9 September 2015: The global partnership SEED has reported that 80% of local start-ups that have been recognized for their contributions to green and sustainable growth are still operating five years after they started business (by contrast with a 41% survival rate in the UK and 42% in South Africa). The study was published as SEED’s ten-year flagship report, ‘Turning Ideas into Impact: Setting the Stage for the Next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth Through Entrepreneurship.’ SEED also announced its 2015 winners, representing 25 enterprises in Africa.

The 175 SEED entrepreneurs who were interviewed for the survey said that constantly adapting the business model and building an extensive partnership network were important factors of their success.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) founded the SEED partnership in 2002 to recognize and support innovative, locally-driven start-up enterprises that integrate social, environmental and economic benefits in developing countries. The partnership develops resources for entrepreneurs and encourages innovation and entrepreneurial approaches to sustainable development. To date, over 200 local enterprises have received a SEED award.

The 2015 SEED awards focused on African countries, recognizing 25 different enterprises in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Two women-led enterprises received the SEED Gender Equality Awards for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment as their core objectives. Among the 2015 prize-winners are businesses that offer solar power to rural households, provide fuel-efficient cook stoves to refugee camps, and carry out small-scale organic farming.

The award winners were recognized at the 2015 SEED Africa Symposium, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 9-10 September 2015. [Publication: Turning Ideas into Impact: Setting the Stage for the Next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth Through Entrepreneurship] [UNEP Press Release] [SEED Africa Symposium 2015] [SEED Awards 2015]