One of the investments we're proudest of making this year is follow-on financing into Giraffe Bioenergy - A venture in residence at Delta40 Studio , a truly transformative company led by the visionary Linda Davis, PhD. We are thrilled that Giraffe Bioenergy recently closed an oversubscribed $1.1 Million Seed Extension round following a $675K round closed in 2023. Giraffe has attracted equity investments from prominent backers including Opes-Lcef, Livelihood Impact Fund, Gather Ventures, DUNN FAMILY FOUNDATION, 1to4 Foundation, KLAFF FAMILY FOUNDATION and other angel investors, with a grant from Power Africa. Giraffe Bioenergy is on a mission to produce affordable, locally sourced ethanol cooking fuel from cassava, grown on semi-arid land. Their work is not only combating climate change but also reducing Kenya’s import dependency and empowering women. 🔎 Why Giraffe Bioenergy? Kenya faces a significant shortfall in cassava-based products, from ethanol fuel to flour. With 98% of ethanol imported, Giraffe is solving this with a strategy that includes: 1. Climate-Resilient Crops: Cassava thrives in arid regions like inland Kilifi, offering a sustainable farming option. 2. Transforming Livelihoods: Giraffe provides income opportunities for farmers in underserved regions. 3. Women at the Core: Giraffe is committed to integrating women throughout its value chain. 🌍 At Delta40, we’re backing Giraffe because of its potential to reduce carbon emissions, lower fuel costs, empower women, and promote regenerative agriculture. Want to learn more about Giraffe Bioenergy’s impact? Check out our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/dSgzge6z #VentureCapital #ImpactInvestment #ClimateAction #SustainableAgriculture #WomenEmpowerment #AfricanInnovation #EthanolFuel #EnergyAccess #SustainableDevelopment #InvestInAfrica
Delta40 Venture Studio
Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
A venture studio at building, investing in and scaling inclusive climate innovation across Africa.
About us
Our mission at Delta40 is to increase incomes and tackle climate change in Africa by building and investing in inclusive climate innovations. At Delta40, we invest in Africa because 40% of the world will live on this continent by 2100. We invest in energy, agriculture and mobility innovations because they are essential to sustainable growth. We invest in climate innovation because we only have 10 years to act to prevent irreparable damage to Planet Earth. We invest in diverse Founders because they are close to the customer and bring critical ideas, experiences and skills to solving the biggest problems on this important continent. Beyond capital, our venture studio team provides hands on support, shared services and partnerships to our ventures and Founders to increase speed, returns and impact. Together, we aim to deliver life-changing innovations to the last mile across Africa and to build a community of Founders go from idea to scale to exit.
- Website
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www.delta40.com
External link for Delta40 Venture Studio
- Industry
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Nairobi
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2021
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
Farasi Lane
Nairobi, KE
Employees at Delta40 Venture Studio
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Nick Quintong
Chief Commercial Officer & Portfolio Director @Delta40
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Ada Osakwe
Food Entrepreneur | Investor | Board Director | Passionate change-agent
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Jay Ireland
Chairman @ Mastercard Foundation Asset Management | Executive Management
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John Foye
Building in climate | Stanford MBA/MS | Former Fenix and McKinsey
Updates
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Delta40 Venture Studio reposted this
Building and investing in inclusive and innovative climate businesses in Africa | Venture Capital | Venture Building | Ex - Management Consultant
For every dollar women raise, they generate more revenue, more profit and more exits yet they still raise less than 4% of all climate capital in Africa. I am glad that at Delta40 Venture Studio, we are not only cognizant of these facts, but we are changing that narrative.
“Despite the fact that for every dollar women raise, they are generating more revenue, more profit and more exits, women still raise less than 4% of all climate capital in Africa.” In this Skoll Foundation World Forum spotlight, our Founder, Lyndsay Holley Handler, shares how we’re working hard to change this at Delta40 by reimagining how we find, fund, and support female entrepreneurs across Africa. We’ve built a female fund manager team, we're allocating an exceptional 51% of our capital to founders like Linda Davis, PhD of Giraffe Bioenergy - A venture in residence at Delta40 Studio , and we're designing programs to support incredible women building sustainable ventures in Africa. Know any amazing female founders on the continent? Share this post and tag them in the comments.
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Delta40 Venture Studio reposted this
Building and investing in inclusive and innovative climate businesses in Africa | Venture Capital | Venture Building | Ex - Management Consultant
For every dollar women raise, they generate more revenue, more profit and more exits yet they still raise less than 4% of all climate capital in Africa. I am glad that at Delta40 Venture Studio, we are not only cognizant of these facts, but we are changing that narrative.
“Despite the fact that for every dollar women raise, they are generating more revenue, more profit and more exits, women still raise less than 4% of all climate capital in Africa.” In this Skoll Foundation World Forum spotlight, our Founder, Lyndsay Holley Handler, shares how we’re working hard to change this at Delta40 by reimagining how we find, fund, and support female entrepreneurs across Africa. We’ve built a female fund manager team, we're allocating an exceptional 51% of our capital to founders like Linda Davis, PhD of Giraffe Bioenergy - A venture in residence at Delta40 Studio , and we're designing programs to support incredible women building sustainable ventures in Africa. Know any amazing female founders on the continent? Share this post and tag them in the comments.
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“Despite the fact that for every dollar women raise, they are generating more revenue, more profit and more exits, women still raise less than 4% of all climate capital in Africa.” In this Skoll Foundation World Forum spotlight, our Founder, Lyndsay Holley Handler, shares how we’re working hard to change this at Delta40 by reimagining how we find, fund, and support female entrepreneurs across Africa. We’ve built a female fund manager team, we're allocating an exceptional 51% of our capital to founders like Linda Davis, PhD of Giraffe Bioenergy - A venture in residence at Delta40 Studio , and we're designing programs to support incredible women building sustainable ventures in Africa. Know any amazing female founders on the continent? Share this post and tag them in the comments.
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Have you watched Episode 2 of The Greenprint yet? In the 10-minute episode, we take you inside the world of Green Industries, featuring three climate entrepreneurs shaping Africa’s future—and setting a global example for a thriving green economy. We're proud to be in partnership with The Flip, Catalyst Fund, and Africa Climate Ventures to bring these important conversations forward. Watch here https://lnkd.in/dQx-KydZ and tag a venture you know that’s driving similar planet positive development on the continent. We’re taking notes! 🗒️
Africa has the opportunity to become a global leader in the fight against climate change AND create millions of jobs in the process. There is increasing demand for industries powered by renewable energy. Meanwhile, African countries have abundant access to renewable energy sources, a lack of legacy grid infrastructure, and the youngest & fastest-growing working-age population. Green industries present an opportunity to have a positive economic impact locally and deploy technology that has broader climate implications globally. Today's episode of The Flip is our first documentary in a series we're calling The Greenprint - our exploration of climate innovation across Africa - in partnership with Delta40 Venture Studio, Catalyst Fund & Africa Climate Ventures. In this episode, we visit with three founders building in Kenya: Bilha Ndirangu is the CEO of Great Carbon Valley, which is looking to bring several green industrial projects to Kenya. Duncan Kariuki is the CPO of Octavia Carbon, the global south's first direct air capture company. Hiro Iwanaga is the CEO of Talus Renewables, the maker of modular green ammonia manufacturing systems, whose first project was deployed in Kenya earlier this year. I've left the link in the first comment of this post to watch the full episode on YouTube 👇
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Delta40 Venture Studio reposted this
At Delta40, we’re proud to have a thriving community of over 4,000 investors, founders, operators, academics and corporates—each fiercely passionate about building and supporting sustainable innovation in Africa. As part of our ecosystem, they gain exclusive insights into everything from events and opportunities to major announcements. The image below is a glimpse into exciting tangible results from just one of our impactful gatherings. To learn more and become a part of our dynamic and incredibly intentional community, please read and sign up to our Community Spotlight here: https://lnkd.in/dMJ2j_W7!
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At Delta40, we’re proud to have a thriving community of over 4,000 investors, founders, operators, academics and corporates—each fiercely passionate about building and supporting sustainable innovation in Africa. As part of our ecosystem, they gain exclusive insights into everything from events and opportunities to major announcements. The image below is a glimpse into exciting tangible results from just one of our impactful gatherings. To learn more and become a part of our dynamic and incredibly intentional community, please read and sign up to our Community Spotlight here: https://lnkd.in/dMJ2j_W7!
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Three weeks ago, we launched "The Greenprint", a collaborative series on climate innovation in Africa, created in partnership with The Flip, Africa Climate Ventures, and Catalyst Fund. We’ve been blown away by the incredible feedback and responses so far, and we’re thrilled to be bringing these impactful conversations to the forefront. In the first episode, our Founder Lyndsay Holley Handler joins James Mwangi (Africa Climate Ventures) and Maxime Bayen (Catalyst Fund), moderated by Justin Norman (The Flip) to discuss how hands-on venture support can drive life-changing, planet-positive innovations out of Africa—and explore why the continent is poised to become a powerful solution to the global climate crisis. Our goal with this series is to spark meaningful conversations on climate innovation in Africa while showcasing tangible investment opportunities for interested stakeholders in this thriving market. 🎥 Watch Episode 1 here: https://lnkd.in/dGbN8bv3 join the conversation and stay tuned for the next episode!
As COP29 kicks off, we are excited to share news from the frontlines in Africa. Delta40 Venture Studio, The Flip, Africa Climate Ventures, and Catalyst Fund are thrilled to announce our new *Africa Climate Innovation Series*. We produced this unique series of short documentaries + podcasts with three goals: 1. To spotlight, support, and grow innovative climate ventures led by world-class Founders in Africa. 2. To have nuanced, open debates about the new solutions, business models, policies, and investment tools we need. 3. To share tangible opportunities to invest in and scale the most promising innovations in Africa. In our first episode, James Mwangi, Maxime Bayen, Justin Norman, and I explore - Why Africa? Why climate innovation in Africa? And, how can the venture studio model help Founders, investors, and corporate partners achieve pan-African scale, profit, exits, and impact? You can watch Episode 1 on YouTube (below), or listen on your favorite podcast app such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation. If you have watched this episode, please share your insights, ideas, & feedback below. *And this is just the beginning.* In future episodes, listeners will meet visionary African and Female entrepreneurs building ventures in key sectors such as energy, agriculture, transportation, and the built environment. Our short films will take you to the last mile in Africa to see their solutions in action. You will see the impact they are creating for customers and the planet. You will also learn about the environment they operate in and the challenges they face. To break out of the cycle of endless panel discussions or marketing videos, each episode will tackle tough questions and share opportunities to get involved. Each dollar invested in climate innovations in Africa has a meaningful impact on economic growth, jobs, & planetary health - we hope this series will inspire others to join us. After 21 years of building ventures in Africa and 5 years of studying venture studios, I am excited to finally share more about Delta40 Venture Studio's portfolio and unique approach to investing in and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs on this dynamic continent through this series. Thank you to the Skoll Foundation, Marla Blow, and Liz Diebold for all of your support - you make ecosystem initiatives like this possible. Thank you to Justin Norman & The Flip for traveling to the field to capture these stories & sharing them with the world. Thank you to the Africa Climate Ventures & Catalyst Fund - most people would think we are competitors, but we love how we co-invest, share best practices, and collaborate to build this ecosystem. Special thank you to the Delta40 Venture Studio Founders, Team, our Board, investors, and partners for the hard work behind many of these stories. Excited to hear new ideas and start a deeper discussion with this community.
This Funding Model is Helping Fight Climate Change
https://www.youtube.com/
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Delta40 is proud to have contributed key insights to the newly released Ventures Platform Fund ClimateTech White Paper—a comprehensive blueprint for how African startups and venture capital can lead the charge in driving climate-smart solutions across the continent. The paper outlines actionable strategies for developing innovative, sustainable business models that enhance climate resilience. Why is this so important? Despite contributing only 4% of global emissions, Africa is projected to face $440 billion in climate-related damages by 2050, affecting 90% of its population. This is a critical moment for VCs and startups to build thriving ecosystems and drive transformative economic growth across the continent. We commend the Ventures Platform Fund team for spearheading this essential initiative and laying out a clear roadmap for transformative change in Africa. Explore the white paper and check out our case study here: https://lnkd.in/dpqsR-UW #VPClimateTechWhitePaper #AfricanClimateInnovation #Delta40VentureStudio
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Within a 12-month space, more than ten notable companies departed Nigeria, including Unilever Nigeria PLC, Procter & Gamble Nigeria & others. For us, Nigeria is still one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa. It is also a key entry point to the rest of the West African market. As Nigeria shifts its focus towards diversifying its economy, entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to venture into other sectors and contribute to the country’s economic development. Check out our launch announcement from our Founder Lyndsay Holley Handler below:
More big news from Delta40 Venture Studio - we are thrilled to announce we are launching in West Africa with our next Studio in Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria is a market of 230M people today. It will grow to 730M people strong by 2100, making it the 3rd largest market in the world. And there has never been a more exciting time to invest in energy, agriculture, and fintech in this important market. Businesses and homes in every corner of Nigeria urgently need innovative energy and EV transportation solutions, as fuel costs went up 600% overnight. At the same time, global solar PV, EV, and energy storage costs are falling rapidly. New lithium batteries will last 10 to 15 years and many critical minerals needed in these supply chains come from Nigeria. Nigerians spend 50% of their income on food and Africa's broader food market will be $1T by 2030. Nigeria has some of the most entrepreneurial, creative, and business-savvy Founders in the world building innovative ventures to seize these opportunities. Many Nigerian Founders have built fintech unicorns and we believe we can build the next climate unicorns. The most important ingredient of a new venture is always the team. And we are thrilled to announce the newest members of the Delta40 Dream Team in West Africa. Ada Osakwe is our Delta40 Board Chairwoman and brings decades of experience to this role - she has invested in funds, set up her own VC fund in Nigeria, and is an entrepreneur herself as the Founder and CEO of Nuli, an innovative farm-to-table ag venture in Africa. We could not ask for a better Board Chair as we expand across Africa. Bankole Cardoso joined Delta40 as our Venture Studio Managing Director in Nigeria. Bankole has been building ventures in Nigeria for 10 years as the CEO of Easy Taxi Nigeria, CEO of Fenix Nigeria, CEO of ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, and a VC investor with Equator and Factor[e] before joining. I had the honor of working with Bankole for many years at Fenix where he built a clean energy fintech business in Nigeria from an idea to 600,000 users and a profitable business with an exit to ENGIE. Biola Alabi joined Delta40 as a Venture Partner to lead investments in West Africa. Biola brings invaluable insights and leadership to our team from 20 years as an early-stage investor and corporate business leader across Africa at MultiChoice, EcoNet, Acasia Ventures, Lagos Angel Network, and beyond. Ada, Bankole, and Biola spent time together in Nigeria last week. Special thank you to Dr. Dotun Olowoporoku Olowoporoku & Kola for the insights at the Ventures Platform Fund Africa Prosperity Summit. Thank you Rotimi Thomas and the SunFi Team for a great Board meeting. And thank you to all of the other investors and entrepreneurs we learned from Abubakar Suleiman, Damilola Olokesusi Chinwe Udo-Davis Msc, SPHRi Michael Ogundare Seun Alley. DM us with suggestions about top Founders we should connect with or ventures building ideas for this market!
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