Contact
For more information, please contact
HiiL
Ronald Lenz | ronald.lenz@hiil.org | +31(0)627021204
FOUNT
Rien Hazeleger | rien@fount.eu | +31(0)646388930
Investing in access to justice for all
People-centred justice
needs us all to come together
The Innovating Justice Fund is a first-of-its-kind fund that provides funding and support to early-stage companies in emerging markets that are working to solve justice challenges. The fund is focused on SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
The fund is critical because startups are constantly developing new products and services that can help to improve access to justice for people in emerging markets. However, these startups often lack the capital and technical assistance they need to succeed. That’s why HiiL and FOUNT came together to launch the Innovating Justice Fund and an accompanying Scaling Programme.
The problems our startups solve
Each year, more than 1 billion people face a serious justice problem. Up to 55% of these problems remain unresolved or are resolved in a way that is felt as unfair. Our current justice system is unable to deliver equal access to justice for all.
This lack of justice causes huge suffering, erodes social cohesion, entrenches and exacerbates inequalities, and disrupts economic development. Beyond SDG 16, justice-tech startups impact reduced inequalities, economic growth, gender equality, and lastly industry innovation & infrastructure.
"Sometimes it's preventing gender-based violence, sometimes it's being able to prove that the land you live on is yours, understanding your right to proper working conditions, or even access to financial services in communities. Justice is super diverse. It’s wide and impactful, yet it’s not the easiest to communicate."
We have been accelerating Justice-tech startups for the past decade
HiiL and its hubs in Tunis, Lagos and Nairobi have supported over 170 startups with the Justice Accelerator and observed that 5 to 10% of them were scaling. HiiL initiated an impact investment fund together with Fount to demonstrate the viability of making investments in startups in this sector.
Meet our startups
We invest in people-centred justice. We invest in people.
HiiL has an integrated approach to contribute to SDG 16: people-centred justice programming. HiiL collects data on citizens’ justice problems and journeys, analyses best practices in the justice sector, engages with top-level policy-makers on justice strategies, and supports the growth of game-changing justice-tech startups, throughout the whole startup cycle.
Startups and social entrepreneurs are critical in the development of people-centred justice. They bring a fast-moving, agile way of innovating justice delivery to the table, based on tech-driven scalable business models. They are a catalytic collaboration partner for governments, corporates, civil society and academia.
We present a unique opportunity to invest in SDG 16
The Fund is to be established as a Dutch limited partnership (CV) with a blended capital structure. The demonstration phase will deploy EUR 2 million, and the ambition is to grow to a capital size of EUR 10 million after. We are currently deploying our first investments and fundraising in parallel.
Watch the story of our first investment in Haqdarshak.
Interested in investing in the fund?
How we invest
The Fund aims to demonstrate how to generate significant impact by investing in scale-up companies with game-changing business models for resolving and preventing justice problems.
Investment instruments are primarily equity, convertible loans and other mezzanine finance products (typically in the seed stage). The Fund provides ticket sizes in the range of EUR 200k.
Investees will receive dedicated support on technical and management matters, including further development of the business model, expanding the network and making the companies ready for follow-up investments.
Our commitment to industry expertise and collaborative mindset has been instrumental in our ongoing success. We adopt a patient capital approach, focusing on long-term partnerships with the companies we support.
Our investment criteria
Our pipeline is primarily sourced through HiiL’s Justice Accelerator and Scaling Programme, especially in regions where HiiL is actively engaged or has established a strong presence, including the dynamic ecosystems of Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Tunisia. To date, HiiL has successfully accelerated more than 170 startups across Africa and the Middle East.
In addition, the Fund is also open for companies in different emerging markets as long as the business model is promising and dedicated support is safeguarded.
Key criteria
- Impact driven, preventing or resolving pressing justice issues.
- Nail product-market fit, show organic growth.
- Minimum of €10K monthly revenue.
- ≥ 8 full-time employees.
- Positive working capital.
- Coachable founders with a growth mindset
Who we are
The Innovating Justice Fund is based on a partnership between HiiL and FOUNT.
HiiL, the initiator, brings unique and in-depth justice sector expertise and stakeholder networks from the many years it has run people-centred justice programmes across Africa and The Middle East combining data, innovation and transformation. As a result, HiiL has extensive experience working with justice-tech startups through its annual startup programmes: from ideation to incubation, acceleration and scaling.
FOUNT is the Fund Manager and provides extensive investment and fund management expertise (>10 years) in impact funds in developing countries. Fount has a rich network in the impact investment sector with numerous partners and investors providing potential for co-, follow-up financing and exits for the Fund.
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