Clean Cooking Alliance new VC program supports 33 companies

In Washington, a diverse portfolio of 33 companies, operating mainly in Africa, will be supported by the Clean Cooking Alliance’s new Venture Catalyst (VC) program. The program focuses on building an investment-ready pipeline through venture-level interventions, to deliver universal access to clean cooking in developing countries.

The Venture Catalyst portfolio currently includes biofuel, LPG, and biogas fuel distributors; pellet, ethanol, and char-briquette producers; and ethanol, gas, electric, and biomass stove manufacturers. The portfolio reflects a growing number of companies whose customers lack access to clean cooking solutions, including multi-product last-mile distributors, microfinance institutions, and distributed energy services companies. Many VC portfolio companies integrate industrial-scale manufacturing, digital technologies, mobile money, and consumer financing.