-
The Missing Link in the Blockchain: The Need for Trust in a ‘Trustless’ System
Blockchain has become the ultimate tech buzzword, and development organizations are seeking to apply it in projects of every stripe. But as Rose Davis discovered in researching the technology’s social impact applications for Stanford, reliable digital identification is an essential precursor to many blockchain initiatives. Does a distributed ledger that has supposedly transcended the need for centralized oversight actually require some form of verification from trustworthy authorities? And if so, who should provide it? Davis explores these questions in this thought-provoking post.
- Categories
- Technology
-
Three Ways Inclusive Businesses Can Become More Customer-Centric
In any successful business, the customer always comes first. However, impact-focused enterprises often paint customers at the base of the pyramid with wide brush strokes, overlooking nuances in culture, location and literacy. Christian Jahn, Executive Director of the Inclusive Business Action Network, understands the desire to "help" poor people – but notes well-intended social entrepreneurs risk ignoring what their customers really want. Instead, Jahn recommends businesses develop a holistic view of customer needs, viewing them through a realistic lens for more meaningful impact.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
-
Outside the Echo Chamber: How Silence is Sabotaging Impact Investing
From individual investors to giants like Goldman Sachs and TPG, impact investing continues to gain new adherents. But despite the range of actors falling under the impact investing umbrella, the sector's narrative is largely dominated by the loudest voices in the room – a group that Bar Cudkevich of Aspectus Group argues is largely unrepresentative of the field's burgeoning diversity. She explores why a "strong, smart communications strategy" is essential for investors of all sizes.
- Categories
- Investing
-
‘It is Time to Rethink Microfinance’: Exploring a Sector in Transition in the Asia Pacific Region
The Asia Pacific microfinance sector is changing. Its MFIs have seen rampant growth, and the enterprises they serve have financing requirements that are growing more complex. In response, some MFIs are adapting their business models into different types of financial institutions, such as small banks. In short, the sector is evolving from a niche segment to a mainstream industry – with all the challenges and opportunities that implies. The Asia Pacific Microfinance Forum will discuss this evolution in Singapore on October 30-31, bringing together MFIs, NGOs, impact investors, entrepreneurs and others, all committed to building a better world.
- Categories
- Finance
-
Cracking the Nut: How a Cashew Enterprise Empowers Women in Rural Bali
Each day, East Bali Cashews (EBC) processes about 800 pounds of raw cashews, preparing them for snack production. The Indonesian company was launched about five years ago after a health care volunteer saw the impoverished conditions many agricultural workers face, and it now employs 400. But the statistic that most impresses Nadia Putri, an MBA candidate at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, is that more than 80 percent are women. After interning there this summer, Putri details how EBC works to advance women by providing training in everything from English to Excel.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
-
How Do We Define ‘Farmer’?: Why Outdated Perceptions are Complicating Data-Driven Agriculture
Who qualifies as a ‘farmer’? This sounds like a simple question for any agricultural intervention, but it is fraught with complexity. Sometimes farm owners live in the city, hiring caretakers to farm their land. Other times, women do most of the actual farming, but their husbands collect the income. Even the definition of ‘smallholder’ is often ambiguous. As efforts to digitize farming data gather momentum, Bobbi Gray at Grameen Foundation explores some ways to clarify this picture – and the challenges this will involve.
- Categories
- Agriculture
-
The Benefits of Conflict: Why the Tension Between Profit and Purpose is Actually Good for Social Enterprise
Social entrepreneurship is on the rise, yet many entrepreneurs still struggle to convince investors that they can turn a profit while advancing their missions. In researching several social enterprises, Eli Etzioni found that this conflict between profit and purpose is often an obstacle. But his studies also revealed some surprising ways it can lead to “moments of balance, creativity and ingenuity.” He explores how three entrepreneurs leveraged the tension between money and mission for the benefit of their businesses.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
-
Using Mobile Technology to Fight Disease: Three Tips for Social Startups in the Developing World
In a world where nearly half of the population is too poor to access essential health services, preventable diseases still claim countless lives. Malaria alone is responsible for over 1 million deaths each year, and sickle cell disease also affects millions across the globe. But these diseases can be significantly helped with early diagnosis and cost-effective treatments, says Hemex Health co-founder Patti White. She explores the innovative technology Hemex has developed to address this issue – and highlights three elements of its approach that can help other social enterprises gain traction in the crowded startup space.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise