Q&A: Why the DOEN Foundation bets on circularity in Africa

From the newsletter

Amsterdam-based DOEN Foundation, an early-stage impact fund supporting initiatives in the Netherlands and Eastern Africa, is deepening its commitment to the continent’s circular economy. According to the foundation’s Programme Manager, Coen Persijn, the region’s innovation landscape signals a growing readiness to embrace circularity.

• The Foundation provides catalytic funding in the form of grants debt, and convertible grants to impact initiatives focused on regenerative sectors such as the blue economy, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and the circular economy.

• According to Mr Persijn, Africa’s circular transition hinges on collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the ecosystem, which are essential to unlocking growth and building long-term resilience in the sector.

More details

What motivates the DOEN Foundation’s involvement in the circular economy? 

Coen Persijn: We see the circular economy as a way of rethinking the current system. What often happens is that approaches are reactive, with a lot of focus on waste and the problems already at hand. That’s understandable, given the severity of those issues. But we believe it’s also important to push towards a more proactive mindset starting at the beginning of the product or material cycle, with design. The choices made at that stage influence everything down the line. For example, if you use a natural resource instead of a synthetic material, it changes how the product can be reused, perhaps even composted back into nature. 

So, for us at DOEN Foundation, we believe that circularity can drive the transition from a linear economy to a circular one. It helps address climate challenges, such as reducing CO₂ emissions, while also engaging and empowering local communities more deeply in the systems. In Eastern Africa, and Kenya in particular, we see a lot of innovation taking shape. As very early responders we can come in very early. Other funders often come after, which makes it sometimes difficult because you need to find proper co-funding. And sometimes there isn't any. But when you look at Africa more broadly, and Eastern Africa in particular, we do see an already active funding community. 

We’re also motivated by the innovation landscape itself. We believe that sometimes it's easier to focus on an area where there is innovation possible instead of wanting to create a new presence, understanding, knowledge, and network in new areas. That’s why we see Kenya as a starting point from which innovations can move onward to other parts of Africa quicker.   

In which African countries is DOEN active, and what are some of the projects or companies you’re supporting there? 

Coen Persijn: In Kenya we recently funded Impact Hub Nairobi, which is more of an Entrepreneur Support Organisation (ESO). They focus on supporting impact entrepreneurs and they run a program on circular food systems. That’s a good illustration of how circularity can be applied within a sector. In terms of direct entrepreneurs, we support Njabini Wool Corporation – a collective of sheep herders working to revalue wool waste in Kenya, or Africa Collect Textiles – an entrepreneur focussing on the textile waste challenge by collecting and upcycling written off textiles. 

Besides Kenya, we are active in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. In Tanzania, we’ve funded Mrembo Naturals – a women-led enterprise that turns organic waste into natural cosmetics. In Rwanda, we have partnered with Kosmotive – sadas also a women-led initiative that makes reusable menstrual pads for women and girls from used textiles. The list is long, but these are some of the inspiring entrepreneurs we’ve been able to support. 

What criteria do you use to decide which startups to fund in Africa’s circular economy space?

Coen Persijn: For us, sustainable impact needs to be clear, and circular principles as well. Ideally, this comes through design thinking and redesigning, but even a strong belief in circularity is already a positive signal. We also place a lot of emphasis on local embedment, and female ownership is something we find very important. Innovation is another key criterion. We’re not going to back the fifth company doing the exact same thing. We want to be among the first to support a new idea. And since we’re not a very large fund, our role is to step in early. Once other funders come on board and an innovation gains traction, we often move on to the next one. 

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for Africa in building a circular economy? 

To be honest, I think the biggest opportunity is collaboration. In my perspective informed by the years I have been in this space. It really comes down to connecting key players in the ecosystem. At DOEN, we always try to look from the entrepreneur’s perspective: if I’m an entrepreneur, what does my journey from startup to scale-up look like? Who do I need to meet along the way? If that pathway isn’t clear, then growth becomes a real challenge. So in Kenya, and Eastern Africa more broadly, collaboration and knowledge-sharing are critical. Knowing who is where, who does what, and how we can all support entrepreneurs, that’s a huge opportunity. 

And when I say collaboration, I mean across the board: funders, investors, entrepreneurs themselves, ESOs, networking organizations, media, policymakers and ideally even public opinion. But this kind of collaboration can be difficult. One reason is that circular economy is a sector-agnostic approach, and because of that, there are so many different definitions of circularity. For some, it’s about reusing, recycling, or remanufacturing. For others, it's a redesign. It’s all part of circularity, but without a shared understanding, it can be hard to find common ground. 

What challenges do you encounter when funding circular economy initiatives in Africa? 

Coen Persijn: One of the biggest challenges is follow-up funding and co-funding. Access to finance remains a real issue. At DOEN, we look at impact first. Our KPIs aren’t primarily about yields, ROI, or growth. Of course, we believe a strong business model is essential for long-term sustainability, but it’s not the main thing we focus on. The challenge is that the current investor landscape is often still being influenced by more traditional metrics. So, when an entrepreneur moves from the grant or experimental funding stage into the investment phase, there can be a disconnect. Bridging that gap between philanthropic or catalytic funding on one side and more commercial equity instruments on the other remains a key challenge. 

What about the policy environment on the continent? What is your take on it? 

Coen Persijn: Answering that question for the whole continent is difficult, because the policy environment really differs from country to country. But overall, I don’t think it’s yet where it needs to be. For entrepreneurs, it’s still very challenging. When it comes to securing investment, the focus is often on growth paths and projected returns in very linear ways of thinking about value. That mindset also needs to shift within governments. I do believe that markets will need to move first, and then governments will change with regulatory adaptations. But in the current system, it still isn’t easy for entrepreneurs to take risks. That’s why we see a need for more trust-based funding and trust-based partnerships. Those approaches can at least give entrepreneurs the space and support they need to grow, even while policies are still catching up. 

If you were speaking directly to entrepreneurs seeking funding, what should they focus on before approaching organizations like yours? What gaps should they try to close? 

Coen Persijn: We get an application and we talk to someone and they have a clear mindset and a clear proposition. But it's often based on their own initiative. And there's not a lot of connection with someone from a different party in the value chain. And I think that sometimes could be done a bit better. Another thing is proper go-to-market strategies. Having a proper brand identity, proposition, like who are you, how does your branding look like. But there are multiple things and it depends on each enterprise. 

Often when I talk to entrepreneurs, I see really amazing ideas. Many already have viable products, services, or business lines. But what’s sometimes missing is a clear understanding that they are part of a wider ecosystem, they’re not operating in isolation, as I mentioned before. 

Take e-waste as an example. If you’re focused on collecting e-waste, you also need to think about who comes before you and after you in the value chain. Ideally, you should have relationships with those players if you want to build something that lasts. Often, we get applications with a strong proposition, but it’s based on the entrepreneur’s own initiative, where more connections to others in the chain sometimes are missing. Also, there are other important elements and they vary depending on the enterprise. But broadly, having a solid go-to-market strategy, an understanding of the broader value chain, a clear brand identity, and a compelling value proposition of who you are and how you present yourself, are all important. 

As a foundation, what are your hopes for Africa's circular economy?

Coen Persijn: What I really hope is that we move away from talking about circularity as if it were a specific way of working. It’s not a sector on its own. I’d be very happy to see it fully integrated across industries, markets, and trends, and embraced as a mindset. And I don’t just mean among entrepreneurs. This understanding needs to extend to conservative banks, policymakers, and the wider market. Circularity has so much value, and if it’s done well, it can strengthen entire systems. But for that to happen, it needs to be recognized as a backbone for everything, supported by more awareness and knowledge. Ideally, I’d love to see a future where we’re no longer talking about waste or overconsumption. Instead, we’re guided by a circular way of thinking, one that flows in a cycle rather than along a straight line. 

Any final thoughts?

Coen Persijn: As a small foundation, we try to contribute to building a better system. My hope is that more people and organizations feel the same way and that we can work together. Sometimes it feels like we’re all alone in this struggle toward a different kind of system, but we’re not. When you attend events or talk to entrepreneurs, funders and ESO’s, you see just how many movers are already out there. We simply need to combine our strengths.