Founded in 2007, Bamboo Capital Partners is an impact investing platform that provides innovative financing solutions to bridge the gap between seed and growth-stage funding. Bamboo aims to improve the lives of marginalized communities while delivering strong financial returns. Since inception, Bamboo reports having raised close to $400 million and invested in over 30 developing countries.
Today, Bamboo has published its Impact Report 2019 that claims to have supported 5,000 jobs last year. Since launch, this number is pegged at 45,000 jobs.
Bamboo calls 2019 a “significant year for the firm” as it partnered with the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the International Trade Center, Smart Africa, Stop TB Partnership and CARE Enterprises, amongst others, to launch a series of blended finance impact funds. The funds will target businesses in the agriculture, finance, energy, education and healthcare sectors across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
At the start of 2020, these funds came together within one coherent framework called SDG500; a $500 million investment platform that will use debt and equity to bridge the financing gap of targeted firms.
In 2019, the firm also concluded the final investment of its second Financial Inclusion Fund and welcomed ElectrFI as an anchor investor in BEAM, its energy access fund. Bamboo also won two mandates from the World Bank Group to launch energy access initiatives in Haiti and Madagascar.
Jean-Philippe de Schrevel, founder and Managing Partner of Bamboo Capital Partners stated in a release:
“Last year, it felt like the pieces of a puzzle came together. A couple of years ago, we decided to reposition Bamboo as an impact investing platform open to partnerships. We wanted to combine our expertise with that of private and public organizations to rapidly scale positive impact for low- and middle-income populations in emerging and frontier markets. In 2019, we made significant progress and began to realize the fruits of our labour. We partnered with a wide range of institutions, including United Nations entities, supranational organizations and non-governmental organizations, to create a series of unique blended finance impact funds under one coherent framework – SDG500.”
de Schrevel noted that the COVID-19 crisis will be terrible especially for the poorest people.
“It only reinforces our conviction that we urgently need to change our way of measuring value and success. Investing sustainably and responsibly will have to become the new norm going forward. As always, I wish to sincerely thank our staff, board members and investors who continue to support Bamboo.”