ImpactBridge: An Impact Investment Partnership for enhanced diabetes and related NCD care

Objectives

ImpactBridge is an impact investment partnership between the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), We Share Forward Foundation (WSF), and Philips Foundation Impact Investments (PFII). The initiative will use catalytic capital to back early stage social enterprises improving diabetes and related NCD care in low and middle income countries.
The core objective is to establish a co-investment alliance that accelerates equitable, high-quality healthcare by supporting scalable social enterprises. These ventures are selected for their potential to deliver early diagnosis, affordable treatment, and sustainable disease management—particularly for underserved populations.

Approach

ImpactBridge leverages an impact investment model—funding social enterprises that generate measurable health outcomes alongside financial returns. This approach enables long-term sustainability and scalability, while attracting additional mission-aligned investors.
With ImpactBridge, WDF add a complementary tool to our grant-making efforts, accelerating affordable and scalable healthcare for people living in vulnerable settings.

The partnership combines the strengths of three organisations:
• WSF deploy philanthropic capital through reinvestment-focused funding vehicle.
• PFII contributes co-investment capital and expertise in social enterprise development.
• WDF provides catalytic funding and technical guidance on diabetes and NCD interventions.

Through the ImpactBridge partnership, we have already started building a portfolio of social enterprises with an impact-first perspective where we are not just funding ideas; we are investing in proven social enterprises that are already transforming lives in the last mile of healthcare. By investing in these ventures, we ensure that they have the fuel to expand into new territories.
• Access Afya (Kenya): A franchise-based model of pharmacies and micro-clinics that brings high-quality NCD care directly into underserved communities.
• Last Mile Care (India): A visionary model that integrates digital health with physical centres at workplaces, providing industrial workers with affordable screenings and chronic disease management.

Expected results

With the ImpactBridge partnership, we are looking for impact aligned with WDF’s overall impact indicators including, among others:
• Increased number of people living with diabetes diagnosed and under treatment
• Strengthened availability and delivery of care for diabetes and related NCDs
• Increased availability of opportunities for healthy living and healthy pregnancies

We will assess new investment opportunities against four criteria:
• Accessibility: We prioritise initiatives that expand the reach of healthcare services and create environments conducive to healthy living and healthy pregnancies.
• Affordability: We seek solutions that provide affordable options for care and prevention, specifically targeting lower-income populations and those living in vulnerable situations.
• Quality: We invest in opportunities that enhance the quality of care and preventative measures.
• Scale and Sustainability: We prefer proven models ready for expansion, as well as innovative programmes with a clear, viable roadmap for long-term scalability.

The revolving investment mechanism ensures that returns are reinvested into new ventures, creating a cycle of innovation and impact. By addressing the financing gap for NCDs in low- and middle-income countries, ImpactBridge offers a replicable model for health-focused impact investing.