Building on 500 Global’s 15+ years of ecosystem development across 30+ countries, our Sustainable Growth practice designs and implements sovereign-aligned strategies. These unlock resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth - addressing critical challenges across health, agriculture, gender, climate, and education for the Global Majority.
Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East represent over 80% of the world’s population and the fastest-growing markets for talent and technology adoption. These regions - that we call the Global Majority - are no longer peripheral to global growth—they are its primary engines. Grounded in over a decade of experience across these markets, we design replicable, investable innovation ecosystems that turn national development goals into scalable opportunities that attract and structure diverse capital sources.
Explore some of our global ecosystems:
AFRICAN ECOSYSTEM
Since 2011, 500 Global has expanded and strengthened Africa’s innovation ecosystems.
SOUTHEAST ASIAn ECOSYSTEM
Since 2011, 500 Global has invested in Southeast Asia’s innovation ecosystems.
Latin American ECOSYSTEM
Since 2011, 500 Global has invested in Latin America’s innovation ecosystems.
Our local teams in 30+ countries have brought on-the-ground expertise in ecosystem development, enabling us to design effective capital structures, strengthen institutional pathways, and support innovations.
We created the Sustainable Growth practice to bridge a widening gap we saw around the world: public priorities and private capital are aiming at the same outcomes, but too rarely working in alignment. By combining our experience in global ecosystem development and venture investing, we design and implement sovereign-aligned strategies. These unlock resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth - addressing critical challenges in health, agriculture, gender, climate, and education across the Global Majority.
But what is sustainable growth?
Sustainable growth refers to economic, social, and environmental development that meets present needs, with positive impact lasting over time. By focusing on sustainable growth, we aim to reduce dependency on financing sources in critical sectors such as health, education, agriculture, gender and climate change.
Launched first Global Accelerator and Fund from Silicon Valley.
First investment in India.
The program Fee for Phase 1 is $35,000 per startup, excluding travel expenses. This fee covers the comprehensive support, mentorship, and resources provided throughout Phase 1.
By completing Phase 1, startups is expected to gain valuable insights, refine their strategies, and make informed decisions for successful market expansion.
First investment in Africa.
First investment in Southeast Asia.
First investment in MENA.
First investment, regional fund and program in Latin America.
First company valued at $1B+ from 500’s portfolio.
First IPO from 500’s portfolio.
Launched first regional MENA fund to support local programs.
Launched first Eurasia Fund supporting local programs.
Launched the 500 Global Rise Report that highlighted 30 rise economies.
Launched Sustainable Growth practice with the addition of Dr. Alaa Murabit.
Launched Sustainable Innovation Program with catalytic partner the Shell Foundation.
Launched strategic partnership with The Earthshot Prize.
Through 500 Global’s Sustainable Growth practice, we align institutions, design financing strategies, and activate catalytic initiatives and programs that align public, private, and philanthropic capital with sovereign-scale priorities. We believe this integrated approach delivers scalable economic growth and sustainable impact in health, agriculture, education, gender and climate for the Global Majority.
We help institutions design innovation models that can sustain impact over time—grounded in sector diagnostics, policy blueprints, and on-the-ground expertise support. By strengthening cross-sector coordination and embedding experts within task forces, we ensure solutions in health, education, climate, agriculture, and gender translate into durable, system-level change.
The program Fee for Phase 1 is $35,000 per startup, excluding travel expenses. This fee covers the comprehensive support, mentorship, and resources provided throughout Phase 1.
By completing Phase 1, startups is expected to gain valuable insights, refine their strategies, and make informed decisions for successful market expansion.
We specialize in blended finance vehicles and catalytic instruments—such as first-loss guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, and impact-linked returns—that mobilize public, philanthropic, and private capital. Through aligned capital strategies, we support bringing new market actors into priority sectors, reduce barriers to investment, and enable sustainable financing models that support long-term national development goals.
The program Fee for Phase 1 is $35,000 per startup, excluding travel expenses. This fee covers the comprehensive support, mentorship, and resources provided throughout Phase 1.
By completing Phase 1, startups is expected to gain valuable insights, refine their strategies, and make informed decisions for successful market expansion.
We deliver in-country programs that translate national development priorities into scalable innovation. This includes the Sustainable Innovation Program—an accelerator across six countries helping founders build sustainable financing models in climate, agriculture, and health. We also design localized initiatives aligned with government mandates to equip ecosystems with the tools, talent, and partnerships needed for lasting impact.
The program Fee for Phase 1 is $35,000 per startup, excluding travel expenses. This fee covers the comprehensive support, mentorship, and resources provided throughout Phase 1.
By completing Phase 1, startups is expected to gain valuable insights, refine their strategies, and make informed decisions for successful market expansion.
We believe it is possible to balance impact with sustainable financing, recognizing that purpose-driven solutions scale most effectively when paired with viable, investable models that attract diverse sources of capital—including the private sector, philanthropy, governments, and DFIs. By aligning national priorities with market opportunity, we design financing and innovation strategies that deliver measurable and sustainable outcomes.
Ingenuity isn’t the challenge. Across emerging markets, local innovators are building essential infrastructure to solve pressing issues—from food insecurity and logistics to financial inclusion and healthcare access. 500 Global has been investing in innovations solving national development goals like food security, financial inclusion and education since 2010.
FarMart,
Food Security
Lendo,
Financial Inclusion
Platzi,
Education
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Lagos, Nigeria
In India, FarMart connects smallholder farmers directly to buyers, improving incomes and strengthening food security.
Founded by Alekh Sanghera and Mehtab Singh Hans in 2015 as a farmer-service platform offering tractor rentals and micro-financing, FarMart made a pivotal shift in 2020 to address the need for scale.
At the time, they served 100,000 farmers. Today, they reach 4 million, working closely with public-sector food and agriculture bodies to embed digital infrastructure and traceability into national supply chains. Their “Good Food Economy” vision is delivering real impact - increasing market value transferred to smallholder farmers by 371% between 2022-2023.
Updates & news from our Sustainable Growth practice.
500 Global Expands Africa Presence; Selected to Advance Digital Morocco 2030
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