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2024 KCP Application
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DIRECT IMPACT PARTNERS (BRAND NAME: COOL LION FINANCE)
Org Type
For Profit
Year Founded
2019
Project
Company
Financials
Customers & Partnerships
Primary Project Category:
Secondary Project Category:
Carbon Sinks (Natural & Engineered)
Energy
Finance
Social & Cultural Pathways
Transport and Mobility
Project Summary / Description:
Our solution is an online lending marketplace that lists green-friendly equipment loans requests‚ from SMEs in Africa and connects them with crypto lenders willing to fund them and earn interest. Our goal is to help SMEs in least-resourced countries decarbonize faster and go green. We started with COOL LION ENERGIES in early 2021 to develop and market solar-powered refrigerated containers in order to preserve Africa smallholder‚ perishable produce. In April 2021, we won a panafrican innovation competition run by AUDA-NEPAD, the Development Agency of the African Union. Investigating further, we realized the real issue is more about asset financing. In fact, there exists a huge finance gap for SMEs in SubSaharan Africa (finance gap of US$330 billion). To fill this gap, we pivoted to COOL LION FINANCE in 2022.
Regions of Operations:
Southeast Asia
South Asia
East Asia
Central Asia
Middle East
North America
South America
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
East Africa
North Africa
Southern Africa
Central Africa
Oceania
Caribbean
Other Countries
How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:
Replaces/avoids GHGs (e.g., projects that replace sources of GHGs, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, transport, or other energy uses), Reduces GHGs (e.g., projects that reduce sources of GHGs, such as through efficiency or other changes in consumption)
Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):
Impact on Underrepresented Groups:
Our solution is addressing the issue for SMEs, especially agricultural and fisheries businesses/cooperatives to get access to green assets and equipment throughout Africa (close to 20% of the GDP in Africa is agriculture-based and involves millions of smallholder farmers living just above the poverty line). In addition , we are gender equity oriented. We empower women-led and women-owned businesses. As an example, 240,000 women represent over 90% of the participants in the fish trading sector in Cote d‚ Ivoire.
Sub-Categories:
Renewables
Nature-based
Agriculture
Methane
Plastics
Built Environment
Energy Efficiency
Restoration
Biodiversity
Energy storage
Rural
Urban
Circular Economy
Oceans
Forests
Waste
Carbon Removal
Electric Transportation
Cooling Solutions
Technology
Advocacy
Biomass
Conservation
Clean Cooking
Environmental justice
Research or Economic Modeling
Measurement, Reporting & Validation
Communications
Website:
https://coollionfi.com/
Mission Statement:
DIRECT IMPACT PARTNERS ‚ s solution COOL LION FINANCE is the first DeFi solution for financially underserved businesses in emerging markets. Our alpha version of our platform is an existing marketplace that integrates a crypto payment processor provider. The full version of our platform is a blockchain-based peer-to-peer credit protocol and lending platform. Our focus countries to date include extending green business loans to SMEs in Rwanda and C√¥te d‚ Ivoire
