LeapFrog Investments

🎓 LeapFrog makes $30m investment in education lender Auxilo Finserve Private Limited! Rising tuition fees and the increasing cost of accommodation and academic necessities mean that the aspiration of pursuing higher education is often unattainable for many Indian students, especially those from low- and middle-income households. Auxilo’s innovative underwriting model uses student academics, test scores, country of study, and degree choice to predict future employability, allowing it to offer merit-based finance to an increasingly broad range of students seeking post-graduate qualifications at the world’s top universities. Already, the company has provided education loans to over 12,000 aspirational students, across more than 1,100 universities and educational institutes in over 30 countries. Congratulations to Stewart Langdon and Harshita Jain for leading this transaction. We look forward to working with Neeraj Saxena and the rest of the Auxilo Finserve team! More on the deal here: https://lnkd.in/gkJrgC-x #education #capitalraise #impactinvesting

What does the Just Transition actually mean? 🌿 ⚖ LeapFrog Partner Nakul Zaveri was recently quoted in a New Private Markets explainer on the topic, sharing what it means within our climate investment strategy. From our perspective, a key element of the #JustTransition is ensuring that end users in emerging markets are not forced into paying a premium for more sustainable products. As Nakul points out: "The one metric that the emerging market will not compromise on is the affordability metric". More from NPM's Charles Avery here: https://lnkd.in/gkhUbyNc #sustainability #climatefinance #greendiscount

Fidelity Bank Ghana is now a Joint Impact Model member, recognition of their continued efforts to enhance their social and environmental impact!    We’ve been working with Fidelity to improve the measurement and reporting of its impact initiatives, including for its broad range of financial products which build financial inclusion across #Ghana. As a Joint Impact Model member, they will estimate metrics such as Scope 3 GHG emissions, jobs supported and contribution to the economy.   This important work complements the bank’s robust #CSR strategy which addresses four key areas: 🌾 Rural finance and savings promotion 🏫 Education and child development 💼 Income generation and employment for youth 👩⚕️Healthcare for women   We’re proud to be working with the team to make these important initiatives possible! Joint Impact Model Foundation #ESG #ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance

🎉 We are excited to share that Ulrike Engling has joined LeapFrog Investments as our new Chief Financial Officer! 🎉   Ulrike brings 25 years of comprehensive experience in financial services. Most recently, she served as CFO/COO at Visio Fund Management, a South African diversified investment business, where she excelled in overseeing Finance, HR, Risk, and Operations.   Her dynamic energy, exceptional leadership skills, and vast expertise make her a valuable addition to our global team.   Join us in welcoming her to the team. #leadership #CFO #impactinvesting

🌏 We look forward to joining the inaugural Responsible Investment Forum in Singapore in October 🌏 Hear from LeapFrog partner Fernanda Lima on the state of the Asian impact investing market - the trends we're excited for and the opportunities for growth. #impactinvesting #privateequity #Asia New Private Markets

We’re proud to work with partners such as The Rockefeller Foundation to create and amplify impact across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. As highlighted in their newly released State of the Portfolio Report, the Zero Gap Fund invested in LeapFrog’s Flagship Fund III to help provide essential healthcare and financial services across emerging markets. From this fund alone, we’ve helped to mobilise $270m in capital and supported 97,165 jobs. Learn more about our work in Rockefeller Foundation’s ZGF: 2023 State of the Portfolio report:   https://lnkd.in/gu3RKACR #impactinvesting #profitwithpurpose

🌏 Our investment philosophy is rooted in the belief that AUM follows when you deliver both profit and purpose to investors. At LeapFrog Investments, we remain steadfast in our focus on growth private equity within major developing markets across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa. We believe these regions offer the best deal flow, delivering the greatest risk-adjusted returns and impactful outcomes. CEO and Founder Andrew Kuper recently shared his thoughts on the burgeoning trends in the impact industry with Mergermarket’s Giovanni Amodeo, revealing why bigger isn’t always better for impact funds. #Fundraising #ImpactInvesting #PrivateEquity

"Holding ourselves to the Impact Principles provides a benchmark against which to measure our progress against peers in the industry and drives us to lead and participate in the race to the top for impact excellence.” We're proud to be a signatory to the Impact Principles and thrilled to see the growing community of purpose driven organisations pursuing authentic and measurable results. More on our approach to impact here: https://lnkd.in/g93gUgvh #impactprinciples #privateequityc

“There’s been an explosion in last-mile logistics in India, which has led to the emergence of the ‘green discount’. Now, [delivery fleets] going green is no longer a question of environmental morality but economic feasibility” Climate co-lead Nakul Zaveri, spoke with The Ken about our recent investment in Battery Smart, India’s largest battery swapping network for electric two- and three-wheelers. The article highlights several exciting aspects of this investment, particularly the potential for delivery drivers working with major partners like Zepto and Zomato India to increase their earnings and support their families. More here:  https://lnkd.in/gSNZ43V3 #greentransition #climateinvesting #batteryswapping

Stewart Langdon, who now co-leads our Asia Financial Services team, has a journey in impact investing that began with a pivotal investment in Africa back in 2004. This experience opened his eyes to the incredible potential of aligning profit with purpose. 💡 During a recent panel discussion, Stewart delved into his entry into the industry, what drew him to focus on India and how the country's "impact economy" is poised for substantial growth. A big thank you to the Cambridge India Conference for organising this enriching discussion on the evolution of the impact in India alongside industry leaders Jyotsna Krishnan of Elevar Equity and Samir Abhyankar of British International Investment. 📺 Watch the full panel discussion here: https://lnkd.in/gbKF7Zcd #India #FinancialInclusion #SustainableInvesting