Led · Equity · Sep 2025

Aclara Resources is a Toronto-based mining company developing the Carina heavy rare-earths project in Goiás, Brazil. The company received a US$5 million financing from the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to advance the Carina feasibility study. The feasibility study is being led by Hatch and is scheduled to run through the first quarter of 2026, with operations expected to begin in 2028. The financing terms allow the funding to convert into equity subject to future financings and give DFC a preferred option to provide or arrange construction financing. CEO Ramón Barúa said the investment validates Aclara’s strategy and noted initial projections indicate the project will require roughly US$600 million of capital. Barúa added that DFC’s involvement reduces development risk and signals the strategic importance of heavy rare earths for U.S. supply chains.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2024

Cassava Technologies was spun out of Econet in 2021 as a standalone business for digital services and infrastructure, operating data centers, fiber broadband networks, renewable energy, cloud and cybersecurity units. Its Liquid Intelligent Technologies unit built the terrestrial segment of Google’s Umoja route, and Liquid C2 has partnerships with Google and Anthropic to bring cloud, cybersecurity and generative AI services to African companies. The company’s first African data center has been operational for about a year. Cassava announced $310 million in total funding, of which $220 million is a credit facility for a subsidiary and $90 million is an equity tranche. The equity tranche included investments from Google, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Finnfund. Management said the funding will strengthen the balance sheet, drive sustainable profitable growth and support a broader reorganization to expand digital infrastructure and services. The deal and existing partnerships are positioned to help Cassava scale connectivity and cloud offerings across Africa and other key growth markets.

Led · Equity · Nov 2024

Prodigy Finance offers a borderless lending model that allows postgraduate students to apply for loans based on future earning potential instead of current circumstances or credit history. The company focuses on master's students and, since its 2007 founding, has enabled over 43,000 students from more than 150 countries and disbursed over $2.3 billion. Recent activity includes a funding commitment of up to $310 million from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and a $30 million blended finance programme launched in September with The Standard Bank of South Africa and Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies. The new financing emphasises social impact, setting minimum thresholds of 30% for women and 50% for students from low- and lower-middle-income countries. India is cited as Prodigy’s core market, holding the largest share of its funding. According to Prodigy’s 2022 Impact Report, 91% of students said the loan helped them pursue their dream career, 83% reported success in their personal life, and 74% said the loan at least doubled their salary. Prodigy Finance operates a crowdfunded student-lending platform that finances international students—primarily from emerging markets—by sourcing loan capital from alumni investors at leading universities. The firm assesses applicants based on projected earnings rather than credit history and says its model is globally enforceable. It reports an annual repayment rate of over 99% and has provided more than $325 million in funding to over 7,100 students, 78% of whom come from emerging markets. Loans are crowdfunded by alumni from schools including INSEAD, London Business School, Cambridge Judge, Stanford and Harvard, with alumni earning financial returns. The company is increasing its US footprint and cites growing market demand, with international student numbers forecast to rise. CEO Cameron Stevens said the new investment will help Prodigy Finance double the size of its student portfolio. Prodigy Finance operates a de facto crowdfunding platform that enables investors to fund international postgraduate student loans. The platform matches investor capital with students seeking financing for postgraduate programs. Since 2007 the company says it has processed over $130 million to fund more than 2,050 students from 92 nationalities, with repayment rates in excess of 99%. It has offices in London and Cape Town and plans to expand into Asia in 2016. The recent financing aims to boost platform development and adoption among students and investors. The company secured both equity and credit to support growth and lending capacity.

Led · Debt Financing · Oct 2024

Founded in 2013 in Noida by former ICICI Bank executives, Arya.ag operates a network of about 12,000 leased warehouses that collectively store roughly $3 billion worth of grain each year—around 3% of India’s output. Farmers use the platform to warehouse crops, obtain instant loans against stored grain, and connect with a broad pool of buyers, giving them flexibility to sell when prices are favourable. The company disburses more than ₹110 billion ($1.2 billion) in credit annually and maintains gross NPAs below 0.5% by lending only a portion of grain value and marking collateral to market. Storage contributes 50–55% of revenue, finance 25–30%, and commerce the balance. In FY 2025, Arya.ag generated net revenue of ₹4.5 billion (~$50 million) and profit after tax of ₹340 million, with first-half revenue this year rising 30% year-over-year to ₹3 billion. The platform now serves 850,000–900,000 farmers across 60% of India’s districts and employs more than 1,200 people. Fresh capital will fund additional AI, satellite, and blockchain tools, expand smart farm centres, and reinforce storage and credit infrastructure as the company targets an IPO within 18–20 months and explores software-led expansion in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Participated · Debt Financing · Jul 2024

Lhoopa operates a technology platform that uses machine learning and AI to analyze listings, identify undervalued properties, and digitize bureaucratic workflows for brokers, contractors and other stakeholders. The company partners with local brokers and contractor groups rather than selling directly to end customers, providing dedicated apps for brokers and contractors to coordinate listings, work progress and payments. Lhoopa monitors around 9,000 areas across the Philippines and has sold over 2,500 affordable houses in more than 58 cities. The firm employs 95 people and works with roughly 5,000 agents and 100 contractor groups. Lhoopa plans to expand its customer base to include people without full-time employment (eg, gig workers) and aims to enter at least one other Southeast Asian country within the next 18 months. Management says the company is already profitable and will use new capital to grow real estate acquisition and construction operations.