Worldwide—INVEST

INVEST is a flexible, efficient buy-in mechanism that helps the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mobilize private capital for development results. Increasingly, private investors and businesses are looking to emerging markets for better returns and new market opportunities. This represents an opportunity for USAID, but it requires new forms of collaboration with the private sector.

Through the large and growing INVEST partner network, USAID can access new and underutilized partners with the expertise USAID needs, including support for investment assessments, structuring funds, and transaction advisory services.

INVEST is designed to address challenges and make it easier for USAID to work alongside the investment community. It ensures rapid procurement—within four to six weeks—so USAID can act within investors’ timelines. It enables flexible, specialized project design and implementation. And, it focuses on learning and adaptation to drive innovation in mobilizing private capital.

Based in Washington, D.C., INVEST is USAID’s flagship blended finance initiative and includes subcontractors such as CrossBoundary, Open Capital Advisors, and Dalberg. It has built a network of more than 500 partners that provide the niche, technical expertise USAID needs on-demand. Through the large and growing Finance and Investment Network, USAID can access new and underutilized partners with the expertise USAID needs, including support for investment assessments, structuring funds, and transaction advisory services.

INVEST has supported transactions in enterprise development, infrastructure, and financing instruments or funds, and worked in more than 80 countries, including Colombia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Tunisia, and Vietnam.

Sample Activities

• Perform investment opportunity assessments to help USAID understand market conditions and identify investment opportunities.
• Design or structure blended finance funds, investment platforms, and other financial products.
• Link capital suppliers to businesses that need investment to grow through transaction advisory services.
• Help strengthen the commercial viability of a project at pre-or post-investment stages by developing the capabilities of fund managers or the businesses and projects in which they invest.

Select Results

• Mobilized more than $1.03 billion in capital and supported 164 transactions, including 125 closed deals as of June 2023.
• Grown the USAID Finance and Investment Network from 26 members in 2017 to more than 579 members in 2023. This diverse network has expertise in a wide range of sectors and works in 195 countries.
• Implemented activities with 36 USAID missions, bureaus, and independent offices in more than 80 countries across a range of sectors, including finance, clean energy, and agriculture.
• Issued 231 subcontracts to develop and implement technical activities as of June 2023. Nearly 70 percent of members are identified as new or non-traditional partners for USAID. Thirty percent are considered local entities and 34 percent are locally established entities, bolstering USAID’s commitment to locally led development.