ygap

ygap creates positive change by making entrepreneurship more inclusive

10/03/2026

🚨 Final call for ygap Innovators!

Our survey closes tomorrow at 12pm FJT (11th March) — thank you to everyone who’s already shared your voice, and if you haven’t yet, there’s still time💚

📩 Check your inbox for the link, or reach out to [email protected] so you’re included.

06/03/2026

⏳ 5 days to go!

If you’ve been part of a ygap program, there’s still time to tell us what you need before the survey closes on the 11th of March.

Your insights will directly shape the support, connections, and opportunities we create for our community this year 🌱

📩 Check your email for the survey link. If you haven’t received it, reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll send it your way.

We can’t wait to hear your insights and build what comes next, together💚

04/03/2026

🌻 Hey ygap Innovators!

The needs assessment survey closes 11th March - have you checked your email yet? Your input is what will shape upcoming expert-led clinics, peer learning circles, and other alumni support.

📩 Can’t find it? Reach out to [email protected] . Your voice counts.

26/02/2026

📢If you’ve been on a ygap journey, check this out!

We’ve been tracking patterns across the ygap community - from the ventures being built to the impact they’re creating.

Explore our live dashboard through the link in the comments. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find:

🌱A wide range of ventures across sectors
🌱Solutions tackling real community challenges
🌱Fellow ygap Innovators eager to connect, collaborate and share

Now it’s your turn! Tell us your needs to help shape the next phase of support.

📩 Check your inbox for a short survey from us or reach out to [email protected] so you're included.

25/02/2026

🌱 Been part of a ygap program? This is for you!

We’re launching a tailored support program, shaped by your input. Tell us the support you need by 11th March, 2026✨

📩Check your inbox for a short survey - your feedback will guide activities, sessions, and connections, while shaping what comes next!

Haven’t received the email? Reach out to [email protected] and we’ll make sure you’re included.

18/02/2026

A lot has changed at ygap & Polished Man. Over 17 years, many faces have come and gone. But one thing hasn’t changed over all these years.

Our belief in local solutions shaped by lived experience, to create safe communities where women and youth can thrive ✨

Our CEO Meenal Kharé reflects – “We’ve been on a long journey to ground what we do in lived realities, local contexts, cultures, and ecosystems. Flipping org power structures to be truly locally-led, hasn’t always been neat or linear. It’s messy. It’s expensive. It's iterative.

But it’s been intentional. And I’m incredibly proud of who we are today.”

Last month, we kicked off 2026 with our first team call. She captured a sneaky screenshot to introduce you to our lean but mighty team, and to share how wonderful it is to have a truly global team.

Meenal Kharé: What did y’all get up to over the break?

🐔 Periz Odhiambo "Visited my home where my sister started a chicken farm! Learnt poultry farming and adopted a kitten called Ruby. Between crochet breaks on the farm and Ruby's obsession with yarn, it was a beautiful pause." [Africa Program Lead - Nairobi, Kenya]

🌊 Anisha Senaratne "Time by the sea in South Australia hanging out with my partner’s family." [Australia Program Lead - Naarm, Australia]

😴 Darran Davon "Flopped and dropped, and ate a lot of lovo (slow-cooked earth oven feast)." [Global Tech & Impact Lead - Suva, Fiji]

🎉 Simphiwe S. Mntambo "Travelled home to spend time with my parents and celebrate my aunt's retirement with malva pudding." [Global Head of Impact - Jo'burg, South Africa]

☕ Natalie Kean "Slowing down and reconnecting with friends in Naarm/Melbourne over our shared coffee obsession at local favourite, Hurricane Handsome." [Polished Man Campaign Lead - Byron Bay/Cavanbah, Australia]

🦋 Ruth Ravai "Celebrated my daughter’s 9th birthday and unplugged — hiking, swimming, and spending the first day of ’26 at the farm." [Fiji Program Lead - Suva, Fiji]

7 smiling faces. 5 time zones. Same shared purpose. We're locked in for 2026 and look forward to sharing our learnings.

05/12/2025

Vinaka, Siyabonga, Asante Sana, Wela’lioq — thank you to our volunteers this season 🌱

Your energy and creativity have made a real difference across ygap and Polished Man, and we can’t recommend this bunch enough. We’re a lean team championing locally-led change and safer communities for women and children both in Australia and overseas – we rely on the support of our skilled volunteers to make sure for every $1 spent on keeping the organisation running, $5 goes directly to grassroots impact innovation.

Get around them and reach out if you’d like to get involved.

06/10/2025

We’ve worked with over 800 under-estimated impact entrepreneurs providing mentorship and patient capital to uplift women in some of the toughest contexts across Africa and Asia Pacific. The from Impact Investment Exchange - IIX has mobilised over $1.4B in capital to drive inclusive economic growth, and we couldn’t be prouder to be bringing this movement home alongside Minderoo Foundation, The Snow Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation & LEAAF Trust to back women-led and women-impacting businesses.

will pilot a guarantee facility of $15 million to unlock at least AU$35 million in impact-linked lending from financial institutions. This marks the first in a developed market, making Australia a pioneer in equitable financing. The feasibility study will conclude in December, stay tuned for further details.

Full press release in the comments.

29/09/2025

Over the past 3 years we’ve supercharged 34 underrepresented entrepreneurs in Fiji to reimagine tourism as a force for sustainability and sustainable livelihoods.

We’re proud to have cultivated deep local partnerships with Tourism Fiji, Talanoa Treks, Duavata Collective, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and industry experts to strengthen local capacity and localise leadership of our Sustainable Tourism Accelerator. This , we celebrate the Pasifika entrepreneurs who are preserving Fiji’s culture, creating economic opportunity, and building a resilient, environmentally conscious tourism sector 🌱

Here’s to a future where tourism uplifts both people and planet 🌏

28/08/2025

This month, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark ruling affirming nations binding legal obligations under international law to prevent climate harm and protect present and future generations. Led by Pacific Islander voices in 2019, the case marked the most expansive participation in the Court’s history, with over 100 states and international organisations testifying. This historic ruling is a major step forward in global climate accountability.

“There’s a connection between human beings and nature. The indigenous of every island in the Pacific, we are the custodians of our fishing grounds, so we have to take the lead.”

These powerful words from Manoa Duwai, of Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park and a recent ygap Accelerator graduate, embody that leadership.

At ygap, we are proud to walk alongside Pacific Island communities through our work with under-estimated impact entrepreneurs and partners like Tourism Fiji and Duavata Collective to nurture a local entrepreneurial ecosystem that unites sustainable livelihoods with climate resilience. This ruling is a reminder: the world is listening, and Pasifika is leading the way.

14/01/2025

The countdown to 2030 is on.

At ygap, we believe the key to sustainable change lies within the communities we work with. Empowering local entrepreneurs to create solutions to the challenges they face creates deep community impact, while also helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.

After over a decade working in this space, we continue to see that business is a powerful tool for change. In 2024, our entrepreneurs addressed 9 out of 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals through their business operations.

Backing micro, small and growing businesses is a sure way to help reach the SDGs. Back ygap’s work today: www.ygap.org/donate

05/01/2025

Happy new year, everyone!

We’re excited to be back, and more than ready to dive into another year of supporting entrepreneurs around the world to solve local problems.

Since 2008, we’ve been backing some of the most innovative, exciting, impactful businesses to grow across Kenya, South Africa, the Pacific Islands and Australia.

Want to learn more, or help us achieve our vision of an equitable and sustainable world? Head to www.ygap.org

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