Investment Catalyst Facility (ICF) FAQs

Eligibility is strictly assessed based on full compliance with all requirements. While we appreciate your interest, if you only meet some of the criteria (not all) then we will not be able to accept your application.

Visit https://www.globaldistributorscollective.org/join-us/ (or click here). Self evaluate your company against the three eligibility requirements (do you sell beneficial household products? Do you target under-served customers? Do you primarily focus on last mile distribution?). If you answer yes to all three, then follow the link on the webpage to submit an application form. Following review, a member of the GDC team will reach out to you for a 30-minute call. We aim to process GDC member applications within 7-10 working days but it may take longer at particularly busy times, so please allow plenty of time!

Yes – as long as your primary focus (i.e., more than 50% of your activity) is on distribution.

Yes. While 75% of the spaces on the programme will be assigned to companies operating in EnDev’s focus countries, the remaining 25% will be open to companies operating in countries outside of EnDev’s geographic focus, so please do apply.

This is a requirement of our main donor, Energising Development (EnDev), which is an initiative focussed on enable access to clean energy and is financed by Germany, Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands. We hope to be able to broaden our sector/product scope in future ICF cohorts.

The selection process is first and foremost based on the eligibility criteria, which you can see here. LMDs that meet all these requirements will then be evaluated across the following categories: financial readiness and feasibility, scalability and replicability, organisational strength and commitment. This will majorly be a qualitative assessment to assess the LMDs’ likelihood to reach financial close.

By identifying and engaging with investors who fit the ICF mandate – they all focus on LMDs or are willing and eager to support LMDs; they all have a focus on energy (this is specific to the pilot cohort which starts in January 2026); and they all offer small ticket-sized loans.

Absolutely! We are very happy to partner with investors who fit the ICF mandate. Beyond the pilot cohort (in January 2026), we are also keen to discuss with investors working in other, non-energy sectors. If you would like to have a conversation with the GDC team, please contact Amy.Wafula@practicalaction.or.ke.

The programme will be conducted entirely online. However, we would love to bring participants together if the opportunity arises, and will work to identify a suitable moment to do so. If this is possible, we would support companies with the costs of attending.

For the first cohort (starting in January 2026), the programme will be conducted only in English. However, we strongly encourage participants from French-speaking African countries to apply, provided that the core team member who would participate on behalf of the company possesses a good working knowledge of English, i.e., demonstrated ability to read, write and speak proficiently. This is essential for effective participation and engagement throughout the programme.

It will run from January to August 2026.

• Participation in group and 1 on 1 sessions plus periodic check ins;
• Provision of accurate company data to facilitate benchmarking, procure and oversee implementation of investor readiness support (IRS) services and provide receipts for reimbursement;
• Provision of accurate company data to facilitate financial screening, and willingness to respond proactively and rapidly during the due diligence prep and investor engagement phase;
• Willingness to self-report on progress;
• Participation in GDC evaulation surverys before and after the programme.

• Support to work through – and action the recommendations from – the GDC’s bespoke benchmarking tool for last mile distributors, which includes 23 KPIs focused on three core business areas: value proposition, sales and marketing, and backend infrastructure and overheads.
• Up to 10 hours of 1 on 1 support in your fundraising journey, provided by one of our access to finance experts.
• Tailored support to get you investment ready (worth up to €10k)
• Support to compile your data room and engage directly with investors
• In the event of a financial close, access to catalytic co-financing worth up to €15k.

We will take into account a combination of factors, namely: the participating companies’ commitment to the programme, e.g., do they submit required data on time and in full? Do they proactively participate and engage in group workshops?; its functional readiness for investment, e.g., do they possess the relevant company/financial records investors want to see, and are they ready to go through the due diligence process; how well the company has progressed through the stages of the ICF programme (see FAQ above) and if they achieved relevant milestones; and if there is a clear and validated transaction fit with an investor(s).