500 Global

The internet is a wild place. Over the last decade, 2.5B people came online. What happens when the next billion internet users come online? We believe that a lot of value may be created. But how? And more importantly, how can you be a part of it? The answers may surprise you. Explore the #RiseReport now. #500strong https://500.co/risereport

We are launching our Sustainable Innovation Program.- for Global South As you may know, 90% of sustainability capital currently flows to the Global North (source: NetZero Insight on Q22024 data), yet, the most vulnerable populations—and many of the most promising solutions—are found in the Global South. At 500 Global, we believe that venture capital, accelerator programs, and ecosystem-building initiatives has proven to be among the most effective ways to transform the trajectory of founders in regions in emerging markets. While much of the public voice is shying away from sustainability, climate and nature, we are taking the contrarian view: now is the perfect time to lean in. As Reid Hoffman famously said, “You have to be contrarian and right to make money in venture.” so, yes: we’re ready to find and back the best entrepreneurs working on solutions in critical sectors, including: - Agriculture - Energy - Mobility - Build Environment Our journey begins in Nairobi, Kenya, and we’re excited to build global hubs that bring us closer to founders who are creating solutions from the ground up. More here: More here: https://lnkd.in/gsqVQ2NV Shell Foundation UK Aid Direct Transforming Energy Access timbuktoo Africa 500 Global Alaa Murabit Mareme Dieng Christine Tsai Carrie Liauw Courtney Powell Khailee Ng Jonathan Berman Kwaku Owusu-Achaw Nicholas Jones Max Scheder-Bieschin Mei Chel Tan cc: Ana Yang Linda Rottenberg Allen Taylor Fernando Fabre Nikunj Jinsi Atul Mehta Max Scheder-Bieschin

Why I Invested in Sili Energy - 500 Global 500 Korea has invested in Sili Energy, a deeptech climate startup delivering next-generation silicon composite anodes and lithium metal electrode solutions to push the boundaries of battery performance and sustainability. As the global transition to electrification accelerates, the need for higher energy density, faster charging, and longer cycle life is driving demand for innovations that surpass the limitations of conventional graphite anodes and liquid electrolyte systems. Sili Energy, a company founded by ex-Samsung Electro-Mechanics and ex-Hyundai Motors, stands out with a dual-platform strategy, advancing both silicon composite anodes and lithium metal electrode and recovery solutions, positioning itself as an integrated performance enabler for the post-graphite, solid-state-ready era. 🔋 Silicon Composite Anodes That Control Expansion Sili Energy’s proprietary material and structural design suppress silicon’s natural expansion during charge/discharge cycles, achieving: High initial Coulombic efficiency, Swelling suppression, and Extended cycle retention. ⚡ 3D-Structured Lithium Metal Electrodes Sili Energy also produces sub-30μm ultra-thin foils and 3D-structured metal electrodes that suppress dendrites, one of the most critical safety and performance challenges in lithium metal batteries. Combined with a dry thermal reduction process to recover lithium from black powder (without chemical waste), Sili Energy addresses both performance and sustainability. 🌍 Localized & Sustainable Supply Chains Amid rising geopolitical tensions and critical mineral dependencies, Sili Energy is securing domestic, IRA-compliant sources for silicon and lithium. By recovering high-purity silicon precursors from solar glass waste and metallic lithium from black powder residue, and partnering with big corporates, Sili Energy builds flexible value chain, enhancing cost competitiveness, regulatory alignment, and export readiness to the U.S., Europe, and beyond. 🏆 Proven Recognition & Strategic Momentum Sili Energy’s lithium anode technologies have won Innovation Technology and Product Awards at the 2025 Edison Award along with CATL and Redwood Materials. The team is now working with domestic conglomerates and strategic partners to validate solutions for EVs, ESS, and robotics, accelerating commercialization. At 500 Global, we back founders tackling the hardest problems in diverse industrial space. Sili Energy’s rare combination of materials innovation, process engineering, and upstream resource localization positions it as a standout in Korea’s battery innovation landscape, and a strong contender for global scaling in the next-generation battery era. 🌱🚗🔋 https://lnkd.in/g9d4XWBY Founder contact: https://lnkd.in/dbv9ZUU3 #ClimateTech #Deeptech #BatteryInnovation #SolidStateBattery #CircularEconomy #500Global #SiliEnergy

Ecstatic to finally share the news! 500 Global is launching our Sustainable Innovation Program, an initiative designed to support mission-driven founders building commercially viable solutions to sustainability challenges across the global south. In partnership w/ the Shell Foundation, we're excited to help ambitious founders scale their companies across agri, energy, mobility, and the built environment. We're kicking things off in Nairobi, but stay tuned whereto next. 👀 More here: https://lnkd.in/gsqVQ2NV

Thrilled to share the launch of the Sustainable Innovation Program, a game-changer for inclusive economic growth and climate resilience globally. With hubs in Kenya, Nigeria, India, Brazil, Morocco, and more, this first program is focused on working with local leaders, government, and ecosystem partners to scale bold solutions in agriculture, energy, mobility, and more.

Exciting news as an investor deeply interested in energy and climate tech - 500 Global launches the Sustainable Innovation Program. Really looking forward to seeing more momentum in sustainability innovation globally leading transformative solutions for a greener future! 🌿

✨ Recap of Q2 x July at 500 Global ✨ Last month, we celebrated 15 years of backing ambitious founders around the world! With that, here's a recap of Q2 x July: 📣 Signals from the 500 Portfolio + ▶️ PlayAI was acquired by Meta to bolster their conversational voice AI technology and joins Meta's Superintelligence Labs + 🦹 Superhuman was acquired by Grammarly, expanding their AI offerings into broader productivity and build the future of work + 🪙 Circle's stock surged 500% from its June IPO price + 🚩 Brightflag was acquired by Wolters Kluer for €425M + ☁️ Deep Infra Inc. raised $18M in Series A funding to build an AI inference cloud for developers + 🩺 Ambience Healthcare raised $243M in Series C funding to scale its AI platform for health systems + 💬 Manychat raised $140M in Series B funding to fuel AI-driven customer engagement + 🇿🇦 Stitch raised $55M in Series B funding to expand in-person payment offerings and bolster their online payment suite + 🏥 Orderly Health was acquired by First Choice Health to integrate AI-powered roster automation and improve accuracy in provider directories + 🦘 Canva intends to acquire MagicBrief, strengthening Canva’s push into enterprise content workflows + 📊 Talkdesk debuted CXA, a customer experience automation platform to elevate support workflows + 💸 Dinari becomes the first platform to secure broker-dealer registration to offer tokenized stock trading in the US + 🛩️ MightyFly’s heavy-lift Cento drone was trialed by the US Air Force to enhance autonomous military logistics + 👶 Babylist officially crossed $500M revenue 🤖 Investing In AI: Perspectives Khailee Ng spoke at SuperAI alongside friends from Draper Associates & Lightspeed India, where he shared why execution > pedigree, why “revenue religious” founders win, and why geography shouldn’t limit ambition: https://lnkd.in/gPR-25Sz. He expanded on these ideas in our recent AI webinar: https://lnkd.in/gVGx7q8j. I also shared my thoughts on investing in an AI-first era at Web Summit Vancouver, alongside friends from Initialized Capital & Uncork Capital: https://lnkd.in/gtKVEjNx 🌏 AI Transforming Economic Landscapes Governments worldwide are actively shaping the AI revolution — funding, institutionalizing, and embedding it into national strategies. From Malaysia’s NAIO Lab to Korea’s AI Future Strategy office to Saudi Arabia’s Project Transcendence to America's AI Action Plan, AI is a geopolitical and economic imperative. I discussed this on The Information's TITV: https://lnkd.in/gZRetTSZ 🌟 Welcome to the 500 Team Welcome Dr. Alaa Murabit to 500! She joins as Managing Partner of Sustainable Growth. A globally recognized leader in health, climate, sustainable development, and inclusive security, she most recently directed a $300M global portfolio at the Gates Foundation. She's already hit the ground running: https://lnkd.in/gFKQCGmp And that’s a wrap for now! Back to building. 🚀

We’re thrilled to launch our new Sustainable Innovation Seed Accelerator in Nairobi, Kenya—the first of many new initiatives for startups to come from our Sustainable Innovation Program! 🌎🚀 The Sustainable Innovation Program is a new initiative designed to accelerate inclusive economic growth and #climate resilience across the Global South. Supported by our catalytic partner the Shell Foundation co-funded with UK aid from the UK Government as part of its Transforming Energy Access and Catalysing Agriculture by Scaling Energy Ecosystems programme, we’ll help connect founders with the mentorship and global networks they need to scale across four key sectors: 🌾 Agriculture ⚡ Energy 🚚 Mobility 🏙️ Built Environment To kickstart this initiative, applications are now open for the Sustainable Innovation Seed Accelerator in Nairobi. Join us for an info session to hear about the program’s vision and how founders, funders, and ecosystem builders can get involved. 📣 Help us spread the word, tag a #founder! Register here for the AMA and info session: https://be.500.co/4leSf5P Mareme Dieng Alaa Murabit Amal Enan Amal Dokhan Amjad Ahmad Khailee Ng Paul E. Yoo AVCA - The African Private Capital Association Mei Chel Tan Carrie Liauw Reem Khamis Ezzeddin H. Zahzah

Excited to share Shell Foundation's new partnership with 500 Global, one of the world's most active venture capital firms, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Through the Sustainable Innovation Program, an initiative supporting mission-driven founders building commercial solutions to sustainability challenges across the global south, our first stop is in Nairobi, with the Sustainable Innovation Seed Accelerator- Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/dhR3Y2JB #SustainableInnovation #ShellFoundation #500Global #ClimateResilience #InclusiveGrowth #GlobalSouth #CASEE #ImpactInvesting #EnergyAccess #EnergyTransition

⏰ Years in the dreaming.... 🧑🎨 Months in the making.... 📣 It's finally here! We could not be more excited for the announcement of our 500 Global newest program which will be hosted in the beautiful city of Nairobi 🇰🇪 , home to our recent efforts on the continent. We are proud to launch The Sustainable Innovation Program, a new initiative designed to accelerate inclusive economic growth and climate resilience across the Global South. Supported by our catalytic partner, Shell Foundation, with co-funding from the UK Government as part of its Transforming Energy Access platform and Catalysing Agriculture by Scaling Energy Ecosystems programme, we’ll help connect founders with mentorship and global networks they need to scale across four key sectors:  🌾 Agriculture ⚡ Energy 🚚 Mobility 🏙️ Built Environment Applications are now open for the Sustainable Innovation Seed Accelerator in Nairobi. We invite all bold entrepreneurs building in this space to apply here : https://lnkd.in/djErWmxK Jonathan Berman Kwaku Owusu-Achaw Nicholas Jones Alaa Murabit Courtney Powell Demola Adegbite Mei Chel Tan Carrie Liauw Amal Enan