News

BIX Capital recognised as a “major fund” in clean cooking sector in Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA)’s new magazine
While gender-lens investment has been slow to grow, a promising upward trend could be a game-changer for the clean cooking sector. Major funds, including the Global Innovation Fund, Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries, and BIX Capital, are applying a gender lens in the investment process and investing in clean cooking.
Read the full story here 👉 bit.ly/45YGfxT

Founding Partner Bernadette Blom selected for Top 50 Women in Sustainable Finance in the Netherlands
TOP 50 Women in Sustainable Finance!
We are honoured that our Founding Partner Bernadette Blom is selected as one of the Top 50 female leaders in the Netherlands committed to sustainability in the financial sector by WIFS (the Netherlands) – for the second year in a row.
The women included in the Top 50 are committed to increase sustainability within the financial sector and have demonstrable visibility and impact on this topic. This includes all facets of sustainability, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Congratulations to everyone included in the WIFS Top 50 – 2023!

10 YEARS FOUNT!
FOUNT.eu was established 10 years ago by its founders Bob Assenberg and Bernadette Blom. Last week we celebrated this 10-year anniversary with the FOUNT team in Maastricht.
We started off as a strategic advisory firm focusing on impact investing in emerging markets and during the initial years we supported and advised numerous clients generating impact. Gradually we also became involved in fund & investment management activities initially managing and restructuring the affordable housing portfolio in emerging markets of DIGH.
Today we manage a portfolio of impact funds: BIX Capital (pre financing impact receivables in Sub Sahara Africa) Good Fashion Fund (sustainable fashion) AGRI3 Fund (sustainable agriculture & forest protection) and Organic Development Finance (ODF) (affordable finance for organic agri-producers).
We would like to thank all our clients, investors, stakeholders, team members and partners for your trust and contribution to this beautiful journey.
We are proud and happy and will continue to make an impact for many years to come.

Good Fashion Fund makes new investments in India and Bangladesh
AMSTERDAM – The platform Impact-Investor.com published an article on The Good Fashion Fund (GFF), announcing the completion of two new investments, including its first investment in Bangladesh and its second in India.
Fund managers Fount have invested in Indian ready-made garment manufacturer Progress Apparels and Bangladeshi cotton yarn and denim fabric producer Sri Kannapiran Mills.

Organic Development Finance Fund partners with FOUNT
Organic Development Finance (ODF) and FOUNT are proud to announce their partnership for the scaling of ODF. ODF provides affordable finance to high-potential organic agricultural companies in low-income and emerging countries to increase organic production and achieve sustainable impact for the environment and small holder farmers. By providing finance combined with targeted technical assistance, the ODF catalyses equitable supply chains with high organic integrity,

AGRI3 Fund Transforming Sustainable Cattle Farming in Brazil
As the global food system needs to scale up production to feed a rapidly growing population, while reducing its carbon footprint, preventing deforestation and restoring ecosystems to meet global climate, biodiversity and land degradation targets. The AGRI3 Fund is strongly aiming to address these challenges by seeking to finance sustainable agricultural practices. The UN environment programme wrote a newsletter on AGRI3’s practices and how it aims to transform sustainable cattle farming.
Webinar Impact Investing in Justice Startups on February 23
What are the opportunities for Impact Investing in the field of justice? What does the Innovating Justice Fund launched by FOUNT and HiiL seek to achieve?
Each year, more than 1 billion people face a serious justice problem. Up to 55% of these problems remain unresolved or are resolved in a way that is felt as unfair. To address the gap in equal access to justice for all FOUNT and HiiL launched the Innovating Justice Fund. The Fund provides funding and technical assistance (TA) to early–stage start-ups that sustainably deliver innovative justice services in emerging markets. Read more in the press release of June 2022.
Join the webinar Impact Investing in Justice Startups on February 23rd at 15:00 PM CET to discuss why we need to drastically improve the allocation of capital in order to make justice available for all. The webinar will convene justice sector leaders and investors to discuss and share best practices and see how we could help each other close the justice gap.

AGRI3 Fund and Rabobank launch initiative “Renova Pasto”
AGRI3 Fund and Rabobank have launched a new initiative “Renova Pasto” in Brazil which will support the renovation of degraded pasturelands and accelerate forest conservation. A 10 year loan product from Rabobank and AGRI3 Fund will enable farmers to restore the health of their pastureland whilst simultaneously accelerate their compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code. A great blend of soil restoration, forest protection and higher production!
Watch the video to learn more

First investment of Good Fashion Fund demonstrates impact
The Good Fashion Fund jointly with its expert partners Fair Wear Foundation and Sphera, had its first on-site monitoring visit in December 2022. The investment is already showing fruitful results and positive financial, environmental and social impact in Pratibha’s spinning, processing and garmenting divisions. The impact of the investment is above expectations, according to Bernadette Blom, director of The Good Fashion Fund. This investment is in line with the goal of the Good Fashion Fund, working towards a more restorative and regenerative apparel supply chain.
Read the press release
Good Fashion Fund’s first investment demonstrates impact

GFF-directors highlight the importance of turning words into action
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the non-profit Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) have launched the Fashion Industry Target Consultation to agree on targets to help the fashion sector transition towards a net-positive industry. Bernadette Blom and Bob Assenberg, partners at impact investment firm FOUNT which manages the Good Fashion Fund, have shared their insights in an interview on Impact Investor: “We feel it is important that all stakeholders, including the brands go beyond words, and actually support manufacturers in their supply chains to become more sustainable.”
Read the article UN-backed global consultation on how to make fashion industry net-positive launched