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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HOW TO RAISE FUNDS WITH ENERGISE AFRICA

We want to connect with businesses that are pioneering clean energy solutions in sub-Saharan Africa to help them get the upfront funding they need to make their projects a reality. If this sounds like your organisation, we'd love to speak with you.

Fill in the form and we’ll get started.

Apply to Raise finance

HOW IT WORKS


We connect African solar businesses with UK based impact investors to provide the catalytic finance they need to deliver clean energy projects.

Thanks to our community of over 5,000+ individual investors, we have raised over £43 million and made £29.5 million in repayments. That’s an amazing amount of people-powered finance, which has provided more than 750,000 people across 14 African countries with access to affordable and life changing solar energy. We have also supported over 8,000 small and micro-sized enterprises.

Known for funding solar business across sub-Saharan Africa, we’re now widening our net. That means we’re offering our support and services to other sustainable businesses in emerging markets. So more great ideas can grow.

If this is music to your ears then get in touch.


HOW TO HUB


We’re proud of our track record of helping impactful businesses so far. Learn about how we work through these examples of success. Get an idea of what to expect and how our business model can support your growth.


ENERGISE AFRICA: TOP TIPS
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ENERGISE AFRICA: HOW DOES IT WORK?
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CAN MY BUSINESS RAISE FUNDS?
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SMART FUNDING WITH BLENDED FINANCE


Match funding. Co-investment. Partial guarantees, RBF backed loans. We use smart ways to build trust with investors through institutional partners who provide financial backing. You can learn more on our partnerships page.

If you’re an institution interested in match funding or offering other support then drop us an email at [email protected].


FAQS


Is my organisation able to raise finance via Energise Africa?

We’re all about providing flexible, affordable finance to impact driven companies working in emerging economies. We know that pioneering companies come in many shapes and sizes, from start-ups to established organisations looking to expand. What all of the sustainable businesses listing on our platform share is a burning desire to deliver environmental and social impact, good governance, strong values and a business model that can generate investor returns. If this sounds like your company then please let in touch. 


How does the process of raising finance with Energise Africa work?

The first step is to complete our online application form and provide as much information about your business and what you are looking for as you can. Once our investment team has gone through your submission, they will get in touch to talk about next steps. Our due diligence process includes the following stages; early screening, request for information, preliminary due diligence, advanced due diligence and submission to our credit committee for formal approval, contract structuring and onboarding, raising finance and ongoing monitoring of KPIs. From the first conversation with the investments team to offers going live on the platform typically takes 2 – 5 months and getting a favourable decision ultimately depends on your financing needs, your credit profile and how the investment opportunity is structured. 


How much money can I raise via Energise Africa?

Typically, we are looking for sustainable businesses that ideally need at least £0.5 million+ of financing. However, with our flexible approach business can then break this larger credit facility down into a number of smaller tranches in order to better match their working capital and/or receivables financing needs.  


What fees do you charge?

Fees vary depending on the different risk profiles of the organisation looking to raise finance, but our fees are very affordable and we have a 100% track record of successfully completing investment raises. In addition, because of our flexible approach of enabling organisations to divide their agreed credit facility into a number of smaller tranches to fit their working capital needs, organisations only pay interest on the money they have raised and not the total size of the facility. For a more detailed discussion on fees please complete the ‘raising finance’ application form and one of the team will be in touch. 


APPLY TO RAISE FUNDS

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.