Closing the gap, increasing the gain: Why investing in women is a smart climate strategy.

At the Global Innovation Fund (GIF), we aren’t just talking about change, we are investing in it.

For the last five years, over 60% of our new investments have been in innovations led by women. This is not only  a matter of social impact, it is a matter of performance. The data is clear: companies with a female founder outperform all-male founding teams by 63%.

A disconnect remains in global capital markets. In Africa, for example, women make up over 50% of the self-employed population, yet receive less than 2% of total venture funding. This is both a critical gender gap and a huge, untapped economic opportunity.

In honour of International Women's Day and the 2026 theme Give To Gain, we are celebrating the catalytic power of investment. When we provide capital to women-led ventures, the entire ecosystem gains in resilience, revenue, and impact.

The catalytic effect in action

By providing patient, flexible investment to women-led organisations,  GIF is helping to close the finance and  unlock the follow on capital these high-impact solutions need to scale.

1. Keep It Cool

In many regions of East Africa, up to 40% of produce is lost before it reaches the consumer, primarily due to a lack of reliable cold chain infrastructure. This is an immense economic drain on smallholder farmers.

Under the leadership of Co-Founder and Operations Director Abigail Gachigi, Keep It Cool (KIC) provides solar-powered cold storage and a tech-enabled logistics platform connecting small-scale fish and poultry farmers directly to retail markets.

Abigail Gachigi, Keep it Cool Co-Founder and Operations Director, said:

"Keep It Cool has intentionally built an inclusive supply chain that expands economic opportunities for women and underserved groups. In a traditionally male-dominated fish value chain, our targeted gender policies increase participation and leadership. This approach drives stronger productivity, resilience, and sustainable value creation."

Our 2025 investment was designed to be catalytic, supporting KIC as they:

• Expand their solar-powered cooling infrastructure.
• Improve market access for thousands of small-scale traders, many of whom are women
• Grow their team to drive regional scale.

2. Mafisa

In Zambia, two million people rely on traditional cattle-rearing. However, climate change is intensifying disease and health complications, leading to herd losses of up to 50% before reaching market.

Mafisa, led by Founder and CEO Charlotte Scott and an all-female executive team, addresses these productivity challenges head-on. In 2024, GIF provided a $500,000 grant to scale the adoption of their services by strengthening their monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks and organisational capacity.

Dr Charlotte Scott, Mafisa Founder and CEO, said: 

"As a female founder, I am committed to building an organisation that ensures women’s priorities and needs are integral to everything we do - for our partner communities, and also for the young women who work for us."

GIF’s backing served as a vital catalytic signal. Following our due diligence, Mafisa successfully secured an additional $2.5 million in funding from Rippleworks.

3. S4S Technologies

In India, S4S Technologies utilises innovative solar-powered technology to preserve produce that would otherwise go to waste. Central to their model is the empowerment of women entrepreneurs who operate portable dryers from their homes.

Since GIF’s 2023 investment, and under the leadership of Co-Founder Nidhi Pant, the number of female entrepreneurs in the S4S network has grown from 2,500 to over 4,500—an 80% increase. By transitioning from farm labour to entrepreneurship, these women can increase their annual income by up to 200%.

Nidhi Pant, S4S Technologies Co-Founder, said:

"When you invest in a woman entrepreneur, you catalyse a profound identity shift. And when that woman is also solving climate challenges — reducing food waste, building sustainable livelihoods — the impact is unstoppable. Investing in women is not just the most powerful lever for inclusive growth, it is the most powerful lever for climate action too."

A more resilient world for all

These partnerships highlight the power of investing in female-led climate solutions. By investing in women at both the corporate leadership level and the grassroots level, we drive more sustainable, inclusive growth for all.