Root Capital is a nonprofit social investment fund that is pioneering finance for grassroots businesses in the developing world.

Our mission is to pioneer finance for grassroots businesses that build sustainable livelihoods and transform rural communities in poor, environmentally vulnerable places.
Root Capital seeks to provide capital, financial education, and market connections to socially and environmentally responsible grassroots businesses in the developing world. By offering loans to small and medium enterprises, Root Capital aims to fill the "missing middle" of finance-serving those groups caught in the underserved gap between microfinance and traditional banking. Root Capital targets the rural poor, who account for 75% of extreme poverty in developing countries. By providing not just capital but also the expertise on how to use it, we build local talent and business skills so that people with little or no formal education can compete in the global marketplace: connecting their business to buyers and banks, and dramatically improving livelihoods for entire rural communities.
Founded in 1999, Root Capital has grown considerably over the past decade. The organization is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has field offices in Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Kenya. Root Capital has loaned more than $100 million to over 210 grassroots businesses worldwide in more than 30 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia.