CROWD – OPEN OPPORTUNITIES
Stay up to date with the latest opportunities, events, insights, and announcements from across the CROWD network
Upcoming events:
Financial Modelling Training Opportunity for Portfolio Companies
Organiser: EEP Africa
Delivery Partner: Open Capital Advisors (OCA)
Application deadline: 27 October 2026
Format: Online workshops (November 2026)
EEP Africa is offering a series of online financial modelling capacity-building workshops designed to strengthen companies’ ability to develop and use financial models for business planning, financial management and fundraising.
Participants who meet the training completion requirements will receive a certificate of completion. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Opportunities at Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo 2026, Kigali Rwanda
Monday 26 October
Open Source in Energy Access Symposium (OSEAS) 2026
Members event for the last-mile distributors hosted by the Global Distributors Collective (GDC)
Repair event for manufacturers, financiers and donors hosted by the Off-Grid Solar Repair Lab
Networking Reception: Repair and Resilience Beyond the Last Mile
Time: 6 – 9 pm
Location: Serena Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda
Register here to attend the event
Hosted by the Global Distributors Collective, the Off-Grid Solar Repair Lab, Energy Saving Trust, the Agri-Energy Coalition and CLASP, this reception will bring together distributors, manufacturers, donors, government representatives and sector partners for an evening of networking and discussion. Taking place ahead of the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo, the event will provide an opportunity to explore the important role of repair and resilience in the sector, reconnect with colleagues, and build new partnerships in an informal setting. Energy Saving Trust will formally announce joining the Repair Lab, and CLASP joining the Agri-Energy Coalition at this event.
Tuesday 27 October
CROWD Coordination & Harmonisation Workshop – only CROWD members, investors and donors, not for companies
Time: 1.30pm–4pm
Location: Kigali Convention Centre, Room AD11
How can we reduce repetitive due diligence as companies move from early-stage support towards commercial capital? This interactive workshop will bring together funders, investors and companies to test an emerging due diligence framework, explore what could realistically be standardised or mutually recognised, and identify practical solutions to reduce unnecessary duplication.
Wednesday 28 October
2.4 Connecting the dots: How can partnerships and market linkages enable businesses to scale?
Time: 11am-12.15pm
Location: Room MH3
CROWD Database Workshop – only CROWD members, investors and donors, not for companies
Time: 3.45pm–5pm
Location: Room AD11
Help shape the next phase of the CROWD portfolio database. We’ll share what we’ve heard from members before working together to prioritise the database’s most valuable uses, considering data feasibility and the insights that would be most useful to funders and investors.
Thursday 29 October
1.7. Uninvestable? The untapped market of humanitarian, fragile and conflict affected settings
Time: 9am-10.15am
Location: Room MH2
1.9. Closing the loop on circularity: What’s needed? Who pays?
Time: 1.30pm-2.45pm
Location: MH2
2.10. Cooling, drying and milling as a service: What would it take to scale across Africa?
Time: 3.30pm-4.45pm
Location: Room MH3
CROWD Networking Reception
Time: 5pm–7pm
Location: Room MH4
Join us for drinks, conversations and connections across the CROWD community. This event will allow attendees to continue their conversations following GOGLA’s earlier curated company/investor roundtable matchmaking event. This event is open to all investors, CROWD members, and portfolio companies.
Previous events:
Scaling Potential Webinar Series: Insights from the Scaling Potential Report
Organisers: Energy Saving Trust and the CROWD Working Group
Date: 8 October 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. BST / 11:00 a.m. CEST / 12:00 p.m. EAT
Format: Online webinar (recording found here)
Join us for the first event in the Scaling Potential Webinar Series, focused on strengthening support for Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) companies. Drawing on findings from the recently published Scaling Potential: Strengthening Early-Stage Support for PURE Companies report, the webinar will explore the current support landscape, key challenges facing PURE companies and opportunities to make support more effective, coordinated and responsive to company needs.
Who should attend? PURE companies, funders, investors, technical assistance providers, development partners and other stakeholders working across the PURE ecosystem.
Speakers: Hannah Mottram (Energy Saving Trust), Tamara Kalunda (Open Capital Advisors), Bowofade Elegbede (Acumen West Africa) and Jussi Viding (EEP Africa).
Quality Assurance for Walk-in Cold Rooms for Food Applications in Global South Markets
Organisers: CLASP and VeraSol
Date: 8 September 2026
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EAT / 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CEST
Format: Online (recording found here)
Join VeraSol and CLASP to explore the development and application of a quality assurance framework for walk-in cold rooms used in food applications. The webinar will introduce new testing resources, share implementation experiences, and discuss future improvements to cold room performance standards.
Who should attend? WICR manufacturers and suppliers, buyers, procurement agencies, programme implementers, development partners and technical experts.
Energy Enterprise Coach (EEC) Learning Webinar: What Works in SME Business Development Support
Organisers: NIRAS and Intellecap
Date: 9 September 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EAT
Format: Online webinar
Drawing on four years of implementation across Africa and Asia, this webinar will share practical lessons on designing and delivering effective business development support for early-growth clean energy enterprises. Discussions will explore SME support, finance readiness, and strengthening coordination across the clean energy ecosystem.
Who should attend? Development partners, funders, enterprise-support organisations, financial institutions, investors, clean energy companies and sector associations.
Speakers: Victoria Butegwa (GIZ), Jessica Kasigye (Charm Impact), Ankit Agarwal (NIRAS), and Abdi Mulugeta (AEM Manufacturing).