Recognizing Environmental, Social, Innovation and Gender Diversity Excellence

NEW YORK, December 13, 2021 – The Global Private Capital Association (GPCA) today announced the winners of the inaugural GPCA Deal Awards recognizing investments with extraordinary outcomes in the categories of environmental sustainability, social impact, gender/diversity and innovation in Asia, Latin America, Africa, CEE and the Middle East. Awards also include Deal of the Year, featuring an outstanding exit.

“In response to the widespread excitement over responsible investing globally, GPCA is highlighting best-in-class examples of ‘ESG in Action’ with these deal awards,” said Cate Ambrose, CEO of GPCA. “The goal is to demonstrate that beyond standardized metrics and reporting, when private capital fund managers commit capital in our markets they are growing businesses, institutionalizing good governance, enabling technology, creating jobs and training workforces.”

About the 2021 GPCA Deal Award Winners:

Earlybird Digital East receives the 2021 GPCA Deal of the Year Award for their investment in UiPath. Earlybird Digital East backed UiPath in 2015 as a startup with 10 engineers operating out of one office in Bucharest, today it is a global company with 40 offices and nearly 3,000 employees. UiPath is at the forefront of robotic process automation, utilizing computer vision and machine learning to provide solutions and services to corporate customers. Earlybird Digital East committed a total of USD16.6m to UiPath in early investment rounds. The company realized a blockbuster IPO on the NYSE in 2020 which valued the company at more than USD35b.

Actis receives the 2021 GPCA Environmental Sustainability Award for their investment in Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye, Lekela Power. Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) is the first utility-scale wind energy platform in Senegal and the largest wind farm in West Africa. One of several projects being developed by Lekela Power, PETN will provide 158.7 megawatts of clean, reliable power to Senegal’s electricity grid once completed. It is designed to operate for a minimum of 20 years, while providing power to over two million people.

Elevar Equity receives the2021 GPCA Social Impact Award for their investment in Samunnati. Samunnati is a non-banking financial company providing loans to smallholder farmers, with an outreach of over 6m through more than 1500 farmer collectives over 22 states in India. The percentage of loans originated to farmers cultivating two hectares of land or less was 82% as of March 2021. In the state of Tamil Nadu, Samunnati’s work with the Social Education Economic Development Society (SEEDS) resulted in a nearly 20% reduction in the production cost incurred by member farmers, and between a 15-20% increase in income per household as a result of better margins.

Affirma Capital receives the 2021 GPCA Gender/Diversity Award for their investment in Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH). Based in Jordan, FHHis a vertically integrated hygienic paper product manufacturer with over USD450m as in annual sales, operating in nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2018, FHH incorporated women into senior management roles for the first time, now representing one-third of the leadership team. FHH also hired the first female sales representatives in Saudi Arabia and has established production teams in the local factory that are completely staffed and run by women. A maternity policy of 16 paid weeks is one of the most progressive in the MENA region.

Crescera Capital receives the 2021 GPCA Innovation Award for their investment in Afya. Afya is a medical education group focused on the lifelong learning of physicians in Brazil. The company produces and distributes high-quality content covering the entire professional journey of its students, with trainings from undergraduate to specialization and preparation for medical residencies. Campuses are located in 13 Brazilian states, including the north and northeast regions of Brazil, which have historically had a shortage of physicians. The digital platform is available nationwide.

In early 2022, GPCA in partnership with CDC will announce the winner of the ESG Performance Award for Private Capital Funds. This inaugural award will highlight the significant progress emerging market private capital funds have made to accelerate the integration of ESG strategies into investment decision-making.

The winners of the 2021 GPCA Deal Awards recipients were determined by a distinguished panel of institutional investors from development finance institutions, insurance companies, pension funds and trusts. More information on the awards and winners can be found here.

About the Global Private Capital Association

The Global Private Capital Association (GPCA) is a non-profit, independent membership organization representing private capital investors who manage more than USD2t in assets across Asia, Latin America, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Our mission is to connect and influence key market participants, by promoting the sectors, strategies and deals that will drive investment returns and meet societal needs. With headquarters in New York and Singapore, GPCA includes LAVCA, the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America. Visit GlobalPrivateCapital.org to find out more. 

Contact:

press@gpcapital.org | +1 646 315 6735 | GlobalPrivateCapital.org