Pacer Ventures Aligns with UN SDGs to Fund Startups Solving Africa’s Critical Challenges

Pacer Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on African startups that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and work to solve the most critical challenges on the African continent. A Founder Institute VC Lab alum, Pacer Ventures seeks to change the pace of innovation in Africa by investing primarily at the early-stage and in sectors that have the biggest impact.

Pacer Ventures Managing Partner Gbemi Akande recently joined the Founder Institute for an interview livestream, to give a quick update on the latest at the new venture firm: 

Having launched its first $3M fund in November, Pacer Ventures is still a new VC firm - but its investment thesis is laser-focused on how to affect its impact. For Pacer, UN SDG alignment is focused specifically on solving for Goals 2, 3, 4, and 8:

• 2. Zero Hunger - focus is on the agricultural value chain 
• 3. Good Health & Wellbeing - focusing on access to primary care delivery
• 4. Quality Education - focus is democratic delivery and access to educational content
• 8. Decent Work & Economic Growth - focusing on productivity and financial inclusion 

Pacer Ventures’ investment thesis for impact is centered in these areas, and at the bottom of Africa’s socioeconomic pyramid. To deliver this impact, Pacer Ventures is also seeking to invest in startups whose solutions are anchored in mobile technologies. 

As Managing Partner Gbemi Akande explains,

We are really narrowed down on mobile technology - by 2025, 84% of the [African] continent will be on smart mobile technologies, having smart phones. We believe that … the kind of solutions that can build on top of this trend is what our impact thesis should focus on. Mobile tech … penetration is high, it’s ubiquitous, and everybody at Pacer Ventures believes that by being able to deliver solutions via mobile, we’ll be able to reach the mass millions.

In addition to Managing Partner Gbemi Akande, Pacer Ventures Partners include Geoffrey Weli-Wosu, CEO of Domineum; and Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr, who also leads the Lagos Founder Institute and serves as Regional Director for FI in Africa. Pacer also includes an all-star team of Advisors and Venture Partners, including Tomi Davies, Pat Utomi, Bayo Rotimi, Kola Aina, Solabomi Adedeji, Adekunle Ajiboye and Maliha Altaf who help provide strategic advice and guidance drawing on the team’s extensive operational experience.