ASAP’s goal is to identify, integrate, and accelerate small businesses in developing countries that are producing climate adaptation and climate resilience technologies and solutions

Executive Summary

The Adaptation SME Accelerator Program (ASAP) is an ecosystem-building initiative that seeks to broadly identify, integrate, and accelerate the ecosystem of small- to medium-sized companies in emerging markets across Latin America, Africa, and Asia with technologies and solutions that can help build resilience to the impacts of climate change. It is a grant-funded initiative led by The Lightsmith Group, with the support of the Global Environment Facility’s Special Climate Change Fund. Additional support is provided by Conservation International and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Adaptation has historically not been well-defined and can take many forms. ASAP led an extensive consultative process to develop the Adaptation Solutions Taxonomy which provides clear definitions for what qualifies as an “Adaptation SME.” By creating a guideline on what types of technologies, services, and products qualify as an adaptation solution, the taxonomy creates a shared framework to identify and engage with adaptation SMEs. It is a flexible and dynamic tool applicable beyond the ASAP initiative. Connecting SMEs identified through the Adaptation Solutions Taxonomy to the resources of a world-class accelerator, demonstrates how these companies can scale up their solutions to the growing impacts of climate change, especially in the places that are most vulnerable.

Using the Adaptation Solutions Taxonomy, ASAP developed the Adaptation SME Directory, a global network of over 400 SMEs in developing countries that are producing climate adaptation and resilience solutions. 

ASAP partnered with Village Capital to implement the Adaptation SME Accelerator which identified and supported a cohort of 19 adaptation solutions SMEs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean to offer technical and advisory assistance, training to improve investment-readiness, one-on-one working sessions, connection to a network of industry experts and investors, and the opportunity to pitch their company at a climate adaptation focused Investor Forum.