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Into Acumen’s Latin American Expansion: Patient capital fund hopes to deploy $8 million in 10 enterprises in Colombia and Peru in five years
Earlier this month, the philanthropic impact investing group Acumen announced it would be expanding to Latin America. We caught up with Acumen’s Latin America Director Virgilio Barco about Acumen’s long-term social sector and portfolio goals, and the state of impact investing across Latin America, which may have gotten a slow start compared to other regions of the world, but seems to be making up ground at a rapid pace.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- impact investing
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Weekly Roundup: Natural Born Entrepreneurs: Why veterans make great businesspeople – and how the U.S. could help them succeed
As the U.S. salutes its veterans this Memorial Day, one of their under-appreciated contributions to the country is drawing increasing attention: their affinity for entrepreneurship. We discuss the reasons behind this phenomenon and the ways the public and private sectors are supporting it, in this roundup.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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The First Commandment of Social Impact Generation: We need a better understanding of the nuances of creating social impact
The first commandment for companies, organizations and investors that aim to generate social impact is: "Thou shalt adopt mechanisms to measure it." Unfortunately, this practice is not yet common. And when it does occur, it often focuses narrowly on counting the total number of units distributed or beneficiaries supported, rather than on understanding the nuances of the benefits being transferred.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Relief Through Finance: How microfinance builds resilience to disasters and crises
After a natural disaster or other crisis, like Nepal’s recent earthquake, the relief and aid community inevitably plays a major role. But according to Sam Mendelson, there is also a vital role for microfinance, which can help restore livelihoods and provide resilience to vulnerable populations thanks to existing relationships with clients that foreign NGOs lack.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Creating Your Own Luck: 5 Crowdfunding Tips for Social Entrepreneurs
Whether it involves smart watches or potato salad, it seems that every week brings another story of a crowdfunding campaign gone viral. And with $16.2 billion in annual funding, the industry represents a valuable opportunity for social enterprises large and small. Here are five tips that can help a social business launch a successful campaign.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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The Power of Texting: How a Simple Text Message Can Make the Difference Between Success and Failure for Social Initiatives
Mobile phones are increasingly prevalent throughout the world, and researchers have found that sending text message reminders can help people follow through with their intentions, significantly increasing the success of development interventions. Roxanne Bauer explores the impact of text reminders on malaria treatment and savings initiatives, and discusses the science behind the approach.
- Categories
- Health Care, Impact Assessment, Technology, Telecommunications
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Going Digital Sustainably: How microfinance providers can balance business needs, technology constraints and the customer value proposition
A strong digital financial services model can reduce distribution costs and increase revenue for financial institutions that serve the poor. But the transition to digital requires an understanding of the full implications of the new service, and a strategy to encourage customer behaviors that will yield a successful investment. Grameen Foundation offers tips in the latest post in their series on what it takes for MFIs to go digital.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- microfinance
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Weekly Roundup – the Social Enterprise: Solution to the Migrant Crisis
The San Francisco-based Not For Sale is a nonprofit that works with the victims of human trafficking, providing them with job training, counseling and other resources that help them enter a legitimate work environment. NSF’s work, and that of its business incubator, might be a model to emulate considering this week’s tragedy in the Mediterranean, which claimed the lives of hundreds of migrant workers.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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