LGT Venture Philanthropy has been a pioneer of venture philanthropy and impact investing since 2007. Over the years, our strategy and thematic focus have changed. We take our partnerships seriously and, if the timing is not right for the organization, we do not simply end engagements when priorities shift. Against this backdrop, we maintain a small portfolio of equity investments where we no longer pursue an active engagement but still cherish the partnerships behind them.
Approximately 30 million people in India (over one-fifth of the population) do not have reliable access to electricity via the conventional means of grid electrification, and popular alternative sources are often uneconomical and detrimental to the health of both humans and the environment.
Husk Power Systems (HPS) developed proprietary technology to convert locally produced agricultural waste – including rice husk – into electricity, generated and distributed from mini-power-plants and micro-grids. As the designer and owner of the lowest-cost hybrid power plant and distribution network in India and Africa, HPS offers customers reliable, theft-proof and grid-compatible power through a mobile phone-enabled smart metering system and ‘pay-as-you-go’ service, which can be tailored to individual needs – for households, community services, small businesses and even factories.
Husk Power Systems is a legacy engagement and no longer part of the LGT VP core portfolio. We began working with HPC in 2009, providing comprehensive support across two areas:
Business expertise
Capabilities
In the Philippines, over one-third of the estimated 12 million people who work in the agricultural sector live in poverty. Unable to obtain high-quality resources for farm production or training to improve productivity, many smallholder farmers face low annual yields, keeping them trapped in the cycle of debt and poverty. Kennemer Foods International (KFI) is an agribusiness company committed to improving livelihoods – notably of smallholder farmers of cacao, grains, banana and seedlings – by providing high-quality planting material, input on farming techniques, financing for upfront investments and, ultimately, access to the global commodities markets. With continuous training and on-the-ground technical support throughout the crops’ lifecycle, KFI delivers an end-to-end solution in the growing and trading of high-quality agricultural crops.
KFI is a legacy engagement and no longer part of the core LGT VP portfolio. We began working with KFI in 2014 and have provided them with comprehensive support across three areas:
Business expertise
Partnership
Capabilities
In most cases, underprivileged students do not have sufficient capital or collateral to pay for their tertiary education, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty. In Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile, up to 75% of young adults aged 20-24 do not have access to higher education due to a lack of financing. The result: the gross tertiary enrolment of the lowest income quintile in these four countries is only 8.5-20%, compared with 50-93% of the top quintile. Lumni finances tertiary education for low-income students in Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile, as well as in Argentina and the US, by directing and managing investor funding. In exchange for financial and academic support at school, students agree to pay 10-14% of their earnings in the five to six years following graduation.
Lumni is a legacy engagement and no longer part of the LGT VP core portfolio. We began working with Lumni in 2013, providing comprehensive support in three areas:
Business expertise
Partnership
Capabilities
As the majority of Chinese mothers stay at home during their child’s first three years, the financial repercussions for low-income households can be catastrophic. Mothers also face a heightened risk of social isolation, along with the potential impact this may have on their mental health and self-esteem. And all they can do is watch as their access to education and self-development opportunities become more and more limited. MamadaV is a mobile e-commerce platform that helps mothers open their own online stores through their social media networks. By providing technology, training courses and an online community, MamadaV enables new mothers to generate income by referring and reselling educational and maternity products to others. As of 2021, MamadaV had reached 1.9 million women in over 2,000 cities across China.
MamadaV is a legacy engagement and no longer part of the LGT VP core portfolio. We began working with MamadaV in 2016, providing comprehensive support in three areas:
Business expertise
Partnership
Capabilities
While reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the most important step the global community can take, the carbon that has been and will be released must also be removed from the atmosphere to limit global warming. Brilliant Planet is unlocking the power of algae as an affordable method of permanently and quantifiably sequestering carbon at the gigaton scale. The company’s innovative process enables vast quantities of microalgae to grow in open-air pond-based systems on coastal desert land. This is achieved through a natural process that contributes to the health of the oceans and air, without the use of fresh water.
Brilliant Planet is a legacy engagement and no longer part of the core LGT VP portfolio. We began working with Brilliant Planet in 2017 and have provided comprehensive support across two areas:
Business expertise
Capabilities
Scaling impact