Holocene
Holocene is a Cape Town-based venture capital firm investing $50K–$250K convertible notes plus embedded operational support in early-stage African climate tech startups across Energy, E-mobility, and Agrifoodtech, with a $3M flagship fund and a Series A advisory practice.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Holocene does
Holocene is a Cape Town-based venture capital firm specializing in early-stage African climate technology. Founded by Josh Romisher after a Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA, the firm provides $50,000–$250,000 convertible note investments to bootstrap-to-seed founders in Energy, E-mobility, and Agrifoodtech, supplemented by 12+ months of embedded business-building support across strategy, sales, fundraising, hiring, and culture. Its inaugural vehicle, Holocene Ventures Fund I (HVF1), closed at USD 3 million in June 2026 and is described as Southern Africa's first dedicated high-growth climate tech fund, backing 10 startups over an 18-month deployment period.
The firm operates a three-pillar business model: (1) early-stage equity-style investing via bespoke convertible notes with a valuation cap, (2) advisory services for Series A and beyond companies ($5–50M rounds) covering capital structure, senior hiring, and scaling strategy, and (3) a community-buildout program of curated events (hikes, climate movie nights, Design Thinking workshops) and published research reports that serve as deal-flow infrastructure. Revenue mechanics follow the standard VC model of management fees and carried interest; no management-fee percentages or carry splits are disclosed.
Holocene's 12-name portfolio is concentrated in East and Southern Africa (South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon) and spans six sectors: energy access and trading (Switch Energy, Asoba, Cinergy), electric mobility and battery swapping (ScootHero, Yongeza Capital, Mazi Mobility, Zimi Charge), agritech (Farm to Feed), circular economy and waste (Faro, Reclaim), and carbon offsets (Iroko Analytics). The Awareness Company covers resource optimisation. Reported outcomes include a 2x markup on invested capital, $8 of follow-on capital attracted per $1 invested, and 500+ jobs created across the portfolio. The core team is eight people across South Africa, the USA, Canada, and Tunisia, supported by a four-person advisory board.
Holocene firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Holocene
- Legal name
- Holocene
- Website
- https://holocene.africa
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Holocene is a Cape Town-based venture capital firm investing $50K–$250K convertible notes plus embedded operational support in early-stage African climate tech startups across Energy, E-mobility, and Agrifoodtech, with a $3M flagship fund and a Series A advisory practice.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Holocene industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental & Resource Efficiency Funds (Water, Waste, Recycling, Efficiency) (FSANAEAE)
Keywords
Where Holocene is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Holocene business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Fund Management: Holocene generates revenue through management fees and carried interest (performance fees) from their investment fund Holocene Ventures Fund I. As a VC firm, they deploy capital into portfolio companies and earn returns through equity appreciation and exits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Early Stage Investment (Bootstrap to Seed): $50,000-$250,000 convertible note with bespoke business building services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Holocene product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Holocene is a climate-focused venture capital firm that invests financial and human capital into early-stage African climate tech startups. Through Holocene Ventures Fund I, it deploys $50,000-$250,000 convertible note investments alongside bespoke business building services (strategy, sales, fundraising, hiring, culture) targeting energy, e-mobility, and agrifoodtech ventures in East and Southern Africa. For later-stage companies, it offers advisory services focused on capital structure optimization and scaling strategy, complemented by a climate community initiative for ecosystem engagement.
Product overview
Holocene is a climate-focused venture capital firm operating as a two-pronged investment and advisory platform. The core offering consists of Holocene Ventures Fund I (HVF1), a $3 million dedicated climate tech fund for Southern Africa that has backed 10 companies. The Bootstrap to Seed Investment service provides $50K-$250K early-stage capital with business building support, while Advisory Services cater to Series A and beyond companies seeking capital structure optimization and scaling strategy. These are complemented by a Climate Community initiative focused on ecosystem building through events and networking. The portfolio spans 12 companies across Energy, E-mobility, Agrifoodtech, and Circular Economy sectors in Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Holocene Ventures Fund I (HVF1): Southern Africa's first dedicated high-growth climate tech fund, a $3M investment vehicle backing early-stage climate tech founders across the region.
Products and services
- Holocene Ventures Fund I (HVF1)
- Bootstrap to Seed Investment
- Advisory Services (Series A and Beyond)
- Climate Community
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ jobs created across portfolio companies within 18 months
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Holocene
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Holocene technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Holocene partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- V&A WaterfrontminorHolocene team has executed entrepreneurship, incubation and acceleration mandates for V&A Waterfront as part of their advisory and acceleration program services.
- GIZminorHolocene team has executed various entrepreneurship, incubation and acceleration mandates for GIZ (German development agency).
- MediclinicminorHolocene team has executed incubation and acceleration mandates for Mediclinic as part of their advisory services.
- Stellenbosch UniversitycoreJosh Romisher served as CEO of Stellenbosch University's LaunchLab, leading it to become Africa's #1 university business incubator. The team began investing in pan-African climate technology alongside the university.
- British CouncilminorHolocene team has executed various entrepreneurship, incubation and acceleration mandates for the British Council.
- Government of FinlandminorHolocene team has executed entrepreneurship, incubation and acceleration mandates for the Government of Finland.
- ENGIE Energy AccesscoreFenix International, where Josh Romisher served as senior leader, was later acquired by ENGIE Energy Access. Together, those companies reached nearly one million customers and created more than 2,000 jobs.
- BFA GlobalminorImplementing partner for the ClimaFii program supporting microenterprises in Africa with productive use energy and electric mobility solutions.
- AccionminorImplementing partner for the ClimaFii program alongside Shell Foundation and BFA Global.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Holocene competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Holocene social profiles
Digital presenceHolocene financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Holocene leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Holocene funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Holocene M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments3 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Holocene
What does Holocene do?
Holocene is a climate-focused venture capital firm that invests financial and human capital into early-stage African climate tech startups. Through Holocene Ventures Fund I, it deploys $50,000-$250,000 convertible note investments alongside bespoke business building services (strategy, sales, fundraising, hiring, culture) targeting energy, e-mobility, and agrifoodtech ventures in East and Southern Africa. For later-stage companies, it offers advisory services focused on capital structure optimization and scaling strategy, complemented by a climate community initiative for ecosystem engagement.
Is Holocene a public or private company?
Holocene is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Holocene founded?
Holocene was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Holocene based?
Holocene is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Holocene make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management.
Does Holocene have an API?
No public API is recorded for Holocene.
What industry is Holocene in?
Holocene's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAJAA, Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAEAE, Environmental & Resource Efficiency Funds (Water, Waste, Recycling, Efficiency). Its SIC code is 6282.