What Okavango Capital Partners does

Okavango Capital Partners is a private commercial impact investment firm founded in 2016 and headquartered in Ebene, Mauritius, with a second office in London, UK. The firm applies a proprietary "Conservation-Lens Investing" approach, deploying equity capital into fast-growing companies across East and Southern Africa that operate in sustainable agriculture, nature-based tourism, forestry, carbon, and ecosystem services. Its stated core technology is advanced spatial analytics used to proactively identify investment locations with the highest impact for biodiversity and community well-being, distinguishing it from generalist emerging-market investors.

The firm's primary product vehicle is Terra Labs, a dedicated investment platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions through which it makes strategic bets such as its 2024 investment in Substrate Biochar. Disclosed portfolio and historical investments include Substrate Biochar, BioCarbon Partners, African Forest and Landscape, and exited positions in COMACO and Asilia. Okavango launched Conservation Bonds in partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation in 2016, raising $7 million from private investors to finance nine conservation businesses. Cumulative disclosed impact includes 179,000 smallholder farmers linked to markets, 1 million beneficiaries, 1,900 full-time jobs, $6M+ in conservation fees to communities, 8 million tons of CO2 avoided, 500M+ trees protected, and 3M+ acres protected.

Okavango generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies, carried interest, and conservation-focused financial instruments. Its capital base is sourced from private investors and impact-oriented LPs, with a public target to raise and deploy $1 billion over 15 years toward ecosystem health in Sub-Saharan Africa. The firm serves rural African communities and smallholder farmers as impact beneficiaries, while its enterprise customers are conservation businesses across the region. Leadership includes Managing Partner Josep Oriol, Partner Caroline Chepkwony, and a deep bench of senior advisors and investment committee members drawn from Aureos/Abraaj, OPIC, Actis, J.P. Morgan, and the Inter-American Investment Corporation.

Name

Okavango Capital Partners

Legal name

Okavango Capital Partners Ltd.

Website

http://www.okavango-capital.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Okavango Capital Partners is a private impact investment firm that deploys equity capital into sustainable agriculture, tourism, forestry, carbon, and ecosystem-services businesses across East and Southern Africa, using Conservation-Lens Investing and advanced spatial analytics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing / Private Equity (Conservation Finance)

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity, Conservation & Natural Capital Funds (FSANAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN), Sustainable/Thematic Investing (Climate, Clean Tech, Water, Biodiversity) (FSAAALAB), Climate Finance Funds & Green Investment Facilities (BPADACAH), Environmental & Resource Efficiency Funds (Water, Waste, Recycling, Efficiency) (FSANAEAE)

Keywords

• Impact investing
• Conservation finance
• Private equity
• Nature-based solutions
• Biodiversity investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Ebene, Cybercity

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns from Portfolio Companies: As a commercial investment firm, Okavango generates returns through equity investments in conservation-focused businesses in East and Southern Africa. Their portfolio includes companies in sustainable agriculture, nature-based tourism, forestry, carbon, and ecosystem services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Okavango Capital Partners is a commercial investment firm that deploys capital into fast-growing companies in East and Southern Africa that address climate change, protect biodiversity, and strengthen rural livelihoods. Through its Conservation-Lens Investing approach and its dedicated Terra Labs platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions, the firm makes equity investments in conservation businesses operating in sustainable agriculture, nature-based tourism, forestry, carbon, and ecosystem services.

Product overview

Okavango Capital Partners operates as a commercial investment firm focused on reducing climate risks and biodiversity loss in Africa's important ecosystems. The firm offers a single, unified investment platform rather than a modular product architecture. Its primary investment vehicle is Terra Labs, a dedicated platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions, through which the firm deploys capital into portfolio companies addressing environmental challenges. The investment portfolio includes conservation businesses operating in sustainable agriculture, nature-based tourism, carbon offset projects, and biochar production across East and Southern Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Terra Labs Okavango Capital Partners' dedicated investment platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions, through which the firm deploys capital into companies that restore ecosystems and address climate risk through nature-based systems designed for long-term impact.
• Conservation Bonds Structured financing instrument, launched in partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation, that raises capital from private investors to finance conservation businesses in East and Southern Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• 179,000 smallholder farmers linked to markets, 1 million beneficiaries, 1,900 full-time jobs, $6M+ conservation fees to communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading global organization focused on Africa-led conservation and sustainable development. AWF has been active across Okavango's investment areas using an integrated approach to large-scale landscape protection incorporating conservation, business development, and empowerment of local communities and governments.
• Conservation CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading firm in conservation enterprise advisory services. Collectively, Conservation Capital has helped mobilize and structure more than US$200M of finance into enterprise-driven conservation projects across 25 countries primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.
• Terra LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOkavango's dedicated platform for ecosystem services and nature-based solutions. Through Terra Labs, they made an investment in Substrate Biochar to establish biochar production facilities in South Africa and expand supply chains for carbon removal and land restoration.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Conservation Capital: Conservation enterprise advisory and investment firm that has helped structure over US$200M of finance into enterprise-driven conservation projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Highly comparable to Okavango's Conservation-Lens Investing model and shares leadership overlap (founder Giles Davies is an Okavango Senior Advisor).
• Kibo Capital Partners: Africa-focused private equity firm backing growth-stage businesses; Okavango's Managing Partner previously worked at Kibo Capital. Both deploy institutional capital into growth companies across Sub-Saharan Africa with overlapping sector coverage in agri, consumer and resource efficiency.
• Climate Fund Managers: Joint venture between Sanlam Infra and Climate Investor One focused on blended-finance climate infrastructure and nature-based solutions across emerging markets. Comparable in raising third-party capital for climate/ecosystem outcomes and in using blended finance structures.
• Fanisi Capital: Pan-African private equity fund manager investing in growth SMEs across East Africa; Okavango Partner Caroline Chepkwony was previously Fanisi's CFO. Closely comparable in mandate, geography and stage, though with a broader sector remit rather than a conservation focus.
• Novastar Ventures: East Africa-focused venture capital firm backing high-growth, low-income market businesses. Comparable in deploying institutional capital into growth companies across East Africa, though targeting broader consumer/services sectors rather than conservation-lens themes.
• Ecosystem Investment Partners: US-based impact investment firm focused on ecosystem restoration, water quality and sustainable forestry through large-scale nature-based solutions funds. Comparable in deploying institutional capital into conservation outcomes with measurable environmental returns.
• Mirova Natural Capital: Natural capital-focused investment platform (formerly Althelia) deploying capital into sustainable forestry, agriculture and conservation assets globally. Directly comparable thesis around commercial returns from nature-based solutions, though with global rather than Africa-only scope.

Broad incumbents

• Actis: Large-scale emerging markets private equity investor with a dedicated energy/access/impact strategy across Africa and Asia. Okavango Senior Advisor Andrew Reicher was Actis's CIO. Actis is a broader incumbent with much larger AUM but overlaps in Africa PE/impact investing.
• Acumen: Long-established impact investor with active operations across East Africa investing in companies serving low-income communities. Overlapping mandate in using commercial capital for measurable social/environmental outcomes, though broader sector coverage.

Regional players

• SouthBridge Group: Pan-African investment and advisory firm focused on infrastructure, private equity and capital markets across the continent. Comparable in mobilizing institutional capital into African growth opportunities; broader mandate but Africa-centric and investment-led like Okavango.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Okavango Capital Partners