The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Trigger Asset Management (Trigger) have launched a partnership aimed at unlocking capital and strengthening support for startups and businesses advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This collaboration brings together UNDP’s global innovation and finance expertise with Trigger’s strength in sustainable and scalable investment solutions, the duo said in a statement on Tuesday.

Led by UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab), the initiative called “‘Origin” will enhance the efficiency, transparency, and accessibility of impact investment opportunities for mission-driven startups and businesses, particularly those nurtured by UNDP’s accelerator programs.

Based in Singapore, Trigger is an investment management firm committed to building impact-oriented financial ecosystems to tackle global challenges from climate action and poverty reduction to health and education.

Through this initiative, UNDP and Trigger will co-develop infrastructure and strategies to help promising SDG-focused ventures and businesses reach scale and sustainability.

Key areas of collaboration include designing and launching investment opportunities for SDG-aligned startups and businesses that will be guided by structured acceleration and incubation pathways; creating a next-generation AI and Web3-powered digital platform to connect startups and businesses with investors and streamline collaboration.

They also include building a comprehensive, interactive database of startups and businesses supported by UNDP accelerator programs, enabling smart matchmaking between ventures, donors, and investors; delivering tailored capacity-building programs, including training in SDG impact management, innovative financing, business development, and agile project design; rolling out a Digital MBA program and peer learning workshops to upskill business owners and enhance organizational readiness for investment.

“We’re seeing enormous potential in SDG-aligned startups, but they often struggle to attract the right kind of investment or support,

“This partnership with Trigger is about bridging that gap—making it easier for impact investors to find and fund ventures solving real-world problems, while giving those ventures the tools and networks they need to thrive,” said Robert Pasicko, Team Leader for AltFinLab at UNDP Europe and Central Asia.

Goh Seh Harn, Founder and CEO of Trigger Asset Management, said this partnership is a critical step toward redefining how impact capital is mobilized and applied.

“We are building an ecosystem where capital not only scales businesses but also fuels systemic change for people and the planet,” he added.

By combining UNDP’s global development reach with Trigger’s leadership in sustainable investment, the partnership is poised to support a new generation of investment-ready startups and businesses capable of delivering economically sustainable, and measurable social and environmental impact at scale, said the statement.

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