New Silk Roads New Silk Roads
New Silk Roads is a boutique consultancy agency operating from Cairo, Tunis, and Amsterdam. We specialise in supporting impact-driven organisations and businesses through services such as organisational learning, fundraising, facilitation, research, event hosting and curation and impact evaluations.
Founded in 2013, our work is deeply rooted in the values of the historic Silk Roads: trust, collaboration, and cross-cultural exchange. These values guide us in connecting our clients to extensive international networks, knowledge, and financial resources. We have implemented various projects, ranging from fellowships to funder learning journeys to coaching changemakers on fundraising to comprehensive research publications in technological trends, climate transition and contemporary culture.
UNDP Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator (GGJA)
New Silk Roads is providing fundraising, leadership training, and support with monitoring, evaluation, and learning to Flat6Labs, one of the leading business accelerators in the MENA region. One of our success stories is securing a $3.5 million USD tender from UNDP for the "Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator Program", an entrepreneurship support programme implemented in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria. New Silk Roads is developing an e-learning curriculum for green SMEs, including several digital courses on green business development, impact measurement, and access to finance for SMEs.
ReBootKamp (RBK): Training youth to work in the Tunisian ICT sector
New Silk Roads supported ReBootKamp (RBK), the first immersive coding bootcamp in Tunisia, to scale up across the country and internationally, aiming to train young people to become employment-ready software engineers. Over three years, our services have enabled RBK to increase the competitiveness of its curriculum and develop comprehensive policies and procedures. We provided support on gender inclusion, conducting a gender baseline study and advising on gender-based strategies, resulting in more women graduating from the bootcamps. Additionally, we implemented a robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework to track training effectiveness and job placements, enhancing RBK's strategic positioning and competitiveness.
Philea Peer Learning Journey
The Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea) contracted New Silk Roads to facilitate a two-year peer-learning journey on international cooperation for the Funders International Network for Development (FIND) member community. This initiative includes a series of online deep dives and in-person meetings in Brussels and Lisbon, focusing on emerging trends and practices such as locally-led development, innovative funding instruments, and collaborations with African philanthropy. The New Silk Roads team has curated a lineup of dynamic speakers for these sessions and will also develop an interactive digital knowledge product. The FIND member community is co-chaired by “la Caixa” Foundation and Anglo American Foundation.
Green Growth Summit
New Silk Roads offered project management, facilitation, and event management services for the 2024 Green Growth Summit in Tunis and Cairo, bringing together over 400 entrepreneurs, investors, business support organisations, donors, DFIs, and policymakers interested in the green transition. Key activities included organising donor roundtables with 27 funders, resulting in the creation of two donor task forces, and hosting investor engagement activities such as investment deal rooms. Additionally, our fundraising team secured additional event sponsorships from regional donors to expand the summits’ reach and impact.
DOEN: Impact Investment in Arts and Culture
New Silk Roads conducted a feasibility study for DOEN Participates for a new Impact Investment Fund for the cultural and creative sector in Europe. Together with an investor, we interviewed over 40 impact investors, artists, and cultural entrepreneurs to discuss the opportunities and challenges for impact investment in arts and culture, specifically in the Netherlands. The research explored 6 thematic areas: New Materials and Crafts, Ethical Fashion, Social Design, Cultural Spaces, Cultural Productions and Urban Culture. Subsequently, New Silk Roads is advising DOEN to identify a suitable fund manager. The DOEN feasibility study will be published in early 2025.
CLUA Just and Sustainable Technologies
For the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA), New Silk Roads developed a strategic foresight report, organised two mini think tanks, and wrote a strategic line of action for just and sustainable technology in tropical forest countries. The assignment included engaging consultants in Indonesia and Costa Rica, conducting interviews with a wide range of climate organisations, environment defenders and digital rights specialists, analysing CLUA's grant portfolio, and involving experts in digital rights and climate justice. The outcomes were presented at CLUA's strategic retreat with representatives from member foundations, including Climate Works, Porticus, the Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Moore Foundation, and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.
Winter 2023-2024 Updates
As winter turns to spring, we're delighted to share the latest updates from New Silk Roads. In 2024, our work to support a just green transition continues, including launching the Green Growth Summit, featuring flagship one-day events in Tunisia (April 30, 2024) and Egypt (May 14, 2024). We partnered with Flat6Labs on a 4-year program, together with UNDP and we developed a research product with EnDev and RVO.
Winter 2022 - 2023 Updates
It’s been a busy start to 2023 as we kick off a number of new projects, both with longstanding partners and several new clients. Some of the high lights are our work with Hivos under the Climate Fund for a just Transition, our support to the Finish Embassy in Egypt, the Sinai Futures Lab and the launch of Vertical Atlas.
Fall 2023 Updates
In the spirit of the old silk roads, we recently designed and implemented a learning journey to bring together impact entrepreneurship pioneers from eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for the EVPA’s “Impact in the Neighborhood” event in Tbilisi, Georgia. Now, we’re developing another learning journey (and celebration) with Hivos to capture and share the outcomes of the GreenWorks program in the Netherlands next month.