Apply for D-Prize 2025 to win $20,000+ in seed investment

D-prize 2025 is a competition that provides start-ups with about $20,000 in seed investment. The fund is available to entrepreneurs launching new start-ups focused on tackling and reducing extreme poverty in low and middle-income African countries.

Founded in 2013 by Co-founders Klaudia Chmielowska, Yifei Jefferson Chen, and Nasiru Fakaih, the fund aims to scale effective solutions by supporting social impact organisations focused on delivering poverty alleviation solutions to underserved countries.

The fund’s objective is to reduce poverty and promote innovation by providing support that is meant to be the launch pad for new start-ups to grow large-scale. They believe that investment equals development and only provide seed funding for founders who do not have access to startup capital.

Since its inception in 2013, the fund has seeded 277 organisations, most of which are still functioning and impacting lives.

One of the past beneficiaries is Seedloan, a company helping female smallholder farmers in Uganda grow more to feed their families. Another is Leaf Global, a fintech company that empowers refugees with digital financial services needed to store and transport assets. There’s also 4Her2Her, a women-led organisation positively impacting the lives of girls in low-income countries. Each winner aims to make an impact in their countries while solving often overlooked and understated problems.

D-Prize’s focus is to alleviate poverty by providing funding to new entrepreneurs who are focused on making a difference and increasing the quality of life of people in underserved regions. According to them, “We care about evidence-based impact. The world already has cost-effective products & services targeting poverty, and our mission is to support organisations that can provide or distribute solutions to areas that need them. Our vision is to make high-impact poverty interventions universally accessible.”

Eligibility

The fund is mostly for new start-ups that have not launched or raised outside funding, and business owners who are capable of tackling the extreme poverty in underserved regions by launching new organisations.

You can also apply if:

• You do not have a family member on the judging panel
• Your startup has existed for less than 18 months and has not raised more than $30,000 in outside funding
• You’re an existing startup, and your core focus is rendering an evidence-based poverty intervention service

Take note that the D-Prize is extremely interested in ventures that will upscale the distribution of an already proven poverty intervention in the developing world. They do not fund prototypes of promising new interventions.

How to apply for D-Prize 2025

The application process is a bit technical and is in two stages.

• Stage 1: applicants would choose a specific sector they would like to compete in. The sectors available are—health, water, agriculture, livelihoods, energy, public services, education and customs.
• Stage 2: applicants will proceed to download an application package and follow the instructions carefully.

D-Prize is specifically interested in distributing proven poverty interventions to those in need, ensuring your purpose for applying reflects that.

For this cohort, the deadline is in three phases. Early submission will close on Sunday, 18 May 2025, at midnight PT (Pacific Time). After which, the regular deadline and extended deadline will shutter on Sunday, June 8, and June 29, respectively. All Pacific time zones.

Take advantage of early submissions and begin your application immediately via the official website.

Unlike many other competitions where the winner takes it all, D-Prize is different. Multiple winners will be selected, usually within the 5 -15 range, with each proposal getting funded to the tune of $20,000 each.

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