Access to finance for impact entrepreneurs
Unlocking Capital Where It Matters Most: A Practical Case for Financing the Future of Uganda’s Entrepreneurs
Despite increasing capital inflows into Uganda’s economy, early-stage Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs)—especially those in rural and underserved areas—continue to face a harsh reality: the capital exists, but it is not reaching them.
Whether you are shaping policy, financing ventures, building businesses, or driving development, this session offers a unique opportunity to engage, learn, and collaborate for meaningful change.
We will present insights from four years of developing and running the Purpose Pool—a revolving fund led by Relevant Ventures that blends revenue-based financing, peer selection, and technical assistance. With 11 portfolio companies and 200+ jobs created in rural communities, the model has been quietly building evidence for a more inclusive and regenerative approach to early-stage finance.
Drawing on our recently published research, “Unlocking Innovative Financing for Uganda’s Small and Growing Businesses” ,co-authored with Siemens Stiftung, we will also unpack broader findings on Uganda’s financial ecosystem - from commercial banks and MFIs to philanthropic capital and VC - and where they fall short in meeting the needs of early-stage ventures.
What we’ll explore:
Why Uganda’s $8.8B SGB financing gap is not just about missing money - but mismatched mechanisms
How the Purpose Pool works: combining flexible capital with operational support
What’s needed to replicate models like this across other frontier markets