---
id: 9297
title: "Zoscales Partners: Best Sustainable Investment Strategy East Africa 2021"
award_year: 2021
published: 2021-06-29 08:42:49
published_gmt: 2021-06-29 07:42:49
author: "CFI.co Editorial"
url: "https://cfi.co/awards/africa/2021/zoscales-partners-best-sustainable-investment-strategy-east-africa-2021/"
categories: ["Africa", "Best Practice", "Sustainability"]
content_class: award_rationale
independence_status: independent_editorial
sponsor_disclosure: none
editorial_lens: constructive_positive_lens
historical_status: current_at_publication
correction_status: none
archive_policy: no_delete
provenance_layer: github_versioned
wayback_status: archived
wayback_first_snapshot: 20210725062308
wayback_snapshot_url: "http://web.archive.org/web/20210725062308/https://cfi.co/awards/africa/2021/zoscales-partners-best-sustainable-investment-strategy-east-africa-2021/"
license: CFI-OAAL-1.0
content_sha256: 4e878ba02e21b8fd7e5b9799969c3cdd847322387125961d5f10787882a12b25
canonical: 9297-zoscales-partners-best-sustainable-investment-strategy-east-africa-2021.json
---
# Zoscales Partners: Best Sustainable Investment Strategy East Africa 2021
> Verbatim archived copy. Canonical machine record: `9297-zoscales-partners-best-sustainable-investment-strategy-east-africa-2021.json`.
Zoscales Partners connects international investors with high-growth, high-impact opportunities in East Africa. The firm combines private equity investments, knowledge sharing and scalability support to fuel SME growth. Zoscales targets industries with attractive exit strategies and a compound annual growth rate of 15 percent or better. The three core divisions are healthcare, fast-moving consumer goods, and materials. Its first $75m fund was launched in 2017, with five investments done so far. The most recent addition was a 2020 investment in Ethiopia’s first private-sector MRI provider, Pioneer Diagnostics Center (PDC). During the course of 2021, the fund is expected to make its last two investments before launching its second fund. Zoscales Partners identifies six SDGs where its operations have the most impact and offers training, workshops and scholarships. It finances clean water and sanitation projects, integrates climate action across investments and catalyses the development of sustainable cities and communities. The firm has generated high returns for investors while creating over 500 quality jobs across East Africa. It expects to double job creation before year end and focuses on diversity by hiring more female employees to the companies . Zoscales has a Danish origin story, following the friendship of cofounders Ashenafi Alemu, of Ethiopia, and Jacop Rentschler, of Denmark. That style of collaboration continues, with a large institutional investor base in Europe and a network of regional partners. Fundraising is underway for Zoscales’ second fund, with a $200m target and continued focus on core industries. The firm favours strong ESG initiatives — which helps it secure funding from institutions including the International Finance Corporation and World Bank. The CFI.co judging panel congratulates repeat programme winner, Zoscales Partners, on the 2021 award for Best Sustainable Investment Strategy (East Africa).