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Ladies First: Investing in women-owned SMEs
It pays to invest in women, in more ways than one. Increasing women’s incomes improves countries’ human development indicators and raises their per capita income. Research also indicates that women-owned SMEs have higher repayment rates. Tara Sabre Collier explores ways to better synergize impact investing and women’s economic empowerment.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Understanding Risk, Then Adapting : How to overcome the fear of working with the base of the pyramid?
Facing risk takes an entrepreneurial spirit as well as managerial willingness to innovate. Innovating is equivalent to making mistakes; accessing BoP markets demands risk tolerance, and a trial and error dynamic. The question then is how to manage risk? In 2003, in the middle of the microcredit boom in Brazil, Tenda Atacado, a São Paulo-based wholesale company, faced what seemed to be a very risky endeavor.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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A Call to Action for Greater Co-Creation Between Social and Business: Collaborative competition aims to forge relationships between pioneers in this space
We live in a world of harsh social and environmental challenges. No player - whether government, social entrepreneur, non-profit or business - can address them alone. That’s why Ashoka and partners have launched an online collaborative competition called Social & Business Co-Creation: collaboration for impact. They are accepting entries until April 10.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise
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Exploring Early Adopters of Mobile Money for Health: Database of innovators being compiled
The Health Finance and Governance project has identified 18 mobile money innovations that are being adopted by different types of programs across public, private and non-state sectors in health.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- product design
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Best Practices in Mobile Finance: Four fundamental service features that can have a positive impact on people’s lives
There is a growing amount of evidence on how best to provide financial services to the poor. The Gates Foundation’s Jake Kendall and Rodger Voorhies highlight some emerging trends from the research that they think constitute “best practices” for the field.
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- Finance, Telecommunications
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(With Video) Beyond the Prototype: Wello’s CEO on product design, understanding customers and advice for social entrepreneurs
Cynthia Koenig, CEO of Wello, whose flagship product is a rolling water tank, advises against getting too reliant on a series of check boxes when it comes to measuring impact. In a video interview with NB, she talks about prototyping the next generation of the device, designed for BoP customers.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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Why Insurers are Partnering with Telcos to Bring Microinsurance to the BoP: CGAP report explores the status of this young industry
Recent growth in microinsurance has come mostly in Africa and mainly in low-income countries, according to a recent report from CGAP. These products are small-scale insurance policies reliant on mobile phones for some combination of sign-up, payment and administration. Providers have been experimenting to learn what works and why.
- Categories
- Technology
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NexThought Monday – China’s Social Enterprise Movement Set to Blast Off: The country is urging a bigger role for social enterprise in society and the economy
China is urging a bigger role for social enterprise in society and the economy. In response, socially-minded businesses are taking off. Given China’s energy and strong entrepreneurial spirit, as the social enterprise movement grows and flourishes, the world’s second largest economy could soon be poised to make a significant global impact.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
