CrossBoundary Group

Are you curious about what fuels our work at the CrossBoundary Group? At the heart of CrossBoundary is our purpose to unlock capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in markets that are often overlooked. We're not just advisors; we're a driving force—navigating the investment landscape in underserved markets and directly deploying capital through our investment platforms. None of this would be possible without our strongest asset: our people. The CrossBoundary team comprises a unique set of individuals who come from diverse backgrounds but share core qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action. They're genuinely excited about making a considerable impact on underserved markets across the globe. Together, ten core virtues shape our culture and guide our actions: We expect excellence We can all belong here We act like the owners we are We are relentlessly curious We prioritize results We authentically care We think deliberately We act with humility We are biased to action We never compromise on integrity We invite you to watch and learn more about the values, virtues, and people that define the CrossBoundary Group. #peopleandculture #investmentadvisory #impactinvesting

CrossBoundary Advisory and the East Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) recently convened leading ecosystem players in Kampala for the EAVCA Uganda Chapter 2024 Q4 networking event. 🇺🇬🇺🇬 EAVCA plays a pivotal role in private capital within East Africa. It is a business membership organization representing private capital providers supporting businesses and enterprises to achieve their goals, catalyzing development, and creating meaningful jobs across the region. The gathering brought together investors, entrepreneurs, advisors, legal experts, accountants, development partners, and government agencies. Their discussions highlighted the promising trajectory of Uganda's private capital ecosystem and its expanding role in regional growth. ➡ Most notably, we witnessed remarkable enthusiasm from stakeholders to accelerate capital deployment toward innovative entrepreneurs and businesses in the region. We're honored to be part of this journey alongside our esteemed partners. #InvestmentInUganda #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #EastAfrica

Today, we celebrate Africa Industrialization Day - a day to highlight the power of industry to transform African economies and create a sustainable future. Industrialization is at the heart of Africa’s economic transformation and our work enables Africa’s industrial backbone to thrive through clean and reliable power.   We work in several industrial sectors, including cement, mining, steel, and packaging, which variously contribute to fostering growth in Africa's industrial sector. For example: - At National Cement Company in Nakuru, Kenya, we developed a solar PV facility featuring bifacial solar modules and single-axis trackers. This setup optimizes energy production, integrating seamlessly into the factory’s 10kV distribution system. The clean energy generated supports critical operations from kilns to packaging, reducing emissions while powering infrastructure development - We have implemented solar PV systems for Maisha Packaging Company at their Nakuru and Lukenya plants, providing 15–16% of their energy needs from renewables. These systems ensure reliable, cost-effective power while enabling the production of high-quality, recyclable industrial bags essential to Kenya’s economy - We are helping Nigerian Breweries Plc achieve their sustainability targets with clean energy solutions. Supplying a mix of roof- and ground-mounted solar as well as battery storage solutions, we will provide two of their breweries with ~20% of their power requirements from renewable energy We’re committed to ensuring energy is reliable, clean, and affordable. What are your thoughts about supporting African industrialization?   #AfricaIndustrializationDay #RenewableEnergy #SustainableDevelopment 

Last week, Albert M. Nganga, our permitting and regulatory manager, moderated a session on decentralized energy solutions at the PowerElec Kenya conference. The session highlighted important aspects of DER optimization and included experts Eng. Maxwell Ngala PE, MIEK, PMP® from RTI International, Ombajo Vincent Gedion, PMP® CEM® MBA from Collective Energy Africa, Raylen N. from Sunwoda, and Michael Bekker from Canadian Solar. Key takeaways include: 🔋 Advancements in DER technologies: - Significant progress in battery technology is paving the way for smaller, cost-effective, and higher-capacity systems, driving substantial growth in East Africa - Integration of diverse technologies, including AI for demand management and operational monitoring, is boosting the performance and reliability of energy systems 🏛️ Policy and governance synergy: - Kenya's devolved governance structure is a strong enabler for localized energy solutions, with the Constitution providing a solid foundation for policy development - Harmonizing national and county laws is crucial, especially for infrastructure like EV charging networks and battery-swapping stations 🌐 Regional and integrated planning opportunities: - Expanding energy planning beyond national borders to align with COMESA and regional frameworks can enhance scalability and collaboration ⚡ Unbundling of KPLC: - Panelists discussed the efficiency gains from allowing private companies to participate in electricity distribution - The need for KPLC to adopt cost-reflective tariffs was emphasized What were your takeaways from the conference?

What an amazing night at the #SIDUSDinner. We gathered to honor Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of #Liberia, and the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center). In reality, it was the over 850 members of the international development community in the audience that were bestowed with the honor of your and Carrie Hessler-Radelet's wisdom, perspective, and optimism. Thank you for reminding us to aspire to achieve "big, scary dreams", for underscoring the critical role of local voices in international development, and for highlighting the impact of blended finance to mobilize private capital for sustainable impact. Madame Sirleaf cautioned that we need to accept that the old order of political and development partners has shifted. It’s incumbent upon all of us in the international development community to navigate these new relationships to find the common ground for the path forward. Thanks to the Society for International Development, United States (SID-US) staff and student volunteers for your hard work to make last night a huge success and to the #SIDUSDinner sponsors for your support. It was a pleasure to spend the evening with partners from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Brown Advisory, Corporate Council on Africa, CrossBoundary Group, Georgetown University, Milken Institute, Pan African Capital Group, LLC and The Presidential Precinct. We look forward to future collaboration to achieve our international development goals.

Join us on November 21 at 10:30AM SGT for a training on the State of Blended Finance: Climate Edition – Spotlight on Asian Trends. This session will focus on the Asia-Pacific region, exploring the challenges and opportunities to mobilizing private sector finance into climate projects at scale in Asia. Featured speakers: -Tristan Knowles, Unit Head, Blended Finance, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Bank -Nandini Chaudhury, Managing Director, Head of APAC Advisory, CrossBoundary Group -Eric Arndt, Director, Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation -Ritesh Thakkar, Senior Advisor and Head of Asia Pacific, Convergence Blended Finance (Moderator) Register now: https://bit.ly/4hQtDzO #blendedfinance #asiapacific #emergingmarkets #SDGs #asia #climate #climateadaptation #innovativefinance

Our mission to make cleaner, more affordable energy accessible to industrial businesses in Africa wouldn't be possible without the steadfast support from our investors and partners. Ensuring that our projects uphold the highest environmental, health, and safety standards during construction and operation is fundamental to the value of our assets and their impact on our clients. It was a great privilege to recently host one of our main investors, Norfund, at our renewable energy facility in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar. We loved the chance to show our funders the tangible evidence of the work we have carried out. This project for Rio Tinto's QMM mine in Madagascar is one of our most complex projects operationally, and yet we are close to completing this ambitious project that will supply at least 60% of the mine's electricity with renewables. This is only possible through our team's dedication, service providers, and investors. Here's to watching the renewable dawn continue to rise!

The years 2015-2024 will mark the hottest decade on record, with global temperatures reaching 1.54°C above pre-industrial levels. As world leaders gather at #COP29 to establish new climate finance targets, the role of natural climate solutions has never been more critical. "We are in a critical decade for addressing climate change, and we need to be pragmatic—nature is currently the only scalable carbon removal solution," emphasizes Kate Wharton, Managing Director for our Fund for Nature and Head of Natural Capital. "Waiting for regulation, or waiting for new technologies for carbon removal, will mean delaying action and increasing the costs of adaptation. The greatest effects of delay will be felt by vulnerable communities for whom climate change is already here." Despite natural climate solutions having the potential to provide up to 37% of cost-effective CO2 mitigation needed through 2030, they receive only 3% of public climate financing. This funding gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity as COP29 seeks to establish a new global climate finance framework to replace the existing $100 billion goal. Why is natural climate finance lagging? Kate identifies three key barriers: 1️⃣ Pioneer penalty: First movers must absorb significant costs in establishing infrastructure that benefits later entrants 2️⃣ Information asymmetry: A "trust gap" exists between investors and local projects, creating uncertainty on both sides 3️⃣ Policy complexity: Evolving regulations around Article 6 implementation create uncertainty for investors and project developers However, these challenges are not insurmountable. "Carbon markets help unlock new business models for nature, which is important because there is simply not enough philanthropic or public funding available to restore and protect nature at the scale required," Kate explains. Through results-based financing mechanisms and early-stage support for project development, we can bridge the critical funding gap between initial concept and full implementation. #NaturalClimateSolutions #NatureFinance #ClimateAction

It's been a productive week at #COP29! Our team has engaged with government leaders and key stakeholders on leveraging renewable energy for industry to accelerate climate action while supporting industrial growth across emerging economies. Our Energy Policy Director, Henry Carr, spoke on a panel at the Malagasy Pavilion with Madagascar's Director of Hydrocarbons, Razafimamonjy Jinot, to showcase our renewable energy partnership with Rio Tinto in Fort Dauphin. Our project has enabled low-impact energy generation, local jobs, and economic growth at the company's mining facility. In our most recent paper, "Wired for change: how African utilities must adapt in the age of distributed energy", we invite energy utilities in Africa to engage in the conversation about distributed energy and its benefits for economies - and utilities themselves. The transformation of these organizations will be central to the rollout of renewable energies on the continent, and we are excited to engage with them as they take the journey.

According to Nigeria's Federal Government, Nigerians spent N16.5 trillion (USD 11.8 billion) in 2023 on diesel, petrol, and generators for electricity. Renewable-powered mini-grids offer a reliable, affordable, and clean power solution. Exciting update: CrossBoundary Access and ENGIE Energy Access (Africa) started commercial operations this week on mini-grids bringing first-time power to 10,000 people in Niger State!⚡ Beyond providing basic energy services like lighting and phone charging, these mini-grids are powering economic transformation in communities by energizing rural businesses.  Two key focus areas of the #COP29 meetings in Baku 🇦🇿 are the #JustEnergyTransition and #EconomicTransformation. Every mini-grid installed is climate action delivered! Special thanks to The World Bank and Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria for creating the enabling environment to make this possible for us and many others across Nigeria.  #EnergyAccess #ClimateAction #RuralElectrification