Invest in Landcent, STOP malaria!

Landcent for a malaria-free world!

About Landcent
Founded in 2011, Landcent’s vision is to pave the way for the right to health, for those with little or no access to care, restoring their dignity and agency. We do so by accelerating the fight against diseases of poverty, starting with malaria.

The urgency
Every day, malaria claims the lives of 1700 individuals (over 600,000 deaths yearly!), with a child succumbing to the disease every minute. The global trend of malaria continues to be worrisome, with 249 million cases reported in 2022, an increase of 5 million from the previous year. Particularly troubling is the fact that nearly 76% of these cases affected children under the age of 5. Various factors contribute to this surge, including the growing insecticidal resistance, the lack of product innovation, stubborn poverty, and climate change. For Landcent, combating malaria isn’t merely a health imperative but also a matter of upholding fundamental human rights.

Vision
Landcent was founded twelve years ago. Its founders and largest shareholders are Christians, inspired by the Business as Mission (BAM) principles.

‘At Landcent, we firmly believe that disease prevention and elimination, particularly for the most vulnerable, is a demonstration of the distinctive mission Christ entrusted to us. Our calling is to provide compassionate care for the poor, which includes restoring their access to health and empowering them to break free from the cycle of poverty.’ – Arun Prabhu, CEO, Landcent Europe. – Arun Prabhu, CEO Landcent Europe

Approach
In tackling the significant challenge posed by malaria, Landcent has devised a distinctive two-pronged strategy. Our short-term focus involves enhancing existing, proven solutions to swiftly deliver more products to global non-profits and donors such as the Global Fund, President’s Malaria Initiative, and the WHO. This initiative aims to curb the increase in malaria cases and includes the development of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINS), Indoor Residual Sprays (IRS), Anti-Malarial Pills, and Larvicides.

Simultaneously, our long-term strategy involves an Active Ingredient Discovery Platform, which delves into Traditional Complementary Medicine (TCM) to uncover active ingredients from natural sources. The ultimate goal is to pioneer a new class of bio-pesticides, combating the escalating issue of insecticidal resistance across all malaria-endemic regions. Over the past two years, we’ve screened more than 200,000 compounds, with 21 currently undergoing advanced phase trials. This ambitious project has already received partial funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Impact
Landcent’s impact is both precise and measurable. Given that 95% of malaria cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, Landcent concentrates its efforts primarily in this region. By 2030, Landcent’s products alone will protect over 130 million people from malaria, including 32 million children under the age of 5.

Furthermore, since malaria is closely linked to poverty, preventing the disease contributes to progress across several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).By 2030 Landcent’s efforts would lead to:

• $9.9 Million working days gained and $67 Million increase in earnings across the region
• 7.4 Million days of education restored, including 3.7 Million for girls
• 2.6 Million less care days for women
• 145 fair paid local jobs in Africa and USD 658,000 in salaries

Required Investment
Landcent’s fundraising strategy entails raising equity for its de-risked, near-term Track 1 of vector control products and seeking grant funding for its riskier, long-term discovery project. Recognizing Landcent’s potential, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is already supporting the latter initiative, having issued two grants totaling €3,5 million.

MissionInvest has worked closely with Landcent’s team as a strategic fundraising partner over the past few years. Together, a wonderful result has been achieved in realising a first round of €6 million of equity through MissionInvest’s network in the period 2022-2023. In the form of mission-related investment, this capital can be used for Landcent’s mission: ‘a world free of malaria!’ MissionInvest’s aim is to raise a further €5 million in 2024-2025 as part of Landcent’s Series A to fund the final phase of short-term product development. The products are expected to enter the market by early 2026. With every million invested, Landcent can protect 4 million people from malaria! MissionInvest’s commitment of €5 million will soon impact 20 million people in Africa!

Investors have the opportunity to participate with tickets sized at €200k and €500k in Landcent STAK, and with €1,000k and above in Landcent Participation I B.V. All options come with a tenure of 5-6 years, with a planned partial IPO scheduled for 2028-2030.

For investors wanting to invest missional capital and save lives, Landcent is a wonderful proposition.