FSD Africa Impact Venture Building for Green Innovation in Africa: Persistent’s Ambitious Climate Change Initiative

This fact sheet describes the activities of Persistent Energy Capital, a venture builder and fund that provides equity and support to green innovators in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting its partnership with FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi).

• Persistent Energy Capital has invested US$23 million into 23 companies across 22 African countries, focusing on sectors including e-mobility, solar home systems, commercial and industrial solar, energy efficiency, and ecosystem enablers. This activity has resulted in the creation of over 21,700 jobs, the empowerment of nearly 6.5 million people, and the elimination of over 1.4 million tons of CO2.
• In 2023, Persistent Energy Capital began fundraising for the US$100 million Africa Climate Venture Builder Fund with support from FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi), which provided a US$3 million 'catalytic' investment. Persistent also secured US$10 million in equity during its Series C round in 2022.
• Persistent targets under-resourced smaller companies with funding starting at $50,000 and provides operational support in areas such as financial management, capital raising, business analytics, technology, HR, legal & compliance, and strategic guidance to prepare them for larger investment rounds.
• Persistent emphasizes gender equality, with a workforce that is 55% female and over 65% African. The company mandates that its investees support gender equality and specifically seeks businesses founded by women or those with a substantial female workforce.
• Persistent intends to diversify its sectoral investments into emerging climate areas, specifically agritech, circular economy, waste management, and water & sanitation.
• As a case study, Persistent supported Altech in the DRC, which introduced pay-as-you-go solar solutions in 2018. Over three years, this led to a 61% cut in monthly kerosene purchases, US$35 million in total savings, and the elimination of 285,000 metric tons of CO2; Altech now employs over 3,300 people.

APA

FSD Africa (n.d.). FSD Africa Impact Venture Building for Green Innovation in Africa: Persistent’s Ambitious Climate Change Initiative. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Persistent-Kenya-17.10.2023.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. FSD Africa Impact Venture Building for Green Innovation in Africa: Persistent’s Ambitious Climate Change Initiative. n.d. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Persistent-Kenya-17.10.2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=FSD Africa Impact Venture Building for Green Innovation in Africa: Persistent’s Ambitious Climate Change Initiative |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Persistent-Kenya-17.10.2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafricandfsd, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{FSD Africa Impact Venture Building for Green Innovation in Africa: Persistent’s Ambitious Climate Change Initiative}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FSD-Africa-Impact-Persistent-Kenya-17.10.2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }