Atlanta, GA June 9, 2025 - Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), and its partner, Village Capital awarded six grants totaling $170,000 to select startups from the Sage Impact Entrepreneurship Program, powered by Sage Foundation. The grants were awarded at the Sage Impact Entrepreneurship Summit, a two-day event of learning and networking for the Core Cohort of the program, which ran in Atlanta, USA, from June 4-5, 2025.
The attending startups, who form the program’s Core Cohort and are based across Europe, U.K and the U.S., are creating solutions at the intersection of sustainability and social impact—from using AI and data to advance the regenerative agriculture movement to enabling supermarkets to guide consumers looking to make more sustainable choices in their daily shopping.
Each participating startup pitched its product and business model to the Summit attendees – notably, each business was carefully assessed by its peers, who then voted to select the winners of two $50,000 grants and two $25,000 grants. A surprise award of two $10,000 grants was also made by Sage Foundation to two additional businesses that were chosen by the audience. All startups were assessed on key investment criteria including team, product, value proposition, market, and scale.
The grant winners are:
Aradhita Parasrampuria, Founder and CEO at Cellsense, said: “We’re thrilled to receive this support, and we’re putting it to work right away. With this funding, we’ll invest in equipment that'll increase our production capacity by 14 times — a transformative leap that brings us closer to making circular solutions accessible at scale.”
Helen Devanny, Vice President of Sage Foundation, said: “This Summit – and the grant awards – are a great way to help our program’s first cohort graduate. We’ve been able to use Sage’s skills, resources and product to help these purpose-driven entrepreneurs scale their businesses, and have learned so much in return what it takes for a purpose-driven small business to thrive in today’s landscape. We will continue our impact over the next two years when we’ll be supporting an additional 100+ businesses the same way.”
Allie Burns, CEO of Village Capital, said: “Partnering with Sage has been a powerful alignment of purpose and expertise. Sage’s commitment to social impact, combined with Village Capital’s experience supporting early-stage entrepreneurs, has created a program that truly meets founders where they are—providing the capital, mentorship, and visibility they need to grow sustainably. The in-person summit in Atlanta has been a standout moment, enabling founders to create community and celebrate their progress—a true reflection of what this partnership makes possible.”
The support for the attending businesses continues – as part of the program, Sage and Village Capital will provide ongoing mentorship and assistance for two more years to ensure these businesses achieve the scale and growth they need to make real impact within their communities.
Please find more information about the program on Village Capital’s website (United States; UK and Europe). Applications for the second cohort will open to eligible startups in late 2025.
Sage Foundation has been knocking down barriers in our communities since 2015. By mobilizing our colleagues, partners, and customers through impactful programs, Sage Foundation is helping underrepresented entrepreneurs to grow their businesses while equipping the entrepreneurs of tomorrow with the skills they need to succeed.
Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of small- and mid-sized businesses served by us, our partners, and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR, and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitizing business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology, and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality, and the climate crisis.
Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage startups to maximize business and impact growth.
Since 2009, Village Capital has supported close to 1,800 startups that have raised USD 7.5 billion in investment capital. It has made more than 150 investments through its various affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 110 peer-selected companies. Additionally, more than 25,500 users actively engage on Abaca, their web app that equips entrepreneurs, ESOs, and capital providers with tools for learning about, assessing suitability and expanding access to financial capital. Its latest feature, Capital Explorer, helps founders identify the most appropriate funding options for their businesses. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital.