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Weekly Roundup: Uber, DriveU, Ola and the Greedy Sharing Economy in India
In a typically eventful week in social enterprise, the "social business" buzzword grew more obsolete, and we got a reminder of the many players eager to get their slice of the “sharing economy” - especially in India. Our editors discuss these developments in this roundup.
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- Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology, Transportation
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Building Efficient Social Sector Initiatives Through New Generation Impact Measurement
The social sector is going through a massive change never seen before. Thanks to the advocacy of innovative foundations, impact investments are now becoming mainstream, along with collective impact programs and other initiatives like social impact bonds and Pay for Success programs. As these trends spread, we are witnessing the rise of thousands of collective impact ecosystems accompanied by improved impact investment models. These ecosystems incorporate different catalysts to impact measurement, when what we really need is a unified strategy of metrics.
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- Impact Assessment, Technology
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Financial Inclusion Trends and Innovators Already Lighting Up 2015
What will 2015 hold for financial inclusion innovations? Accion Venture Lab highlights some current groundbreaking trends, and several seed stage companies leading the charge.
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- Technology
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The Most Popular Posts of 2015: Which One Most Influenced You?
For the fourth year in a row, we're launching our Most Influential Post of the Year Contest – think of it as a listicle that you control. Below are the 12 most viewed articles on NB by month. Please read or re-read them and then vote for your favorite(s).
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- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Mobile-izing Savings with Defaults in Afghanistan
The number of people with phones is far higher than the number of people who have easy access to traditional bank branches, especially among the rural poor. Until now, however, no one has tested whether mobile banking can facilitate default savings programs. This is exactly what a team led by Innovations for Poverty Action set out to do in Afghanistan.
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- Impact Assessment, Technology
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Actually, It IS Brain Surgery
Located in the small, remote town of Mbale, Uganda in the far eastern part of the country, the CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda might seem an unlikely place to pioneer a neurosurgery solution. The medical team operates in a resource-scarce environment, yet they've found a way to serve their population and the infants afflicted with serious brain disorders. They're so good at the procedure, it's been widely exported to the United States.
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- Health Care, Technology
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Traditional Financial Services vs. FinTech – The Future of Money
The reality is that the industry needs more than just new products — it needs a new paradigm. I believe the concept of Banking as a Platform (BaaP) provides that new approach, presenting collaborative solutions and offering new value chains not only for banks and their partners, but also for related services such as payment processors, credit providers and mobile network operators.
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- Technology
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Creating an Exit Strategy for Aid (Part 1): Nonprofit mWater, in striving to eliminate diarrheal disease, runs like a for-profit Silicon Valley startup
The world met the Millennium Development Goal target for water – doubling the number of improved water sources by 2015 – but that accomplishment won't save lives unless those new water sources are safe. Making sure they are is the goal of a nonprofit tech startup, mWater, that's being run like a for-profit tech startup in Silicon Valley.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Health Care, Technology
