Fedgroup: Best Impact Agribusiness Investment Partner Africa 2020

There is a certain disconnect in the investment community, with fund managers attuned to market macro-trends but sometimes vague about fundamentals. South Africa’s Fedgroup decided to build a fund from the ground up with a focus on people’s needs. It introduced the Fedgroup App which houses the Impact Farming offering to make investing more accessible, support sustainable development and increase tech infrastructure. Smart farming helps to improve crop yields and gives investors a data-driven system to verify that capital is being correctly deployed. The interface is permanently connected to monitor conditions and give farmers management control. This provides an early warning system for complications that might affect yields — and thus shareholder returns — and an opportunity for early intervention. Data can be integrated into ESG frameworks to attract investor interest. This golden ticket fulfils three bottom lines: profit, people and planet. App users can become investors and asset owners for as little $15 by buying into high-profit ventures such as blueberries, honey and solar. Professionals tend to the maintenance, and investors track passive income along with positive impact. The fund generated seven times the anticipated capital in its first year and it was oversubscribed last year. The CFI.co judges present Fedgroup with the 2020 award for Best Impact Agribusiness Investment Partner (Africa) award.