Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high - risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. 

Risk Information

Estimated reading time: 2 min

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • If the business you are investing in fails, there is a high risk that you will lose 100% of your money. Most start-up and early-stage businesses fail.
    • Advertised rates of return aren’t guaranteed. This is not a savings account. If the borrower doesn’t pay you back as agreed, you could earn less money than expected. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of losing your money. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
    • Certain of these investments can be held in an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA). An IFISA does not reduce the risk of the investment or protect you from losses, so you can still lose all your money. It only means that any potential returns will be tax free.
    • Checks on the businesses you are investing in, such as how well they are expected to perform, may not have been carried out by the platform you are investing through. You should do your own research before investing.
  2. You won't get your money back quickly
    • Many bonds last for several years, so you should be prepared to wait for your money to be returned even if the business you’re investing in repays on time.
    • You are unlikely to be able to cash in your investment early by selling your bond. You are usually locked in until the business has paid you back over the period agreed.
    • The platform does not offer a secondary market. While another investor may be interested in buying your investment, there is no guarantee you will find a buyer at the price you are willing to sell.
  3. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
  4. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here.
    • Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated platform, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.

For further information about investment-based crowdfunding, visit the FCA’s website here.

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PARTNERSHIPS

We’re all about the power of partnerships - it is a UN Sustainable Development Goal in its own right. By partnering with like-minded organisations, who share our ambition to help more people to access clean and reliable energy, we’ve been able to achieve amazing things.


FOUNDING PARTNER

ETHEX


Ethex helps everyday people make ethical investments that fund extraordinary organisations. It lists investment opportunities from pioneering grassroots community organisations as well as ethical profit-for-purpose businesses, connecting them with everyday people who want to use the transformative power of money as fuel for change.

Over the past eight years, Ethex and its sister platform Energise Africa have enabled more than 20,000 people to invest from just £50 in 200+ projects, providing them with more than £100 million in people-powered finance that they critically need to do great things, such as building new renewable energy projects, providing more affordable housing, supporting sustainable transport infrastructure, creating sustainable food and agriculture projects, providing vital community services and accelerating renewable energy access across sub-Saharan Africa. When investing via the Ethex platform your capital is at risk and returns are not guaranteed

https://www.ethex.org.uk

FUNDING PARTNERS

UK AID


Energise Africa is supported by UK aid with the objective to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 – to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. This support has been instrumental in ensuring the success of Energise Africa with UK aid providing:

Grant funding to support the development of Energise Africa to enable crowdfunding of enterprises bringing clean energy and generating employment in African countries.

Provide match funding for some Energise Africa project, effectively co-investing alongside UK-based investors, thereby enabling the public to steer the flow of a proportion of UK aid funding and boosting the overall impact on the ground

GOOD ENERGIES FOUNDATION


Good Energies Foundation is a Swiss-based private foundation. It was established in 2007 as an integral part of Good Energies Inc., a private equity company that specialises in investing in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries.

Good Energies Foundation is supporting Energise Africa by providing some first-loss protection, match funding and other financial incentives to a number of projects, helping to maximise the impact of clean energy access on the ground for families in Sub-Saharan Africa, whilst de-risking investments for the crowd.

https://www.goodenergies.org

P4G


P4G – Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – is a network of global leaders and innovators seeking breakthrough solutions for green economic growth. The initiative commenced in 2018 with the ambition of becoming the world’s leading forum for developing concrete public-private partnerships at scale to deliver on the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. P4G brings together business, government, and civil society organisations in innovative public-private partnerships to advance solutions that help meet humanity’s greatest needs in five key areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and circular economy. 
 
P4G provided Energise Africa with a total of US $944,343 through start-up funding in 2018 and scale-up funding in 2020.  

https://www.p4gpartnerships.org

OTHER PARTNERSHIPS, AFFILIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

ENERGY 4 IMPACT


Energy 4 Impact is a UK non-profit with a business approach to tackling energy poverty. Energy 4 Impact supports the development of a broad range of small businesses and project companies in the energy economy so they can provide communities with access to energy at affordable prices. With an emphasis on mentoring and advisory services, Energy 4 Impact helps businesses access capital, technology and operational advice so they can become profitable and sustainable.

Energy 4 Impact has partnered with Energise Africa to manage UK Aid’s funding, introduce potential borrowers to the platform and provide them with advice, and monitor the initiative’s impact.

https://www.energy4impact.org/

GLOCAL OFF GRID LIGHTING ASSOCIATION


Energise Africa is a member of GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. Established in 2012, GOGLA now represents over 180 members (of which Energise Africa is one) as a neutral independent, not for profit industry association whose services are to assist the industry to build sustainable markets and profitable businesses delivering quality, affordable off-grid electricity products and services to as many customers as possible across the developing world. 

https://www.gogla.org/

ALLIANCE FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION


Energise Africa is a member of The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is a global business association representing 200 members along the distributed renewable energy value chain, working to expand sustainable electricity access, create jobs and respond to climate change in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

https://www.ruralelec.org/

CEI


CEI Africa was established by KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2021 to improve access to energy for rural households and enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022 the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) joined as Contributor to CEI Africa. The managing consortium of CEI Africa works with financers, off-grid solar and mini-grid experts, to develop investment solutions that bridge the financing gap in the most challenging access to energy sub-sectors.

https://cei-africa.com/

Investing on energiseafrica.com involves risk, including the loss of all of your capital, illiquidity (the inability to sell assets quickly or without substantial loss in value), and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio.

Never invest more than you can afford to lose and never make investment with borrowed monies. Investment opportunities on this platform are targeted solely at investors who understand these risks and for whom such investments are suitable. Lendahand Ethex Ltd does not give investment advice or recommendations regarding investment opportunities, and any investment decision must be made only on the basis of all of the information provided by the issuer for that investment opportunity, including (without limitation) the relevant Investment Memorandum (IM) that is available to registered members of the platform. Please read the Risks section of our site to learn more about the risks associated with the products offered on this platform.

The investment opportunities on energiseafrica.com are not an offer to the public in any jurisdiction and are available only to registered members of the platform who have certified that they are eligible to invest. Any person who is not resident in the United Kingdom who wishes to view these investment opportunities must first satisfy themselves that they are eligible to do so under the securities laws and regulations applicable to them. This site does not constitute an offer of, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities to any person in any jurisdiction to whom or in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful.

In respect of its regulated activities, Lendahand Ethex Ltd trading as Energise Africa (FRN 776908) is an appointed representative of Share In Ltd (FRN 603332), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.