The senior partner at Global Ventures and founder of C3 talks to Impact Investor about entrepreneurship in emerging markets and why it has the potential to catalyse systemic change.

Medea Nocentini is founder of C3 and a senior partner at Global Ventures. C3 – Companies Creating Change, is a UAE-based social enterprise helping impact-driven entrepreneurs in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Global Ventures is an international venture capital firm, investing in founders and ideas across emerging markets.

I grew up in Ivrea, a small Italian town where Adriano Olivetti pioneered a model of business rooted in community welfare. His belief that profit and purpose could coexist left a lasting impression on me. Years later, this philosophy shaped the founding of C3, a B Corp-certified accelerator for impact-driven startups. Now part of Global Ventures, C3 has supported over 318 ventures across the Middle East and Africa in sectors like healthtech, edtech, financial inclusion, agritech, and climate. In regions where challenges like healthcare access, education gaps, and food insecurity are pressing, entrepreneurs have the ability and responsibility to catalyse systemic change. My work has enabled me to back these changemakers early and help them scale their solutions sustainably.

In regions where challenges like healthcare access, education gaps, and food insecurity are pressing, entrepreneurs have the ability and responsibility to catalyse systemic change.

The landscape is evolving. More investors are recognising that purpose and profit can go hand in hand, especially in emerging markets. The GIIN’s 2024 report showed that impact assets under management have grown at a 21% CAGR, reaching approximately $1.6trn (€1.4trn). We are seeing a transition from the traditional two-pocket mindset to a unified one-pocket model, where capital drives both returns and impact. At C3, startups accelerated through our platform have raised $618m, with 95% still operating. But access to the right type of capital, at the right stage, is crucial. Matching risk profiles to the right kind of investor, whether through grants, venture capital, or corporates, is what enables impact-driven startups to thrive and scale.

More investors are recognising that purpose and profit can go hand in hand, especially in emerging markets.

MN: Purpose-led entrepreneurs are building the foundations of climate resilience across critical sectors, particularly agriculture, energy, and water. At Global Ventures, we have backed companies like iyris, which helps farmers in hot climates reduce water use and boost yields, addressing the GCC’s food import dependency. At C3, we have supported startups such as DesertControl, Hydro Wind Energy, and FortyGuard, all of which are tackling environmental challenges through innovation. These founders are not just responding to climate risks, they are turning them into opportunities to reimagine systems and make them more sustainable, inclusive, and adaptable to future shocks.

Purpose-led entrepreneurs are building the foundations of climate resilience across critical sectors, particularly agriculture, energy, and water.

PG: What sectors currently present strong opportunities for delivering both financial returns and meaningful impact?

MN: Sectors focused on resource efficiency, such as agriculture, supply chains, and energy, are seeing strong momentum. But core verticals like fintech, healthtech, and edtech remain equally vital. Founders in MEA are especially well-positioned, as they often build solutions for challenges they have lived through, creating markets where none existed before. These businesses are resilient by design. Our portfolio companies have created over 14,500 jobs, financially included 64 million people, and provided healthcare access to 6.8 million patients. When impact is embedded from day one, financial and social value grow in tandem.

Founders in MEA are especially well-positioned, as they often build solutions for challenges they have lived through, creating markets where none existed before.

PG: How important is collaboration with local stakeholders in achieving lasting impact, and how do you approach those on the ground?

Lasting impact is never achieved in isolation. It requires a coordinated effort between startups, governments, investors, and ecosystem enablers. Founders may have the innovation, but turning that into scalable, sustainable change depends on how well the broader system works with them. We see our role as catalysts, connecting these different players and creating the conditions for collaboration. Whether it’s introducing a founder to a policymaker, unlocking a corporate partnership, or aligning investors around a shared mission, our aim is to bring key stakeholders into the fold early. When the right people are at the table, and founders are supported by a community that understands both the local context and the larger ambition, the chances of delivering real, long-term impact grow exponentially.