Delta40
(Pictured above: The inaugural cohort of the Delta40’s Energy & Mobility Innovation Program at its Venture Studio in Nairobi, Kenya.)
Delta40‘s mission is to build life-changing ventures with founders on the frontlines, that improve lives, income and planetary health across Africa. Based in Kenya and Nigeria, the venture studio and VC fund’s work focuses on the continent where 40% of the global population will reside by 2100.
Delta40 provides capital, talent, and hands-on support to turn planet-positive innovations in software, hardware, and biotech into scalable, commercial solutions for a sustainable future. This includes an investment portfolio that targets key sectors such as energy & mobility, agriculture & food systems, and Fintech & AI, and a post-investment portfolio that amplifies growth-stage companies operating across Africa.
Commercializing innovative hardware-based solutions can be capital intensive and requires scarce technical expertise. A venture studio model gives founders access to in-house experts and capital across multiple stages— freeing them from time-intensive fundraising efforts so they can focus on building.
The Lemelson Foundation is committed to strengthening commercialization support and finance for African inventors, and supports Delta40’s Energy & Mobility Innovation Program for scientific and technical founders across Africa through fiscal sponsor Realize Impact. The goal is to promote innovation that is contextualized for the continent through scientists and engineers with lived experience developing solutions for a resilient Africa.
The program champions the next generation of African entrepreneurs through venture studio support, ecosystem connections, and funding and mentorship. Participants include innovators seeking to develop and scale products for:
- Clean energy access
- Clean cooking solutions
- E-mobility and sustainable transportation
- Data and AI-optimized energy access and financing
Through this program, Delta40 aims to fill a funding gap in African countries for research-based innovation — not only to support a cohort of innovators, but to design programs tailored to the needs of these innovators and to help establish enduring partnerships with research institutions.
“Together with our founders, we aim to build a portfolio of transformative ventures across this important continent that improve lives, amplify the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and protect the planet for generations to come,” says Delta40 Co-Founder Lyndsay Holley Handler.
Learn more about the latest news and developments from Delta40:
