The Commonwealth Investment Network (CIN) has opened a digital investment-readiness programme to eligible climate-positive businesses and projects across its 56 member states, expanding a pilot that supported seven enterprises in Pacific and Caribbean small-island states as it seeks to strengthen the pipeline of businesses capable of attracting climate finance.
Announced on 28 October 2026, the programme provides applicants with a bankability diagnostic and a tailored roadmap identifying gaps they need to address before approaching investors. The initiative is delivered through Earth Collective, a digital platform that manages applications, assessments and investment-readiness support. The expansion is intended to make structured guidance available beyond a small, selected cohort, with the first new applicants expected to be accepted in early November ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 to 4 November.
The move addresses a persistent obstacle for climate-positive businesses: the gap between developing a product or project with environmental benefits and meeting the financial, operational and governance requirements of investors. Companies may have promising technologies, customers or development plans but still lack robust financial projections, clear growth strategies, documented impact data or the information needed for investment decisions.
Under the programme, eligible businesses and projects can apply directly or through their national investment promotion agencies. Applicants complete a diagnostic and receive a roadmap setting out their current investment-readiness position and the tools and guidance needed to address priority gaps. Mentorship is targeted at businesses and projects considered closest to raising capital, while investment promotion agencies and partner institutions receive resources to support their own pipelines.
The approach builds on CIN’s first cohort, which ran from December 2025 to March 2026 and attracted 136 applications from 17 Pacific and Caribbean small-island states. Seven businesses were selected, each receiving more than 50 hours of tailored mentorship before presenting to investors at the CIN Showcase and Summit in London. The programme reported that funding was mobilised for cohort businesses and that all participating businesses said they would recommend the programme to others.
The new model changes how support is allocated. Rather than limiting access to businesses selected for a time-bound accelerator, the platform is designed to assess every eligible applicant and provide a next step, even when a business is not yet ready to raise capital. The aim is to preserve a wider pipeline of potential investment opportunities while directing intensive mentoring towards enterprises that are nearer to securing finance.
Lana Baker-Cowling, Programme Manager for the Commonwealth Investment Network at Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii), said expanding support beyond a cohort was necessary to address the climate finance gap across the Commonwealth. She said the network was working with partners to make investor-informed support more accessible while strengthening local institutions and enabling knowledge-sharing between markets.
The programme is delivered through Earth Collective, a Canada- and Australia-based company whose platform enables organisations to manage investment-readiness pipelines from initial application through to investor engagement. Its role in the CIN initiative is to provide the digital infrastructure for applications, diagnostics and roadmaps, helping the network serve more businesses without replicating the same intensive support process for every applicant.
Anthony Moorhouse, co-founder of Earth Collective, said many sustainable businesses struggle to attract investment not only because of limited visibility but also because founders may not know which weaknesses are preventing investors from committing capital. He said the platform would give applicants a clearer view of their readiness and the improvements required, while helping investors identify businesses that better match their funding criteria.
For applicants, the distinction between investment readiness and access to finance remains important. A diagnostic and roadmap can help identify deficiencies in financial planning, governance, business strategy or impact measurement, but completing those steps does not guarantee that an investor will provide funding. Final decisions will continue to depend on the commercial model, risk profile, financing needs, market conditions and the mandate of potential funders.
The network’s expansion also reflects the importance of strengthening the institutions that support businesses locally. Investment promotion agencies, accelerators and other partner organisations often serve as the first point of contact for enterprises seeking finance. Providing these institutions with common tools and a consistent way to assess investment readiness could help them identify recurring barriers, coordinate technical assistance and build a more coherent pipeline for investors.
According to Fii, the CIN’s wider work extends beyond business acceleration to improving the enabling environment and addressing structural barriers to capital flows. These areas include institutional capacity, investment frameworks, risk-sharing arrangements and cooperation between governments, financial institutions and private investors. The objective is to build a system that can repeatedly prepare and connect investment opportunities, rather than relying only on individual accelerator cohorts.
This is particularly relevant for small and climate-vulnerable economies, where businesses may operate in relatively small markets and face high costs when developing projects or seeking finance. Climate-positive enterprises can require investment in equipment, infrastructure, working capital, technology and expansion, while projects may need additional preparation before they can demonstrate their viability. In such contexts, improving bankability is only one part of the challenge; access to suitable financing structures and investors willing to operate in smaller markets also matters.
The Commonwealth Investment Network was launched at CHOGM in Samoa in October 2024 as part of wider efforts to strengthen investment cooperation and economic resilience among member countries. Its current phase builds on work in Pacific and Caribbean small-island states and aims to expand the model through local partnerships and a more scalable delivery system.
The timing of the new programme places investment readiness within a broader Commonwealth push to attract capital for sustainable development. CHOGM 2026, hosted by Antigua and Barbuda, is being held under the theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.” Climate finance, resilient economies and stronger links between public priorities and private investment are among the issues facing member governments as they seek to turn development plans into fundable opportunities.
For the CIN, the first applicants accepted in November will provide an early test of whether a self-serve model can extend structured investment support across a much wider range of countries and business types. The programme’s performance will depend not only on the number of applications processed but also on whether applicants use their roadmaps to strengthen financial and operational plans, whether local institutions adopt the tools, and whether investors ultimately finance the businesses and projects that emerge from the pipeline.
The broader test is whether the model can reduce the distance between climate-positive ideas and investable enterprises. Wider access to guidance may help businesses understand what investors require and avoid repeated approaches that are unlikely to succeed. But lasting results will require sustained mentorship, locally relevant support, suitable financial products and a strong connection between investment-readiness assessments and actual funding opportunities.
By extending its programme across all 56 Commonwealth member states, CIN is seeking to establish investment readiness as a continuing service rather than a benefit available only to a handful of selected businesses. Its impact will ultimately be measured by the quality of the pipeline it develops, the financing that participating enterprises secure and the climate and economic benefits those investments deliver.
