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Who Should Get COVID-19 Funding? How MIT D-Lab’s ‘Urgency Index’ is Helping it Deploy Grants to the Entrepreneurs Who Need Them Most
Entrepreneurs in emerging markets face unprecedented challenges during COVID-19, and there are many organizations working to support them. But as Jona Repishti at MIT D-Lab and Sagar Tandon at Moonshot Ventures explain, it can be hard to determine which of these enterprises are most in need. They explore the process that D-Lab's Bridge fund uses to target its grants for maximum impact.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
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Four Key Challenges Facing India’s Local Energy Enterprises During COVID-19 – And 16 Ways Funders Can Help
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on last-mile energy companies. SELCO Foundation recently conducted surveys and conversations with 33 local Indian energy enterprises about the challenges they're facing. Sarah Alexander explores what these businesses shared about how governments, investors, philanthropies and other stakeholders can support them.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy, Finance, Social Enterprise
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How to Fix Capitalism: Start by Seeing Black Businesses as the Investment Opportunity They Are
In light of the George Floyd killing and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities, many are searching for ways to address systemic racism in the U.S. According to Tynesia Boyea-Robinson at CapEQ, one way to do this is to support and invest in Black businesses. She explores how investments in these businesses could add $55 billion to the U.S. economy and create 600,000 new jobs.
- Categories
- Investing
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Overthrowing the King: Could Central Bank Digital Currencies Replace Cash in Post-COVID-19 Africa?
Despite advances in digital technology, cash has remained the undisputed king of payments in sub-Saharan Africa. However, as Michaella Allen and Christine Hougaard at Cenfri explain, COVID-19 has placed a stigma on cash and led governments across the region to actively encourage digital payments. They explore the implications of this shift, and whether it could make central bank digital currencies a viable alternative.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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Innovating on the Pay for Success Model: How ‘Social Derivatives’ Can Unlock Everyday Giving to Incentivize Greater Impact
Pay-for-success models have generated considerable excitement in the social finance sector. But according to Akhil Pawar and Geet Kalra at Yunus Social Business, the approach presents several challenges, mainly around the question of who will pay, and how to ensure an economical structure. They share a potential solution that leverages retail giving, substituting large donors with small ones by using "social derivatives."
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Africa’s COVID-19 Moment: How Youth Startups Are Addressing the Pandemic – And What They Need to Reach the Next Level
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to a young and increasingly entrepreneurial population. As Ahunna Eziakonwa at UNDP and Eleni Gabre-Madhin at blueMoon explain, many youth-led African startups are repurposing their businesses or launching new operations to address COVID-19. They profile some of these young innovators, and lay out four ways the global development community can support them.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
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Supporting Women-led Businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa During COVID-19: Strategies to Survive and Thrive
Women-led businesses in Africa face many obstacles, from limited access to finance and networks, to social and legal constraints – and COVID-19 has only added to that burden. In response, Nathalie Gogue Ebo and Angela Kerubo at Open Capital argue that governments, financiers and other players need to apply a gender lens approach when designing COVID-19 support for these enterprises.
- Categories
- Coronavirus
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Cash Is King: An Overlooked Way for Foundations to Multiply the Impact of their Investments
The top 1,000 U.S. foundations alone have over $31 billion in cash deposits – and according to Catherine Berman at CNote, that money could be used to amplify their impact. She argues that foundations could drive massive change – and advance their missions – by moving these funds out of traditional accounts and into community development financial institutions and credit unions.
- Tags
- fintech, impact investing
