News and blogs

We are striving to improve our customer service. We hear you! In our efforts to improve our customer service to our community of applicants and investees, we have been gathering some feedback to understand what innovators value when interacting with potential funders like the Global Innovation Fund. This blog summarises the key messages we have […]

A few weeks ago, the Financial Times led with a story about the breakthrough innovations springing up from technology start-ups across the African continent. In the article, entitled Smart Africa, the author likens the mobile phone to the steam train in 19th century Europe. He quotes veteran Africa investor Miles Morland, “what the Great Western Railway […]

Last July we put the finishing touches on the bylaws that would govern the Global Innovation Fund. We incorporated our initial board, I was brought on as interim CEO along with a small startup team, and we officially opened for business in London in September 2014. Two weeks ago we were thrilled to announce the appointment of […]

Since opening for business in the end of September 2015, we have received over 2,000 applications and have reviewed 98% of them. We have seen some very promising applications, and they have common threads. The most promising ones propose approaches that clearly have the potential to be better than existing development practice, they have or […]