Village Capital, in partnership with the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), has announced five Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) as Venture Partners for the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility (AECF), a $4 million initiative aimed at backing startups focused on economic mobility and climate resilience in Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
The selected ESOs are Reach for Change (Ghana), Africa Fintech Foundry and Fate Foundation (Nigeria), and Anza Entrepreneurs and Ennovate Ventures (Tanzania).
The AECF adopts an ecosystem-embedded investment approach, working directly with locally led ESOs to deploy capital more effectively. This strategy emphasizes leveraging local expertise to fund startups that improve livelihoods, promote financial inclusion, and build resilience to climate change.
“No single investor can be an expert in every context, and that’s why this partnership matters. This model allows us to invest across markets while staying grounded in local realities. For us, this isn’t just about sourcing deals, it’s about making smarter, more informed investments by working alongside those already building and strengthening their entrepreneurial communities,” said Nathaly Botero, Innovations Manager at Village Capital.
Startups across the three countries are seen as critical players in solving key development challenges, such as expanding access to jobs, financial services, clean energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure. Yet, many early-stage ventures struggle to attract the right kind of capital to grow.
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The AECF seeks to fill this gap by providing capital that is tailored to the needs of these startups while integrating the insights and networks of ESOs into the investment process. The initiative aims not only to support individual ventures but also to strengthen the overall startup ecosystems in the target countries.
