KawiSafi Ventures was created and developed by Acumen, the internationally recognized impact investing pioneer, after Acumen spent a decade deploying more than $20 million of patient philanthropic capital across East Africa's off-grid energy ecosystem and recognized the potential to scale that impact through a genuinely commercial, for-profit vehicle. Launched in 2017 and closed at nearly $70 million in 2019 through Acumen's subsidiary Acumen Capital Partners, the fund was backed by an unusually prominent group of anchor investors - the Green Climate Fund, venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, TED curator Chris Anderson, and the Skoll Foundation. KawiSafi invests growth capital in high-growth, revenue-generating clean energy companies scaling decentralized, off-grid solar solutions across Kenya and Rwanda, aiming to deliver clean energy access to more than 10 million people while displacing over a million tons of carbon dioxide.
No confirmed exit yet - KawiSafi's portfolio companies (BBOXX, d.light, Sistema.bio, Angaza, InspiraFarms, Redavia Solar) remain private, still-scaling businesses since the fund itself only launched in 2017