The Miller Center for Global Impact has announced a new cohort of social entrepreneurs for its flagship Accelerator programme, bringing together founders whose businesses sit at the intersection of climate resilience, gender equity and inclusive economic growth.
“We are excited to welcome a new cohort of social entrepreneurs to the Miller Center Accelerator,” the organisation said in its announcement. “This group brings together 20 founders creating impact across 31 countries, with 18 local founders leading solutions rooted in their own communities.”
The cohort reflects a broader global shift in entrepreneurship, with locally led ventures addressing global problems through practical, market-based solutions. Of the 20 enterprises selected, 18 are advancing women’s economic power, while 15 are focused on building climate resilience two of the most urgent priorities facing both emerging and developed economies.
Over the coming months, founders will receive tailored mentorship, peer learning and strategic support as they prepare to scale.
“Each enterprise represents a bold vision for addressing complex challenges through locally led, sustainable solutions,” the Miller Center said, adding that it looks forward to “learning alongside this cohort and supporting their journeys as they grow their impact around the world.”
Africa at the Centre of Climate-Smart and Inclusive Innovation
African entrepreneurs feature prominently in the cohort, underscoring the continent’s growing role as a laboratory for innovation in climate adaptation, food systems and gender inclusion.
Among them is Serge Raemaekers, founder of ABALOBI, a South Africa-based social enterprise working with small-scale fishers. With more than two decades of experience in fisheries and a background in Fisheries Science, Raemaekers has built a business rooted in both community knowledge and digital innovation.
“In 2015, I co-founded ABALOBI in South Africa,” he said. “The name ABALOBI means ‘fisher’ in the isiXhosa language, reflecting the fisher-led nature of our organisation.”
ABALOBI places small-scale, artisanal and traditional fishers at the centre of its model, co-developing technologies and capacity-building programmes that support responsible community-supported fisheries, inclusive Fisheries Improvement Programmes and climate change adaptation strategies.
Its digital platform connects fishers directly with consumers, creating a more transparent and equitable value chain. After success in South Africa, the model is now being replicated in other parts of the world.
Agribusiness innovation is another strong theme. Ugandan Fadamina Sidali, founder of Agrosahas and Digifarmer.ai, described her selection as a pivotal moment.
“Being selected for the Miller Center Accelerator is an honor,” she said. “I’m excited to gain valuable knowledge, hands-on experience and mentorship that will strengthen my career journey.”
Sidali said she plans to apply these learnings to expand impact for smallholder farmers while building global networks. “Thank you for investing in bold leaders and enabling transformative growth,” she added.
From Malawi, Victoria Mwafulirwa, founder and managing director of Homes Industries Ltd, represents the growing class of agro-processors linking smallholder farmers to markets. Founded in 2015, the company works with over 1,500 farmers through an outgrower scheme producing sunflower, rice and groundnuts.
“Behind every bold solution is a community that helps it grow stronger,” she said. “I’m excited to be stepping into this one.”
Gender, Mobility and Energy Access
The cohort also includes entrepreneurs addressing structural barriers faced by women across Africa and the Middle East.
Nouran Aly Farouk, co-founder of Dosy, is a physician and social entrepreneur who has built Egypt’s first tech-based platform enabling women to operate scooters and bicycles. Through Dosy, more than 8,000 women have been trained, creating over 3,000 job opportunities.
Farouk’s work has earned international recognition, including the People & Skills award at the 2024 UN Tourism Women in Tech competition. She is also a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur (2025), Ban Ki-moon Global Citizen Scholar and a fellow of the Halcyon MENA programme.
Energy access and environmental protection are central to the work of Judith Marera, co-founder of Lanforce Energy in Zimbabwe. Her venture focuses on empowering women and children in off-grid communities while promoting waste-to-energy solutions and environmental stewardship.
Similarly, Mercy Chatyoka, CEO and founder of Pik It Fresh Farms and co-founder of WestOak Natural Foods, has built climate-smart agricultural models that support smallholder farmers. Her initiatives include outgrower programmes, training women and youth, conservation agriculture, biogas digesters and livestock resilience through improved breeding and disease prevention.
Sustainable Farming as a Business Strategy
Kenya’s Christine Muriuki, founder and CEO of Zuphifarm Enterprises, exemplifies how sustainability is becoming a core business proposition rather than a side project. Founded in 2019 in Laikipia County, Zuphifarm combines organic farming, agricultural training, horticulture and climate-smart innovation.
Zuphifarm Enterprises isn’t just a farm, it’s a hub of agricultural excellence. The company is actively engaged in climate mitigation, tree planting and carbon credit initiatives, positioning sustainable agriculture as both an environmental and commercial opportunity.
A Global Cohort with Local Roots
Alongside African founders, the cohort includes entrepreneurs from across Asia, Europe and Latin America, including Shogher Atanesyan, Capeltic Nuestro Café, Tarun Katoch, Dareem Jeffrey Fazle Muztaba, Shani Pandya, Pavitra Joshi, Marisol del Campo Martínez, Satyendra Gupta, Lorena Gallardo, Rajat Vardhan, David Camhi de la Tejera and Ankur Jain.
Together, they reflect a broader trend in global entrepreneurship, solutions that are locally built, globally relevant and commercially grounded.
For the Miller Center, the emphasis is clear. Impact is not charity, it is strategy. And Africa, increasingly, is not on the margins of that strategy, but at its centre.
As these founders enter the Accelerator, they carry with them not only ambitious business models, but lived experience from the communities they serve a combination that investors, policymakers and global institutions are paying closer attention to than ever before.
In a world facing climate shocks, food insecurity and widening inequality, the message from this cohort is simple and quietly powerful. The most credible solutions are already being built, often far from traditional centres of capital, by entrepreneurs who understand the problem because they live it.
