KULIMA INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS LTD

What KULIMA INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS LTD does

Kulima Integrated Development Solutions Ltd is a private climate adaptation consulting and applied research firm headquartered in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (with a London corporate address), operating across southern and eastern Africa. The firm functions as a boundary organisation that brokers two-way dialogue between climate scientists and end-users (policymakers, practitioners, and community members), translating scientific outputs into formats usable for adaptation and disaster risk reduction decisions. Its core technology stack is methodological rather than software-driven: a proprietary Gender-Sensitive Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (GCVCA) framework adapted from CARE's CVCA toolkit, co-production approaches for climate services, and a nowcasting-based thunderstorm early warning capability developed under the FCDO-funded WISER EWSA programme in partnership with NCAS, UK Met Office, and EUMETSAT.

Kulima delivers its work through five flagship multi-year programmes: BRACC (UK Aid–funded resilience-building in Malawi), WISER EWSA (early warnings for thunderstorms in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia), BASIN (behavioural adaptation for water security in Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Tanzania), UMFULA (climate information for water management planning), and FoSTA-Health (€6.5 million Horizon Europe / Innovate UK–funded food systems transformation across four countries). These sit alongside a training and capacity-building service line.

The business model is professional-services consulting: revenue is generated through competitively tendered, donor-funded project contracts with bilateral agencies (UK Aid/FCDO, USAID, GIZ), multilateral institutions (UNDP, FAO, WMO, IDRC), and large NGOs (Oxfam, WWF, CARE International, WaterAid). The firm operates as a technical partner within multi-institution research consortia alongside academic partners including LSE's Grantham Research Institute, University of Leeds, University of Southampton, University of Pretoria, and NCAS. The company was founded around 2010 and operates with 1–10 employees, with Dr Katharine Vincent and Ms Tracy Cull serving as Directors.

Name

KULIMA INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS LTD

Legal name

Kulima Integrated Development Solutions

Website

https://kulima.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kulima Integrated Development Solutions is a private climate adaptation consulting and applied research firm operating across southern and eastern Africa, serving government agencies, multilateral institutions, and NGOs with science–policy brokering, gender-sensitive vulnerability analysis, nowcasting-based early warnings, and capacity building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Change Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation & Natural Resource Management Technical Assistance (BPADAEAJ), Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

Keywords

• Climate adaptation consulting
• Disaster risk reduction
• Climate policy research
• Capacity building services
• Early warning systems

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Research Services: Revenue generated through commissioned research projects, technical consulting engagements, and capacity building contracts with international development organizations, government agencies, and multilateral climate finance institutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kulima Integrated Development Solutions is a boundary organisation providing applied research and technical consulting on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It acts as an interface between scientists and end-users (policy-makers, practitioners, community members) in public and private sectors, facilitating two-way dialogue and translating climate science into actionable formats for decision-making.

Product overview

Kulima Integrated Development Solutions is a boundary organization providing applied research and technical consulting services focused on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Rather than a unified software product, the company offers a portfolio of climate-focused consulting projects and services: the core consulting practice facilitates dialogue between scientists and end-users; major project offerings include WISER EWSA (early warning systems for thunderstorms), BASIN (behavioural adaptation for water security), UMFULA (climate information for water management), BRACC (resilience building in Malawi), and FoSTA-Health (food systems transformation); complemented by training and capacity building services. All offerings serve the mission of translating climate science into actionable adaptation planning for governments and communities across southern and eastern Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BRACC: Building Resilience and Adapting to Climate Change - programme strengthening resilience of poor households in Malawi
• WISER EWSA
• BASIN
• UMFULA

Products and services

• Applied Research and Technical Consulting Services

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• WaterAidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2023NGO partner in BASIN project addressing water security through behavioural adaptation approaches
• National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS)coreTechnology or Integration · 23 March 2023Leading WISER EWSA project focusing on nowcasting and early warning systems for thunderstorms in southern Africa
• University of PretoriacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2022Academic partner in FoSTA-Health project exploring food systems transformation in southern Africa
• Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (LSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for climate adaptation research, co-leading UMFULA project and collaborating on policy coherence and gender analysis work
• London School of Economics and Political Science (Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in BASIN project examining behavioural approaches to water security and climate adaptation in Africa
• University of LeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey research partner in UMFULA, FoSTA-Health, and other major climate adaptation projects
• UK Met OfficecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner in WISER EWSA providing meteorological expertise for nowcasting development
• South African Weather ServicecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational meteorological partner in WISER EWSA for co-producing early warnings with marginalized urban populations
• Zambia Meteorological DepartmentcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational partner for early warning co-production in Zambia under WISER EWSA project
• Mozambique National Meteorology Institute (INAM)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational meteorological partner for early warning systems development in Mozambique
• Water WitnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in BASIN project focusing on climate-water challenges and adaptation
• University of MalawicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in BASIN conducting case study research on water security in Malawi
• Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Tanzania for BASIN project research on water security
• UK Centre for Ecology and HydrologycoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner in WISER EWSA project
• Finnish Meteorological InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner providing meteorological expertise for WISER EWSA
• EUMETSATcoreTechnology or IntegrationProviding satellite data for nowcasting applications in early warning systems
• World Meteorological OrganisationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner supporting WISER EWSA and global early warning initiatives
• OxfammajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDevelopment partner collaborating on climate adaptation and resilience programmes
• CSIRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African research partner for climate modelling and policy linkage projects
• WWFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner on climate adaptation and environmental sustainability projects
• FAOmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUN food and agriculture organization partner for climate-smart agriculture initiatives
• University of SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in DECCMA project and other climate adaptation research initiatives
• CARE InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partner on gender-sensitive climate vulnerability assessments and disaster risk reduction in Mozambique
• Desert Research Foundation of NamibiacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational partner for Namibia's Third National Communication to UNFCCC vulnerability and adaptation assessment

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED): IIED is a policy and research organisation linking local priorities with global agendas on climate, environment, and sustainable development, with significant Africa-focused programming. It is directly comparable to Kulima in mission, donor mix, and the bridging role between research and practitioner/policy end-users.
• Practical Action: Practical Action is an international development NGO that delivers climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and resilience programming in Africa and Asia, working with donor funding and government partners. It overlaps with Kulima on the development-practitioner side, particularly on community-based adaptation and gender-inclusive approaches.
• Climate Analytics: Climate Analytics is a climate science and policy institute that translates scientific research into actionable policy advice for vulnerable developing countries, with strong engagement in Africa. It is directly comparable to Kulima as a science-policy intermediary working on adaptation, loss and damage, and IPCC-aligned outputs.
• Acclimatise: Acclimatise is a UK-headquartered climate adaptation advisory firm providing risk assessment, policy analysis, and project support to governments, multilaterals, and development finance institutions. It is directly comparable to Kulima as a specialist climate adaptation consultancy with a similar donor- and policy-driven project model.
• SouthSouthNorth: SouthSouthNorth is a climate adaptation and mitigation consultancy working across Africa and developing countries, providing project implementation, research, and policy support to donors and governments — directly comparable to Kulima's boundary-organisation role and donor-funded project delivery model.
• Stockholm Environment Institute: SEI is an independent research organisation working on environment and development issues globally, with active programmes on climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and policy engagement in Africa. It is directly comparable to Kulima as a policy-facing research and consulting organisation serving donors and governments.
• LTS International: LTS International is a UK-based consultancy providing climate change, environment, and sustainable development advisory services to donors, governments, and NGOs, with significant Africa-based project delivery. It is directly comparable to Kulima in service mix, geography, and donor-driven revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Ricardo Energy & Environment: Ricardo Energy & Environment is a large international consultancy providing climate, environment, and sustainability services to governments, multilaterals, and the private sector globally. It is a broader incumbent that competes for the same donor-funded climate adaptation and policy engagements but operates at much greater scale.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/kulimaids.bsky.social
• Facebookfacebook.com/KulimaIDS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kulima-integrated-development-solutions-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 KULIMA INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS LTD