Impact investor Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) is actively searching for the next generation of climate tech startups in Francophone West Africa, through its participation in the CATAL1.5°T acceleration programme — a Green Climate Fund-backed initiative targeting early-stage companies developing technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The programme is now open to applications from startups across eight West African countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo — and seeks founders with viable, scalable solutions in sectors such as clean energy access, low-emission transport, green buildings and industry, sustainable forestry, and land use.
Under CATAL1.5°T, selected startups will receive between 32 million and 130 million CFA francs (€48k–€198k) in tailored funding, alongside technical assistance ranging from business plan development to accounting setup and climate-sector training.
This is part of I&P’s broader strategy to deepen its climate-related impact investment across underserved markets in Francophone Africa, where institutional capital for green ventures remains scarce.
Who Can Apply?
The programme targets startups that meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Operate in one of the eight West African countries listed
- Offer a product or service demonstrably aimed at reducing or avoiding GHG emissions
- Employ fewer than 50 people or report less than $3m in assets or turnover (approx. 1.8bn CFA francs)
- Operate in one of the following sectors:
- Access to energy / power generation
- Low-emission transport
- Green buildings, cities, appliances or industry
- Forestry and land use
Applications are accepted online via this link and evaluated on both technical innovation and climate mitigation potential.
The Institutions Behind the Push
CATAL1.5°T is financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In West Africa, it is delivered in partnership with Germany’s GIZ, Climate-KIC, and a coalition of regional impact investors, including I&P, Comoé Capital (Côte d’Ivoire), Teranga Capital (Senegal), and NERE Capital (formerly SINERGI Burkina in Burkina Faso).
For I&P, which has backed over 150 African startups across 20 countries since 2002, the climate mandate represents both a new strategic focus and a response to investor expectations. Climate resilience and sustainability metrics are becoming integral to the due diligence and portfolio performance of development finance-backed impact investors.
The CATAL1.5°T programme also reflects a broader shift in climate finance towards locally led, early-stage innovation — moving away from megaprojects to startup-scale interventions with grassroots economic impact.
Why It Matters
Despite growing attention to Africa’s climate vulnerabilities, only a fraction of global climate finance reaches the continent’s startup ecosystem. According to the Climate Policy Initiative, just 3% of global climate finance flowed to Africa in 2023, and less than 0.5% of that targeted early-stage tech ventures.
Programmes like CATAL1.5°T are an attempt to correct this imbalance by de-risking capital and offering structured support for climate entrepreneurs in regions like the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea, where infrastructure gaps are acute and private climate innovation is nascent.
But success will depend not just on capital deployment, but also on the ability of initiatives like this to foster investable business models that bridge social impact with financial viability — a delicate balance in low-income markets.
Applications close in August 2025. Startups can apply via the programme portal or find more information here.