Mercy Corps Ventures

Most smallholder farmers in Colombia operate informally, lacking credit histories and transactional ledgers. This creates significant barriers to sustainability and #financialinclusion, making it difficult for farmers to secure loans to expand their operations and build their resilience against the growing threats of climate change. With 79% of the rural population lacking access to credit, smallholder farmers earn only 70% of the minimum living wage, perpetuating a cycle of poverty.      In partnership with WËIA and Heincke Group, we’re testing how #blockchain traceability could boost income for these farmers in both Colombia and Spain. The pilot is offering Farm Now, Pay Later loans, as well as critical links to input suppliers and produce buyers. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eK6Btfbw

Join Ripple Impact, XRPL Commons, and us for an engaging webinar on our Crypto for Good Fund. Save the date! 📅 Tuesday, December 3 | 9:30 - 10:30 AM EST Register here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eVxpsV24

The Challenge: Climate Vulnerability & Financial Exclusion Over 4 billion people are vulnerable to climate shocks, and 1.4 billion unbanked adults—55% of them women—are disproportionately impacted. Without access to financial tools like insurance, credit, and digital savings, these communities face even greater climate risks. But there’s an opportunity: Thanks to fintech innovations, access to financial services is expanding—and this is where Inclusive Climate Fintech comes in. By integrating modular fintech into climate solutions, we can make climate resilience more accessible, affordable, and impactful for underserved communities. ▪️ Affordable solutions like insurance & credit help communities manage risk.  ▪️ Early payments enable faster recovery from climate shocks.  ▪️ Direct access to services, even in remote areas.  ▪️ Empowering women & smallholders to engage in the global climate transition. This is just the start of a month-long exploration of Inclusive Climate Fintech, a core part of our investment thesis at Mercy Corps Ventures. We’re excited to dive deeper into how these solutions can transform climate resilience for vulnerable communities. 🌱 Read our new blog detailing our Inclusive Climate Fintech thesis here: https://lnkd.in/evbwfX4V #ClimateFintech #FinancialInclusion #ClimateAction #Resilience #MercyCorpsVentures 

We received an overwhelming response to our call for proposals for groundbreaking ideas for leveraging #AI to bolster #ClimateResilience in emerging markets — over 300 applications from 55 countries around the world.     Here’s a close look at the technologies, target users, and impact areas emphasized by applicants, shared in hopes of inspiring collaboration and accelerating the development of these solutions. See the detailed report here: https://lnkd.in/egbujQMv

The future of climate data, analytics, and AI is here, and it’s changing everything. Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared our journey in the world of climate data, analytics, and AI—a space that’s evolving rapidly thanks to breakthroughs in technology, accessibility, and data-driven innovation. From our first investments in 2018 to the latest frontier of cutting-edge solutions, we’ve been part of this transformation from the start, and we’re excited to see where it’s headed. What do we mean when we talk about the "climate data, analytics, and AI" space? When we first made our investments in climate data and analytics in 2018, the landscape looked very different. We started with trailblazing companies like Pula, Meridia, Ignitia, and Floodbase—each one pioneering solutions that used data and analytics to support climate resilience. They were ahead of their time, seeing early on how powerful data and AI would become in driving actionable climate solutions, especially for vulnerable communities. These innovators laid the groundwork for what’s now a rapidly evolving ecosystem of scalable, modular, and accessible climate data tools. Since then, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Key trends like advancements in satellite technology, the rise of generative AI, and improved access to real-time data are driving massive leaps forward in our ability to tackle climate challenges. And these innovations are not just for large-scale applications—they’re reaching underserved communities, enabling solutions that are truly global in impact. As we look to the next decade, we’re encouraged by some key findings from our recent research series: ◾ Data quality, volume, and diversity have grown exponentially over the last decade, making it easier to develop solutions that are both effective and scalable.   ◾The next decade will likely bring unprecedented advancements—think generative AI, satellite constellations, and other technologies that will further democratize data access and create more precise climate solutions. ◾ However, there are still significant barriers to overcome: reliable public-good data remains scarce, and infrastructure challenges in emerging markets can limit access to data and climate solutions. Our conviction in the power of climate data and AI to drive resilience is stronger than ever, and we believe these technologies are key to building a more sustainable, equitable future for all. What’s most exciting to you about the future of climate data innovation? 🔽 https://lnkd.in/eyDfN5rQ #ClimateTech #AIForGood #Sustainability #ClimateResilience #DataDrivenInnovation #FutureOfClimate #TechForGood #ClimateAction 

Welcome MazaoHub, to our portfolio!

Over half of the world’s glaciers are expected to disappear by the year 2100. In India, the impacts of glacial melt are already being felt — particularly by farmers in mountain regions, who are becoming increasingly vulnerable to water shortages.      With climate-tech startup Acres of Ice, we’re testing the ability of automated ice reservoirs to increase water supply, delay desertification, and boost farmer resilience in small glacial-fed villages of the Himalayas. We’re really hopeful that this could be a sustainable solution for water management, which could be scaled across other high-altitude regions. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eiTRt2JQ #ClimateResilience #WaterManagement #Desertification #IrrigationWater #ClimateAdaptation

Excited to take our partnership with Ripple to the next level, supporting emerging market entrepreneurs as they create groundbreaking blockchain and fintech solutions to strengthen financial and climate resilience. This collaboration continues to drive innovation, advancing financial inclusion and unlocking new possibilities for impact worldwide.

Excited to take our partnership with Ripple to the next level, supporting emerging market entrepreneurs as they create groundbreaking blockchain and fintech solutions to strengthen financial and climate resilience. This collaboration continues to drive innovation, advancing financial inclusion and unlocking new possibilities for impact worldwide.

Missed our series launch on the future of climate data, analytics, and AI? We’ve just wrapped up a multi-week deep dive into how data and AI are revolutionizing climate solutions, and we’re unpacking everything from our past investments to the exciting innovations shaping the next decade. Our research series explores how the world of climate data is evolving, driven by rapid advances in satellite technology, AI, and data accessibility. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we covered: ◾ The Past Decade – How the landscape of climate data and analytics has transformed over the last 10 years, from the rise of AI to the democratization of satellite data for real-world applications. ◾ The Next Decade – What’s on the horizon? We’re looking at unprecedented breakthroughs in data and analytics, akin to advancements we’ve seen with generative AI and satellite constellations. ◾ Data for Climate Resilience – How high-quality, affordable data is essential for creating solutions that drive climate resilience, especially for vulnerable communities in the Global South. ◾ Barriers & Opportunities – We explore the challenges ahead, including the need for reliable public-good data and the infrastructure limitations in emerging markets, but we also share why we’re optimistic about the future. Plus, we’ve highlighted how our portfolio companies—like PULA, Meridia, ignitia, and Floodbase—have been ahead of their time, using data and analytics to drive massive impact in climate solutions, and how their work continues to shape the industry. 💡 If you want to dive deeper into the trends, challenges, and opportunities in climate data innovation, catch up on our full series now. It's packed with insights that will shape the way we approach climate action in the coming years. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eyDfN5rQ #ClimateData #AIForGood #Sustainability #ClimateTech #Resilience #Innovation #ClimateAction #TechForGood