Fundraising FoxGrassroots Business Fund
Impact investorNairobi · Seed–Growth · 35 people tracked
Find your way into Grassroots Business Fund
Sign up to see every warm intro you have to Grassroots Business Fund
- Paths you didn't know you had: your email and LinkedIn already hold routes to the Grassroots Business Fund team. We find them for you
- 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: the friend-of-a-friend routes that take hours to manually find through your inbox or LinkedIn
- Answers now, not in days: momentum is everything in a raise. Skip asking around whether someone knows someone
Days of research, done the moment you sign in, with every route ranked by how warm it is.
Investment thesis
The firm targets 'missing-middle' SMEs that are too large for microfinance and too early for commercial banks, and that often fail from lack of operational infrastructure rather than lack of funding. Its model combines structured, patient capital with embedded technical assistance across three connected windows: programs supporting early-stage enterprises, an investment window providing patient mezzanine capital to growth-stage enterprises, and cross-cutting technical assistance strengthening finance, operations, and governance. The goal is not to hold companies indefinitely but to make them fundable by commercial banks and other investors, with enterprises graduating from programs into the investment portfolio. Focus is on East Africa, with broader work across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 35 people
from the firm's website & curated
Founder of the firm, emphasizing partnership with African entrepreneurs over handouts or predatory loans, and a belief that the best investments are both financially sound and deeply human.
CEO Africa with over 17 years of experience supporting businesses across Africa. She previously worked at Moss Adams LLP and the African Development Bank, and holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Senior Portfolio Manager at GBF with over 9 years of experience, focused on investment strategies aligning profitability with sustainable development. Holds a Master's in Finance from Nottingham University Business School.
Senior Finance Manager with over 10 years of experience leading finance teams and audits. Holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-K).
Executive with more than 20 years of experience in energy and agro-industrial development in Peru. He serves as CEO and Executive Director of Maple Energy PLC.
Founder of Wise Solutions LLC, bringing international development and public-private alliance expertise. She is a Senior Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School and Senior Associate at CSIS.
Advisor with over 25 years of experience in finance, project management, and operations consulting in developing countries. He worked for GBF for over 15 years.
Investment Officer with over 7 years of experience, holding an MBA from United States International University and a certificate in carbon finance.
Senior Financial and Strategy Advisor with over 28 years of experience across manufacturing, hospitality, agriculture, and financial services. Holds an MBA and ACCA qualification and is pursuing a PhD in Public Policy.
Board chair and co-founder of ShoreBank Corporation, a community development-focused bank holding company. She is a director of several financial institutions including Basix and BSFL in India and Citizens Bank in Canada.
Administrative assistant with over 4 years of experience. Holds a communications degree from St. Paul's University and a diploma in travel and tourism management.
Legal and compliance professional with over 7 years of experience, previously at British American Tobacco, Posse Herrera Ruiz, and Microsoft. Holds a law degree and postgraduate degree in International Business Law from Universidad de Los Andes.
Vincent Omondi is a Program Accountant at Grassroots Business Fund with over four years of experience in grants finance and program accounting at international NGOs, covering budget development, burn rate monitoring, donor financial reporting, partner due diligence, and audit coordination. His donor experience includes work aligned with USAID, Global Fund, and Mastercard Foundation requirements, and he uses Navision (MS Dynamics) for budget tracking, payment processing, and reporting. He is a full member of ICPAK (No. 36212) and the Institute of Internal Auditors Kenya, and is pursuing CIA certification.
Former Senior Director of Vital Voices' Global Entrepreneurs in Handcrafts Program, based in Swaziland from 2007-2011. She has worked on handicraft development across Africa and Southeast Asia.
Associate real estate manager.
Head of Operations & IT with over 10 years in process automation, previously in business development for Swiss fintech/wealthtech firms; co-founder of Autoplush.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Grassroots Business Fund invest at?
- Grassroots Business Fund invests at the Seed, Series A, Growth stages.
- What is Grassroots Business Fund's typical check size?
- Grassroots Business Fund typically writes checks of $100K – $3M.
- What sectors does Grassroots Business Fund focus on?
- Grassroots Business Fund focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Grassroots Business Fund located?
- Grassroots Business Fund is headquartered in Nairobi, KE.
Similar investors
Collaborative Fund is a venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs building category- and culture-defining brands, products, and services across consumer, health, energy, and access-to-capital themes.
Greenline Community Ventures is an investment firm focused on financing operating businesses and commercial real estate, with roots in the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) business carved out of Capmark Financial Group's NMTC division in 2011.
Black Dragon Capital is an impact-oriented investment firm founded and run by builders of technology companies, using operating experience to help entrepreneurs navigate digital disruption and improve operations.
The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) is a sovereign development fund managed and controlled by Ireland's National Treasury Management Agency, mandated to invest on a commercial basis to support economic activity and employment in Ireland.
Eurazeo is a leading European private-markets asset manager investing across Private Equity, Private Debt and Real Assets, supporting companies at every stage of growth with a focus on the mid-market, growth and impact.