Accion Ventures Closes $61.6M to Support Startups Tackling Financial Inclusivity

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Published by Stephen Oluwadara at September 9, 2025

Accion Ventures is Enabling Global Financial Solutions

The new fund, named Accion Impact Management, also coincides with the rebrand of the company from Accion Venture Lab to Accion Ventures. The organization seeks innovative tech companies that promote financial inclusion around the globe and have the potential to generate attractive returns.

The team behind Accion Ventures brings a deep understanding of local customers and markets, combined with global learnings. Their expertise supports investments across Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Some of the most recent initial investments by the new fund are PaidHR in Nigeria, Foyer in the United States, FinFra in Indonesia, and Flowcart in Kenya.

According to the Global Findex 2025, worldwide, 1.6 billion people do not have an account with a financial institution or have an inactive account. This $5.7 trillion annual financing gap for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses represents a vast market opportunity for innovative startups ready to disrupt the traditional financial system. 

Accion Ventures aims to identify and support companies at the forefront of the latest fintech trends. These startups are delivering financial solutions that leverage embedded finance, alternative data, and other innovative technologies.

Creating a Fair and Inclusive Economy for the Underserved Communities

Since 2012, Accion Ventures has deployed $59.4 million in 76 companies across over 30 countries, with 13 full or partial exits across all geographies. The three most recent exits were Apollo Agriculture, Lula, and Pula.

Apollo Agriculture provides tech-enabled inputs, financing, insurance, and training to smallholder farmers in Kenya and Zambia. Lula is an all-digital small business lender and bank account provider for SMEs in South Africa, while Pula offers agricultural insurtech solutions to smallholder farmers across Africa and Asia.

Managed by Accion Impact Management through its Accion Ventures strategy, the global fund will make up to 30 new investments in fintech. Accion Ventures provides hands-on support to startups across the critical areas of a fintech lifecycle beyond deploying capital. This includes access to market expertise and board governance.

The company also provides networking opportunities to open doors in challenging funding environments. Additionally, they offer strategic and operational guidance from a dedicated Portfolio Engagement team with expertise as international investors and operators of tech companies.

“With the huge uptick in mobile technologies in emerging economies, we see a significant opportunity to connect many small businesses and low-income consumers to the digital economy for the first time. Leveraging third-party capital to deliver social and financial objectives is a critical part of our strategy,” said Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion.

“ This fund seeks to support the growth of early-stage, disruptive companies providing high-quality, affordable financial services that can help reduce poverty and create opportunity for millions of people globally.”

Accion Ventures is on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the nearly two billion people who are failed by the global financial system. Over its history, the international nonprofit has helped build 285 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 77 countries, reaching 478 million people.”