About Us
Unlocking Africa’s Green Economy through Gender-Smart Investing
ShEquity is an impact investment firm committed to accelerating Africa’s green transition through gender-smart investing. We back early-growth-stage green SMEs led by women or delivering solutions that significantly benefit women—meeting the 2X Challenge criteria.
We invest in businesses with at least three years of operations, strong leadership, scalable climate solutions, and a path to profitability. We prioritize ventures poised for environmental certifications (e.g., carbon credits) that can generate strong financial returns alongside measurable social and environmental impact.
Our Vision
A gender-inclusive, climate-resilient Africa where women-led and gender-smart businesses spearhead sustainable growth and innovation.
Our Mission
To catalyze and scale gender-smart, climate-focused businesses by providing financial capital and technical support to unlock new revenue streams—such as through carbon and other environmental certifications—while driving inclusive economic growth.
We invest at the intersection of climate action and gender equity.
Our strategy combines financial investment with tailored Technical Assistance (TA) to help SME ventures:
- Strengthen operational resilience
- Unlock new revenue streams (e.g., carbon credits)
- Expand reach into underserved, low-income markets
- Scale sustainably and inclusively
By supporting gender-smart climate solutions, we aim to catalyze long-term impact—advancing gender equity, building climate resilience, and fueling inclusive economic growth across Africa.
We focus on gender-smart sustainable SME ventures that deliver positive outcomes for people, planet, and society in Africa and beyond. Key sectors include:
- Circular economy & bio-economy
- Clean transportation
- Nature-based solutions
- Renewable energy & energy efficiency
- Sustainable agriculture & food systems
- Water resource management
Our definition of “Gender-smart” is businesses founded or co-founded by women; women-led businesses, or businesses with products/services that disproportionally benefit women.
Why Invest With ShEquity
ShEquity is the ideal investment option for anyone looking to achieving triple bottom line:
Financial, Environmental and Social returns
African-Led,
Globally
Connected
ShEquity is led by African co-GPs with deep local insights and a strong global network. Our team brings decades of experience, with 40+ investments and successful exits across multiple markets.
Africa is poised to supply over 30% of the global voluntary carbon credit market—a $50B+ opportunity by 2030. ShEquity is uniquely positioned to unlock this potential by investing in businesses ready to benefit from environmental certifications and climate finance.
A High-Growth,
Underserved Market
Opportunity
Proven Deal
Sourcing &
Acceleration
Platform
Our integrated strategy—combining a Technical Assistance Facility and an Investment Fund—supports SMEs before and after investment. This ensures high-quality, gender-smart, climate-focused deal flow and strong follow-on investment potential.
We invest in women-led and gender-smart ventures that generate measurable financial, social, and environmental returns. Women reinvest up to 90% of their income into their families and communities, amplifying impact across generations. By combining gender inclusion with a climate-focused investment strategy, ShEquity helps accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Triple Bottom
Line: People,
Planet, Profit
Meet the Team & Advisory Board
We are proud to have a talented and mission-driven team with a proven track record in impact investing, gender-lens strategies, and sustainable development. We also collaborate with a trusted network of advisors and partners who are leaders in gender-lens investing, women’s economic empowerment, climate finance, and inclusive entrepreneurship across Africa and beyond.
Pauline Koelbl
Founder & Managing Partner/CEO
Erick Yong
General Partner/CIO
Benson Njiru
General Partner/CFO
+ Show all team
Portfolio
Ecodudu
Owoafara
ReelFruit
Shuttlers
WidEnergy
Partners
