News

Svenska tech-miljoner till sociala entreprenörer i Östafrika

Den svenska stiftelsen Optimizer Foundation har i dagarna gjort sin fjärde investering inom socialt entreprenörskap i Östafrika. – Vårt fokus är underfinansierade områden inom utbildning och hälsa. Vi vill gärna satsa på bolag som vi tror kan ha en stor positiv inverkan och lösa ett lokalt problem, säger styrelseordförande Helena Riese Harstad. – Titta, så mycket kraftigare och längre majsen …

Investering i Mensskydd Ska Få Flickor Tillbaka Till Skolan

Svenska Optimizer Foundation investerar 1,3 miljoner kronor i ett rwandiskt e-handelsbolag, som säljer hygienartiklar, mensskydd och preventivmedel via en sms-baserad handelsplattform. Nyligen utökades verksamheten även till Kenya. Optimizer Foundation investerar 150.000 dollar i det det rwandiska bolaget Kasha som säljer hygienartiklar, mensskydd och preventivmedel via en sms-baserad handelsplattform. – I dag är kvinnor tvingade att betala dyra pengar för preventivmedel, HIV-test och …

Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)

The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is a global membership network of organizations that propel entrepreneurship in emerging markets. ANDE members provide critical financial, educational, and business support services to small and growing businesses (SGBs) based on the conviction that SGBs will create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth and produce environmental and social benefits. We have been a member …

Acumen

Acumen makes patient longterm debt or equity investments in early-stage companies providing reliable and affordable access to quality education, healthcare services, formal housing, and safe drinking water to low-income customers. The patient capital Acumen provides is accompanied by a wide range of support services to support organisational scale up. Its aim in investing patient capital is not to seek high …

Intellecap

Intellecap is a pioneer in providing innovative business solutions that help build and scale profitable and sustainable enterprises dedicated to social and environmental change. Intellecap takes an ecosystem approach to amplify the impact that businesses can achieve and shape development outcomes in the process. Intellecap Impact Investment Network (I3N) is a global network of impact investors who come together to …

Dasra

Dasra is India’s leading strategic philanthropy foundation focused on creating large-scale social change toward a transformed India with dignity and equity. Founded in 1999, Dasra accelerates social change by driving collaborative action and powerful partnerships with funders, social enterprises and other key stakeholders. Dasra works on a range of challenges in India including empowering adolescents, sanitation and governance. We have …

Helena Riese Harstad

Chairman & Co-Founder

Helena Riese Harstad is the Co-Founder and working Chairman of Optimizer Foundation. She leads the overall strategic direction of the foundation, including assessment of investment opportunities, and manages donor engagement

Anne Stubert Partridge

COO

Anne Partridge is the COO of Optimizer Foundation. She is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy of the foundation, identifying and evaluating investment opportunities, and managing the portfolio

Emily Durfee

Investment Manager

Emily Durfee is Optimizer Foundation’s Investment Manager, based out of Nairobi, Kenya. She is establishing Optimizer’s East African operations, and managing the local investment pipeline, due diligence processes, portfolio advisory, and ecosystem relationships

Dorcas Wangari

Dorcas Wangari is a consultant at Optimizer Foundation, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is building Optimizer’s product-market insights capability, unlocking the Foundation’s ability to understand true market value and customer segmentation of new products or services

Marcus Watson

Advisor

Marcus provides advisory support to Optimizer Foundation, specifically with regards to the East African markets. Marcus is an Associate Partner at Dalberg Advisors, a strategy consulting firm, based in Nairobi, Kenya

Abdourahmane Diop

Advisor

Abdourahmane is an investment professional with more than 7 years’ experience in impact investing and innovative financing in agriculture, global health and education. He provides advisory support to Optimizer Foundation, specifically with regards to financial returns analysis and investment pricing strategy

Peter F. Hinton

Senior Advisor

Peter provides advisory support to Optimizer Foundation, especially as regards sector views and insights on education and health, but also with general advice on impact and strategy. Peter is an Associate Fellow of Saïd Business School

Bianca J. Samuelsson

Project Coordinator

With a background in Business and Tourism, and many years of experience in business and office management, Bianca brings an unprecendented level of organisation and structure to our daily operations

Deepening Our East African Presence

We are deepening our East African presence through hiring Investment Manager Emily Durfee, to cover the East African region. Emily will be based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and brings with her a wealth of experience from supporting scale up of social businesses across Africa, as well as India. She most recently completed her MBA at Said Business School, Oxford. You …