-
10 Key Lessons for Solar Enterprises: Insights From SELCO’s 26 Years Doing Business in India
SELCO, a pioneering off-grid solar company based in India, just celebrated its 26th anniversary. Christine Eibs Singer at Sustainable Energy for All and Richenda Van Leeuwen at ANDE, both former board members at SELCO, share 10 lessons from the company's decades of experience in the sector, which may be helpful to other impact investors and social entrepreneurs working in off-grid energy.
- Categories
- Energy, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
Innovative Philanthropy: Why Charitable Giving in Global Education Is Good Business
The business community is increasingly aware of its social responsibility and the impact of its charitable giving — and this shift is influencing how it interacts with the philanthropic sector. Kingsley Pungong of Rainbow Sports Global shares the changes he's seen as a long-term entrepreneur and philanthropist, and explores how innovative new giving models can benefit both recipients and donors. As a case in point, he explains how his recent donations in support of global childhood education will improve his business dealings and make a strong social impact.
- Categories
- Education, Investing, Transportation
- Tags
- corporations, philanthropy
-
COVID-Era Innovations With Long-Term Impact: How the Pandemic Is Changing Investment in Frontier Markets
Africa's growing middle class, rapid urbanization and leapfrogging innovations have drawn substantial investor interest. But as Kristin Kelly Jangraw of USAID INVEST points out, high transaction costs, small deal sizes and risk (both real and perceived) have kept many investors on the sidelines. Though COVID-19 lockdowns have increased these challenges, she explores how the pandemic has also brought innovations that could have lasting positive effects on the industry and the region – including new tools for virtual due diligence and deal-making.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing, Technology
- Tags
- COVID-19, impact investing
-
1.3% Isn’t Enough: The Case for More Diversity in Investment Fund Management
Fund managers play an important part in both traditional and impact investing, helping to set development priorities by leveraging capital. But as Sagar Tandon of Moonshot Ventures points out, women and minority-led funds account for just 1.3% of the $69 trillion investment industry in the United States – even though they perform better than funds managed by white men. He explains how greater diversity in fund management could benefit both investors and enterprises, while gradually introducing an impact focus to mainstream investing.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- impact investing, SDGs
-
India Needs Over $900 Billion in Climate Finance by 2030: This Roadmap Can Mobilize Private Sector Investment
India is committed to lowering its greenhouse gas emissions, but its goals under the Paris Agreement are not ambitious enough. Simmi Sareen at GreenFunder and Shravan Shankar at the BIG Green Collaborative argue that the country must focus on increasing energy storage and efficiency, decreasing agriculture and manufacturing emissions, and adapting to a more hostile climate. They explore how innovative and scalable technology can address these priorities by 2030 — and how strengthening India’s climate financing structures can help generate the $100 billion in yearly private investment this will require.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing
-
Too Risky Not to Invest: Why Funding Latin America’s Healthcare Sector Should Be a Key Impact Investing Priority
Healthcare enterprises across Latin America are demonstrating both their impact in improving health outcomes, and their value as high-return investments. But as Andrea Bare at ThinkWell and Anna De La Cruz at ADLC Consulting point out, impact investors tend to view these organizations as too risky to finance. They explain why remaining on the sidelines represents another kind of risk: the risk of missing out on a sector full of profitable, impactful investment opportunities – particularly in women’s health.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
-
Embedding Gender Equity Into Companies’ DNA: An Investor Consortium Builds the Evidence Base for Gender Lens Investing
As gender lens investing moves into the mainstream, investors and enterprises need support in getting buy-in for this approach – and in implementing it effectively. To that end, the Gender-Smart Enterprise Assistance Research Coalition is working to build the evidence base for investing with a gender lens, with support from the Performance Measurement and Improvement team at the William Davidson Institute. NextBillion spoke with Lisa Willems at AlphaMundi and Rebecca Fries at Value for Women about the momentum that’s driving gender lens investing, the challenges it faces and the work the new consortium is doing.
- Categories
- Investing
-
When It Comes to K-12 Education, Where Are the Impact Investors?
For decades, reports have shown how schools in America are lagging behind their counterparts in other countries in key areas – particularly in lower-income communities. But though more funding could help schools achieve better results, impact investors have yet to contribute meaningfully to the funding of K-12 education systems. Mark Medema at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argues that the private sector, led by impact investors, can and must play a bigger role.