Industry News

Social Impact Investment of 2015: Aduna

The UKBAA Awards celebrate the founders and investors behind the UK’s most exciting high growth angel-backed businesses.

The Award for Best Social Impact Investment 2015 sponsored by NESTA Impact Investmentsseeks to identify an innovative or potentially game changing business model in the sector, addressing a societal or global challenge.

Aduna‘s win was announced byKiki Loizou, Small Business Editor of the Sunday Timesat the Tower of London Pavilion on July 1st at the UKBAA Awards Dinner 2015.

About Aduna

Adunais health and beauty brand, creating demand for under-utilised natural products sourced directly from small-scale producers – with the potential to provide sustainable revenues to 8-10m rural households in Sub- Saharan Africa. With placements of their superfood products (currently made of Baobab and Moringa) in stores such as Whole Foods Market, Liberty, and Holland & Barrett, they are a fast-growing company with a social mission at their core.

The judges felt that Aduna is creating extensive social impact by providing sustainable livelihoods for rural households in sub Saharan Africa, through the development of natural health products sourced by small scale producers and rural women farmers which are sold through UK and international stores. The investment through Clearly Social Angels has enabled the business to achieve significant further growth and impact, including launching new products, reaching eight new international markets and scaling up the number of local producers in Africa.

Many thanks toClearly Social Angelsfor nominatingAdunafor this award.

We look forward to following theAdunagrowth story in the years ahead!

The judges also want to commend Fareshare South West, supported by investment from Resonance Angel Network, for its social impact in tackling food waste and poverty in the South West UK and which also represents one of the first investments made under the new Social Impact Tax relief scheme here in the UK.