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Getting Silicon Valley Behind Development: First, change its attitudes
Silicon Valley has become the global center for entrepreneurship because it has developed the assets, networks and cultural values necessary to promote risk-taking and innovation. The Valley has an incredibly productive and self-reinforcing entrepreneurial ecosystem. Such a system may well be impossible to fully replicate in other places — especially in less wealthy, emerging market regions. However, entrepreneurial talent and passion can be found everywhere.
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- Uncategorized
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Beyond the Lending Club Scandal – Why Marketplace Lending is Still Needed in Emerging Markets
Renaud Laplanche, the CEO of industry pioneer Lending Club, resigned in May amidst rumours of fraud and malpractice. Since then, critics have been trying to write off marketplace lending as a flawed business model. But it's too early to discount the value of the entire industry – especially as it emerges in markets like India and China to address the critical needs of SMEs.
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Weekly Roundup: Appreciating banks, emojis for health, d.light’s destination
This week in our roundup: A major new study shows mobile finance is essential, but highlights the role of old fashioned banks; the language of emojis could improve global health; and solar lamp pioneers d.light are well on their way to reaching their goal of 100 million customers by the start of the next decade.
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- Health Care
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Last Mile in Style
Zipline, a Silicon Valley drone manufacturing firm, has contracted with the government of Rwanda to make last-mile blood deliveries. Starting this month, the drones will make between 50-150 deliveries per day to 21 transfusing facilities located in the western half of the country.
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- Health Care
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Partnering to Provide Safe Surgery
There are vast, unmet gaps in access to safe surgical care around the world, with devastating health and economic repercussions. That's why Smile Train and Lifebox are working to equip local health care facilities with the resources, training and technology necessary to make surgery safer.
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- Health Care
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Post-conflict Colombia: A Crucial Time to Re-evaluate the Role of Inclusive Business
After over 50 years of internal armed conflict between the national government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country is starting to lay the foundations for a stable and lasting peace. The business sector has been called on to contribute to the post-conflict process, and inclusive businesses offer a clear way to do so. However, though Colombia's traditional approach to inclusive business has produced significant results for enterprises and communities, the impending post-conflict era demands a re-evaluation of how the sector operates.
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- Social Enterprise
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How Leveraging Collaborative Expertise Helps Scale Social Impact
Organisations, networks and government should foster a culture of ongoing interactions with people from other sectors and collaborate to develop new structures and business models that can be replicated. The commitment demands time and extended effort. But for those with an appetite to buy into the risk, there is a tremendous potential for social ventures to scale and create a massive impact.
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- Social Enterprise
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Taking a Match to Convention: A Podcast Chat with Matchboxology’s Cal Bruns
Cal Bruns left a successful career with advertising powerhouse Leo Burnett to found Matchboxology, a human-centered design consultancy with offices in Capetown and Johannesburg South Africa. He chats with NextBillion Contributing Editor Scott Anderson in the NextBillion podcast.
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- Health Care
