-
Six Business Plan Pitfalls to Avoid When Approaching Funders: Lessons from Healthcare Enterprises in Emerging Markets
Having a good business plan is a key part of building credibility with funders. But despite its importance to an enterprise’s success, many entrepreneurs in emerging markets struggle to develop a strong business plan that instills confidence among potential funders. Paul Clyde and Ioan Cleaton-Jones at the William Davidson Institute discuss six common business plan mistakes that can undermine an entrepreneur's prospects with funders, based on their work supporting the development of business plans for hundreds of healthcare enterprises in various emerging markets.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
-
How Foreign Aid Can Innovate Itself Out of Existence: Exploring the Potential of Market-Creating Innovation for Sustainable Development
The foreign aid sector has long been criticized for its inability to generate consistent economic growth and poverty alleviation in developing countries. According to Efosa Ojomo at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a new approach to aid is needed: one that recognizes the power of business innovation to create new markets that advance local prosperity. He discusses a new pan-African initiative based on that approach, which aims to mobilize aid, business and African institutions to build new markets that generate self-sustaining economic growth.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
-
The Untapped Opportunity in African Healthcare: How to Establish a Stronger Private Sector by Giving Doctors a Voice
Africa has around 16% of the world’s population but accounts for around 23% of the global disease burden – and according to Mark Wien at PocketPatientMD, the private sector should be well-placed to address the continent's growing healthcare challenges. But across the region, for-profit providers are dealing with several obstacles that are hindering their growth. He explores the key challenges these providers – and the broader private healthcare sector – are facing, and discusses how businesses like PocketPatientMD are working to overcome them.
- Categories
- Health Care
-
An Overlooked Path to Health Impact: Four Tools to Increase Consumption Frequency for Beneficial Consumer Goods
Fast-moving consumer goods like fortified food products can improve nutrition in low- and middle-income countries. But as Lucie Klarsfeld McGrath and Louise Berthault at Hystra point out, they can only deliver health impact if they are consumed every day or every other day. They explore how increasing the consumption frequency of these products can boost their nutritional and health impact and drive companies' sales growth, and share four tools that can motivate consistent and frequent consumption patterns among low-income consumers.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise
-
Accomplishing the Impossible: Lessons on Scaling From BRAC Founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed
Countless books and articles have addressed the challenges of going to scale in the development sector — yet a systematic approach to scaling remains out of reach. However, as Scott MacMillan at BRAC USA explains, BRAC founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was arguably more successful than anyone at scaling effective poverty programs. He shares insights from his new book on Abed's life and work, which sheds light on how BRAC has created and scaled programs to an extent that no other nonprofit or social enterprise has managed to achieve.
- Categories
- Education, Finance, Health Care, Social Enterprise
-
The Virtuous Cycle of Representation: Why Global Health Boards Must Include the People They Serve
Much of the global health sector’s work is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, a new report from Global Health 50/50 reveals that just a quarter of board seats at global health organizations are held by nationals of these countries, and women from LMICs hold a shameful 1% of all seats. Anuradha Gupta at Gavi explores the decades-long, system-wide failure to ensure diversity in global health decision-making, and urges these influential bodies to do a better job of representing the communities whose health they are aiming to improve.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- failure, gender equality, governance, research
-
On the Path to Self-Sufficiency: How Development Agencies Can Support the Local Production of Health Products in Africa
Africa imports 99% of the routine vaccines consumed on the continent, and most sub-Saharan African countries import as much as 70-90% of all medicines used. As Biodun Awosusi at Health Systems and Development Enterprise points out, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown the risks of this over-dependence on imports for vital health supplies. But fortunately, he says, Africa is moving to increase its domestic manufacturing capabilities for health commodities. He explores how development agencies can support these efforts.
- Categories
- Health Care
-
Insuring the Next 400 Million in India: Why the Mutual Insurance Model Presents a Clear Path to Scale
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on India’s healthcare system, causing challenges ranging from a lack of medical oxygen to limited hospital capacity. But as Payal Agarwal at Uplift Mutuals explains, the pandemic has also brought to light the inadequate insurance infrastructure in the country, which accounts for almost 18% of the world's population but only 1.72% of the global insurance market. She shares the results of a new report exploring the potential of mutual and cooperative insurance to close that gap in India, and discusses how this model can be scaled.
- Categories
- Finance, Health Care
The Best of NextBillion in Your Inbox Each Week!
Subscribe to NB Notes for news, jobs & on-the-ground insights from the world of emerging markets business.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.