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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
- Tags
- impact investing
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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
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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.
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Taking Cold Chains Off-Grid: How Solar Powered Cold Rooms Could Dramatically Reduce Food Waste in Sub-Saharan Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 50% of produce perishes before reaching end customers, largely due to a lack of viable cold chain solutions. Maria Knodt at Energy 4 Impact and Ruth Kimani at CLASP explore how solar-powered cold rooms can address this issue, and highlight some significant technical and business model challenges that could undermine their impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Energy, Finance, Investing, Technology, Transportation
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India’s Impact Enterprises Need More Debt Financing to Grow: Here’s How Businesses, Lenders and Regulators Can Make That Happen
Many Indian social entrepreneurs struggle to obtain debt financing, as banks typically steer clear of these young companies, and alternative lenders charge unsustainably high interest rates. Meanwhile, India’s impact investors have shown far more interest in buying stakes in impact enterprises than lending money to them. Sudarshan Sampathkumar and Anuja Kadam at The Bridgespan Group explore solutions to this challenge, based on the findings from a new report.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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What’s the Matter with WASH?: Why Struggling Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Businesses Need More than Just Investment
Despite limitless demand, most water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) businesses – particularly those serving the poorest customers – are struggling to find a market and attract investors. Annie Hall at Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor shares insights from a new report that explores where WASH businesses are going wrong – and how investors and development sector players can help.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise, WASH
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Where’s the Capital for Home-Grown Companies? Why Energy Access Investments in Kenya Need to Go Local
So far this year, 75% of global investment commitments in off-grid solar technology have gone to just three companies — a troubling trend since 2012. And as Kevin Johnstone at the International Institute for Environment and Development points out, many of the founders of the biggest solar companies are North American or European. Focusing on Kenya, he explores why the energy access sector needs more businesses founded, managed and run by local entrepreneurs, and what needs to be done to align investors and capital markets with Kenyan investment opportunities.
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Lack of Capital is Just the Beginning: Why Roof-Top Solar is Facing Greater Challenges Than Many People Think
The solar energy sector is dynamic and growing – but as Rik Teeuwen at Footlight International points out, it's also unsettled, as off-grid solar players navigate challenges ranging from lack of finance to inconsistent regulation. In light of those issues, he pushes back on the argument, expressed by candi solar CEO Philippe Flamand on NextBillion earlier this year, that rooftop solar is a “no-brainer” for micro, small and medium enterprises. The truth, he says, is far more nuanced.
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