ShEquity

What ShEquity does

ShEquity Partners is a Mauritius-domiciled, privately held gender-lens investment firm founded in May 2020 by Pauline Koelbl to address the $42 billion gender funding gap in Africa. The firm invests in early-growth-stage gender-smart green SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa that meet 2X Challenge criteria, with a current focus on the ShEquity Climate Fund L.P. targeting early-growth-stage ventures combining commercial viability with scalable climate solutions in circular economy, clean transportation, climate tech, nature-based solutions, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and water management. Eligible investees must have at least three years of operations, strong leadership, and a clear path to profitability, and are typically positioned to pursue environmental certifications such as carbon credits.

ShEquity's offering is built on two pillars: a philanthropy-backed Technical Assistance (TA) Facility that de-risks and prepares SMEs for investment via the SHEBA 17-week business accelerator, and direct capital deployment via its investment vehicles. The first vehicle, ShEquity SPV, backed 9 women-led businesses across Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, and other sub-Saharan African markets across circular economy, agribusiness, mobility, clean energy, healthcare, and fintech verticals. SHEBA has supported 150+ women-led and majority-owned businesses across the ECOWAS region since 2021, and the firm is currently rolling out a Gender-Smart Climate TA Facility in Ghana with AWE/GIZ and GreenTec Capital Africa Foundation, with planned expansion to Kenya and Nigeria in 2026. Revenue is generated through management fees on committed capital and carried interest on investment returns; the TA Facility is grant-funded rather than revenue-producing.

The firm is currently raising a $30 million gender climate fund and operates with a small core team (1-10 employees) led by three Managing Partners (Koelbl as Founder/CEO, Erick Yong as CIO, Benson Njiru as CFO), supported by two Non-Executive Directors, an Investment Analyst, a 5-person Investment Committee, and a 5-person Advisory Board drawn from BlackRock, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, IFC, World Bank, and CIFOR-ICRAF. The technology stack is relationship-driven rather than platform-driven; ShEquity does not develop proprietary technology products and reports only minimal use of generative AI for internal operations. Strategic development partners include AWE/GIZ, GreenTec Capital Africa Foundation, USAID/Trade Hub West Africa, MBC Africa, Kumasi Hive, and Incub Ivoir.

Name

ShEquity

Legal name

ShEquity Partners

Website

https://shequity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ShEquity Partners is a Mauritius-domiciled gender-lens investment firm that deploys capital and technical assistance into early-growth-stage, women-led and climate-focused SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa through its Climate Fund L.P., TA Facility, and SHEBA accelerator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investment / Gender-Lens Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG), Climate Finance Funds & Green Investment Facilities (BPADACAH)

Keywords

• Gender-lens investing
• Climate finance
• Impact venture capital
• Gender-smart SME
• Carbon credit investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ebène

HQ country

Mauritius

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fund Management: As a gender-lens investment firm, ShEquity generates returns through managing the ShEquity Climate Fund L.P. The firm collects management fees on committed capital and earns carried interest on investment returns. They target triple bottom line returns: financial, social, and environmental.
2. Technical Assistance Facility: The TA Facility is philanthropy-backed and provides free support to gender-smart SMEs, funded by development partners like AWE/GIZ and GreenTec Capital Africa Foundation. This is a cost center that supports deal flow generation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ShEquity is a gender-lens investment firm that deploys capital from the ShEquity Climate Fund L.P. and ShEquity SPV into early-growth-stage gender-smart green SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa that meet 2X Challenge criteria. The firm pairs direct capital investment with the philanthropy-backed Technical Assistance (TA) Facility and the SHEBA 17-week Business Accelerator to de-risk portfolio companies, prepare them for investment, and help them access environmental certifications such as carbon credits.

Product overview

ShEquity is a gender-lens investment firm operating as a unified platform that combines multiple investment products and programs. The core offering includes the ShEquity Climate Fund L.P. (the primary investment vehicle for gender-smart green SMEs) and ShEquity SPV (the first-generation fund backing 9 portfolio companies). These are complemented by the TA Facility (Technical Assistance Facility) for pre-investment de-risking and the SHEBA Business Accelerator program for investment readiness support. The ecosystem approach combines direct capital deployment with tailored technical assistance and accelerator programs to support women-led businesses across sub-Saharan Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ women-led businesses supported through SHEBA accelerator
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agency for Business and Economic Development (AWE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025AWE is part of the Partners in Transformation business and development network of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by GIZ GmbH and DEG Impulse GmbH. Partnership focuses on the Gender-Smart Climate TA Facility targeting Ghanaian SMEs, with plans to expand to Kenya, Nigeria, and other African markets in 2026. Christina Pfandl serves as AWE advisor in Ghana.
• Greentec Capital Africa FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Implementing partner for the Gender-Smart Climate TA Facility. Supports de-risking of gender-smart green SMEs and unlocking access to global carbon markets through the Article 6 Framework. Thomas Festerling, Co-Founder of GreenTec Capital Partners, is also on ShEquity's Advisory Board.
• Incub IvoirminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIncubator partner listed in ShEquity's partner network for deal sourcing and ecosystem support.
• Kumasi HiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness support organization and partner for deal sourcing and ecosystem development.
• MBC AfricaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgribusiness advisory firm providing enabling environment for businesses in Africa. Tenemba Anna Samake, Executive Director of MBC Africa, serves on ShEquity's Investment Committee.
• African Women in TechnologyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization supporting women in tech across Africa.
• Convergence PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner in ShEquity's ecosystem network.
• Djembe ConsultantsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner in ShEquity's ecosystem network.
• Africa FoundationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner in ShEquity's ecosystem network.
• NomadicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed partner in ShEquity's ecosystem network.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KawiSafi Ventures: Impact venture fund investing in off-grid clean energy and adjacent climate SMEs in East Africa. Direct peer given clean-energy and climate-smart SME focus in sub-Saharan Africa and growth-stage capital-plus-support model.
• GroFin: Africa-focused impact fund providing growth capital and technical assistance to small and growing businesses, including women-led SMEs. Direct peer given overlapping SME impact-investing model, TA infrastructure, and pan-African footprint. (Also named in ShEquity's IC chair background.)
• Factor[e] Ventures: Early- and growth-stage venture investor focused on energy access, climate-smart agriculture, and mobility in emerging markets, especially Africa. Direct peer given climate-focused early-growth mandate in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Vital Capital: Impact-focused private equity firm investing across sub-Saharan Africa in essential sectors including energy, agriculture, and housing. Direct peer given overlapping Africa geographic focus, climate/sustainable-development lens, and growth-stage SME thesis.
• Novastar Ventures: East Africa-focused early-growth venture fund backing innovative, resource-efficient consumer-facing businesses. Direct peer because of comparable stage (early-growth), geography (sub-Saharan Africa), and focus on commercially viable impact SMEs.
• Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P): Impact investment group dedicated to financing African SMEs and start-ups, including a dedicated gender-lens facility. Direct peer given shared focus on African entrepreneurship, SME capital-plus-support model, and explicit gender lens.

Regional players

• All On: Nigeria-based impact investment vehicle (Shell Foundation-backed) deploying patient capital and TA to off-grid energy and climate startups. Comparable given gender-inclusive clean-energy SME focus in Africa, but regional (Nigeria-centric).

Emerging players

• Climate Fund Managers (CFM): Dedicated climate-finance fund manager blending public and private capital for climate mitigation and adaptation in emerging markets. Comparable given blended finance, climate theme, and emerging-markets mandate, though not gender-lens focused.

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: Established global impact investor with a long-standing Africa portfolio spanning clean energy and agriculture. Comparable as a broad incumbent in impact investing in Africa, though not Africa-only and not exclusively gender-lens.

Others

• 2X Collaborative: Industry body and investor network that originated the 2X Challenge criteria ShEquity explicitly targets. Listed as a peer because ShEquity's gender-lens framework is anchored to 2X standards, and the network is a key LP/DFI convening platform in this category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShEquityAfrica
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/ShEquity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shequity/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/shequityafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments10 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ShEquity