Invested Development Closes the BSP Fund at $20M for Innovative Technology Startups in Under-served Markets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2013

Boston, MA – Impact investment fund manager Invested Development (ID) announced today that it has closed its flagship fund, the BSP Fund, at $20 million USD. The fund is dedicated to solving the world’s biggest problems, and ID believes that investing in alternative energy, agriculture technology, and mobile technology innovations is the way to do this.

The firm funds highly scalable startups with affordable innovations for underserved markets like off-grid energy in Sub-Saharan Africa or precision agriculture technology for small farmers in the United States.

ID has already made 13 investments with the BSP Fund. The portfolio companies operate in Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. Technologies include pay-as-you-go solar home systems, a cloud-based data collection and analytics platform for growers, a mobile commerce transaction system, a thermal battery for off-grid milk chilling, energy storage management software, and more.

Based out of Boston, MA and Nairobi, Kenya, Invested Development was founded in 2009 and launched the BSP Fund in 2011. After two years of investing, ID has witnessed firsthand both the struggles and successes the startups in emerging markets face. Seeing hundreds of opportunities a year, ID recognizes that there is significant potential to catalyze the impact investing industry to create positive social outcomes through business. Committed to creating an impact through private sector investment, it was important to grow the BSP Fund in order to fully realize the potential of the opportunities at hand.

Miguel Granier, Invested Development Founder and Managing Director, says, “There is a radical, global shift from large-scale centralized production to regional decentralization across sectors that we believe will ease the market failures that have left so many with so little. This shift is creating an exciting opportunity for innovations that serve billions with vital goods such as electricity or information and communication technology. For the world’s small farmers, this will lead to higher incomes while also creating a food security and promoting environmental sustainability.”

As a leader in financing for early-stage startups in frontier markets, ID has unique insight into the hurdles that these fast-growing companies face. Complimentary to its activity in equity investments, ID also recognizes an obvious need for working capital. After nearly two years of research and development, ID recently launched its second fund, the Impact Factoring Fund (IFF). The IFF is a working capital fund that uses accounts receivable purchasing and invoice discounting to provide desperately needed working capital to small and growing businesses in emerging markets. The Impact Factoring Fund is an open investment opportunity for investors interested in fixed-return, short-term investments with clear social and environmental impact.

Contact:
Christina Tamer
Invested Development
711 Atlantic Ave
Boston, MA 02111
info@investeddevelopment.com
+1 617 245 0570