Call for Nominations: Impact Ventures Committed to Climate Adaptation and the Achievement of the SDGs in Cambodia

The Growth Stage Impact Ventures (GSIV) programme aims to identify through a highly competitive process enterprises that have developed at-scale products and services that contribute to the SDGs while achieving commercial success and are committed to embed impact considerations into decision-making. By showcasing and supporting these ventures, UNDP aims to bring forward evidence of the existence of pipelines of investable ventures that can advance the transition to SDG-aligned investment in developing countries.

The Cambodia GSIV takes defines a mechanism to identify and support specific ventures operating in Climate Adaptation, and more specifically, in the priority investment sectors coming out of the Cambodia SDG Investor Map which is a market intelligence tool designed to help private investors (funds, financiers, corporations) identify investment opportunities areas and business models that advance the SDGs. The programme similarly builds on Cambodia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) actions for climate adaptation.

Benefits for Selected Ventures

Ventures selected as finalists will receive capacity building in SDG impact standards and impact measurement & management practices. Additionally, finalists will be given exposure and will be invited to pitch their solution during an investor convening event in December 2023. This will be an occasion to meet the local and international investor community and discuss partnerships and investment opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria

• Geographic criteria
  • This call for nominations aims to promote the development of the private sector in Cambodia. Only ventures with substantial operations in Cambodia, with a management team and workforce primarily based in Cambodia and providing products and services mostly in Cambodia and other ASEAN countries, are eligible.
• Business criteria
  • Eligible ventures, which should be seeking partners (technical, financial, or other) to grow will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
    • Impact: be a mission-driven enterprise (possibly within by-laws) with an impact-driven model—meaning that the venture aims to generate a measurable, positive social or environmental impact, with impact management procedures and measurement metrics and/or key performance indicators in place; and the potential to contribute to the achievement of more than one SDG, in an integrated way;
    • Financial record: have an established business model and strong financial track record based on the company’s management accounts and audited financials (if available), number of clients, annual revenue, EBITDA, break-even, previous funding raised; Investment: have raised at least US$100,000 or reached break-even through organic growth;
    • Innovation: present an innovative technology, business model, or process with a strong competitive advantage (intellectual property, clear unique selling proposition, uniqueness factor);
    • Team profile: retain a solid team with complementary competencies to run and grow a business;
    • Scalability: demonstrate that the solution is scalable at the regional, continental, or cross-sectoral level.
• Thematic criteria
  • The overarching theme of the call for nominations is Climate adaptation meaning that the business model of nominated enterprises contribute in one way or another to climate adaptation in Cambodia.
  • The UNFCCC defines adaptation as adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects. It refers to changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damage or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change.
  • The Call for Nominations is addressed to enterprises operating in one of the six sectors identified through the SDG Investor Map and climate adaptation actions of the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of Cambodia: Food & Agriculture, Infrastructure, Green Construction & buildings, Education, Renewable Energy and Healthcare.

For more information, visit UNDP.