Locally-owned and women-led enterprises in emerging markets, often lack equitable access to funding and support needed to scale their operations and create greater impact. Just 7% of venture capital funding reaches women-owned businesses, and only 5% of off-grid solar investments in 2022 went to locally-owned enterprises.
As 60 Decibels knows from past Inclusive work these typically excluded enterprises are impact all-stars, on average. Locally-owned and/or women-led enterprises, on average, generate higher impact, are more inclusive, and have better customer satisfaction rates.
In 2025, thanks to funding from the Soros Economic Development Fund, 60 Decibels funded five companies spanning three continents across agriculture, financial inclusion, education, and civic engagement.
Now in 2026, the Inclusive Opportunity is back! Thanks to funding from Good Energies Foundation, applications are open now. 60 Decibels is looking for early-stage, locally-owned, and women-led B2C startups that focus on African markets across the off-grid energy sector who are interested in fully-funded impact measurement.