycle) to design the Green Rice Bond — a pioneering financial instrument to mobilize USD 50 million for micro and SME finance institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa's rice value chain.
- HEKS/EPER Swiss Church AidcoreCo-founding partner of Balim Investments (established 2024), an impact investment vehicle providing debt financing and technical assistance to African SMEs in agriculture, water, and energy. HEKS/EPER contributes development finance expertise and operational presence in rural Africa.
- Somaha FoundationcoreCo-founding partner of Balim Investments (established 2024 alongside HEKS/EPER and iGravity). Somaha Foundation contributes philanthropic capital and strategic guidance to the impact investment vehicle.
- Danish Refugee Council (DRC)coreCo-founding and co-managing partner of the Refugee Investment Facility (RIF), which provides impact-linked debt financing and technical assistance to enterprises operating in displacement-affected communities across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. DRC brings humanitarian expertise and on-the-ground access in displacement contexts.
- Dutch Good Growth Fund (Triple Jump)coreiGravity, together with DGGF (Triple Jump), designed a state-of-the-art Results-Based Financing (RBF) program to incentivize Entrepreneur Support Organizations in enhancing financial sustainability and program quality. This was implemented as a pilot over one year.
- ShonasupportingPartner in the RBF pilot design for Entrepreneur Support Organizations alongside iGravity and Open Startup International, supporting implementation and execution.
- Open Startup InternationalsupportingPartner in the RBF pilot for ESOs alongside iGravity and Shona, contributing to the design, execution, and monitoring of the results-based financing program.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
iGravity competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BlueOrchard Finance: BlueOrchard is a leading impact investment manager specializing in emerging-market private debt and inclusive finance through microfinance institutions and SMEs. Closely comparable to iGravity on private debt mandate focus and emerging-market thesis.
- Root Capital: Root Capital is a nonprofit impact investor providing credit and capacity building to agricultural SMEs in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Comparable to iGravity's Balim Investments vehicle on the agriculture-SME-in-emerging-markets thesis.
- TriLinc Global: TriLinc is an impact-focused fund manager deploying private debt and trade finance to SMEs in emerging and frontier markets. Directly comparable on emerging-market private debt mandate, though iGravity has a stronger blended-finance orientation.
- Acumen: Acumen is a pioneering impact investment firm deploying patient capital into early-stage enterprises serving low-income customers across emerging markets. Directly comparable to iGravity on emerging-market focus, blended-finance structuring, and impact-linked instruments, though operating at materially larger AUM.
- responsAbility Investments: responsAbility is a Zurich-based impact asset manager investing across emerging-market private debt, financial inclusion, and climate finance. Highly comparable to iGravity given shared Swiss base, EM private debt focus, and blended finance approach.
- IIX Impact Investment Exchange: IIX is a Singapore-based impact enterprise that issues Women's Livelihood Bonds and other structured impact-linked instruments for emerging markets. Directly comparable to iGravity on impact-linked finance structuring and gender-lens investing mandate.
- Symbiotics Group: Symbiotics is a Geneva-based impact investment platform focused on emerging and frontier market private debt, microfinance, and SME finance. Comparable to iGravity on Swiss base, EM private debt specialization, and DFI/foundation partnerships.
Emerging players
- Novastar Ventures: Novastar is a venture builder/investor backing inclusive businesses serving East African low-income customers. Comparable to iGravity's ILF ESA on East Africa focus and SME impact thesis, though more venture-equity than debt-oriented.
- Ceniarth: Ceniarth is a single-family-office impact investor deploying capital into enterprises serving the world's working poor, with significant emerging-markets exposure. Comparable to iGravity on impact-first mandate and emerging-market focus, though smaller and grant-oriented.
Broad incumbents
- LeapFrog Investments: LeapFrog is a large-scale impact investor serving emerging-market consumers across financial services and healthcare. Overlaps with iGravity on emerging-market impact thesis but is significantly larger and equity- rather than debt-focused.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
iGravity social profiles
Digital presenceiGravity financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
iGravity leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
iGravity funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
iGravity 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 iGravity
What does iGravity do?
iGravity is a FINMA-licensed impact investment management and advisory firm that designs and manages blended finance facilities and impact investment mandates in emerging markets. It actively manages private debt portfolios through strategies such as the Emerging Impact Debt (EID) Strategy and a family of purpose-built funds including the Refugee Investment Facility (RIF), Balim Investments, the Impact-Linked Fund for Education (ILF Education), the Impact-Linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA), and the SECO Startup Fund. It also provides fee-based advisory services to development partners on the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative finance structures and impact management systems.
Is iGravity a public or private company?
iGravity is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was iGravity founded?
iGravity was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is iGravity based?
iGravity is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does iGravity make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Investment Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are performance Fees and advisory and Consulting Fees.
Who are iGravity's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BlueOrchard Finance, Root Capital, TriLinc Global, Acumen, responsAbility Investments, IIX Impact Investment Exchange and Symbiotics Group. Emerging players are Novastar Ventures and Ceniarth. LeapFrog Investments is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does iGravity have an API?
No public API is recorded for iGravity.
What industry is iGravity in?
iGravity's product category is Impact Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAC, Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes), with a secondary code of FSAAALAG, Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.