Deadline Date: January 16, 2026
The ClimaFii Alliance, launched by Shell Foundation and Accion and delivered in partnership with BFA Global (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Upaya Social Ventures (India), targets microentrepreneurs who power local economies but are underserved by climate finance and technology.
The focus areas of the opportunity are catalytic capital, tailored venture support, end-user finance technical assistance and pilots, gender inclusivity and market expansion, energy and energy storage, productive use and post-harvest energy solutions, electric mobility, circular economy and waste-to-energy, fintech, workforce and shared-economy platforms, and technologies enabling nature-based solutions.
The ClimaFii Alliance is a five-year initiative accelerating climate innovation and inclusive finance for microenterprises across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, supporting early-stage startups delivering clean energy and electric mobility solutions that raise productivity, increase incomes, and build resilience for small business owners while reducing emissions and local pollution. Microenterprises face challenges such as unreliable electricity, high fuel costs, post-harvest losses, and inefficient transport systems, limiting their productivity. Clean energy and electric mobility solutions can increase microenterprise income by 20–30% and reduce energy costs by up to 50%, yet access remains limited due to high upfront costs, lack of financing, weak distribution networks, and barriers faced by women-led microenterprises.
Selected companies in the SSA cohort receive catalytic capital ranging from $45,000–$70,000 to test and refine business models, expand microenterprise reach, and de-risk early operations. Tailored venture support is provided to strengthen product offerings, business models, and paths to scale, including hands-on guidance in unit economics, pricing, operations, go-to-market strategy, expert advisory in clean energy, mobility, IoT, UX, data, gender, and investment readiness. The program also provides end-user finance technical assistance and pilots to unlock affordability for microenterprises through partnerships with MFIs, SACCOs, cooperatives, and fintechs, designing asset-finance, embedded finance, or working-capital products. Gender inclusivity and market expansion are embedded in the program, with diagnostics, user research, and practical guidance for serving women-led microenterprises.
ClimaFii supports six sectors: energy and energy storage solutions for reliable, affordable clean power; productive use and post-harvest energy solutions that increase microenterprise productivity or reduce losses; electric mobility for small logistics and delivery providers; circular economy and waste-to-energy solutions; fintech, workforce, and shared-economy platforms that enhance access to energy and mobility solutions; and technologies enabling nature-based solutions that support nature-positive livelihoods.
Eligible companies must be early-stage (pre-seed, seed, or post-seed) with a minimum viable product in clean energy or electric mobility, demonstrate potential to reach ~2,000 microenterprise customers by the end of Year 1, have a strong team with at least one co-founder based in Africa, track or plan to track impact metrics with a gender lens, be registered and operational in SSA, and have potential for financial-service-provider partnerships.
For more information, visit Shell Foundation.
