-
Beyond the Metros: Nurturing regional social enterprise ecosystems in India
The social enterprise ecosystem, including impact investors, are centered in India’s major metros, a world away from some of the most pressing needs and challenging contexts for entrepreneurship in India. Villgro is hoping to break new ground by organizing a series of 15 single-day Unconvention|L (Unconvention|Local) events across India. The goal is create awareness of, and enthusiasm for, social enterprise in smaller cities across the vast country.
- Categories
- Education
-
Part 2: the ABCs of Innovation and Prosperity in Latin America: abc* Foundation Picks Three Top Social Entrepreneur Innovators for their potential to bring economic and social good to the region
What do a Brazilian technology policy expert, a Zimbabwe climate change activist, and a Mexican inventor of new building materials have in common? They just won two years of financial support and high-level media, investors, and business partnerships as winners of this year’s abc* Foundation innovation awards, picked from among 21 Ashoka Fellow Finalists.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
NexThought Monday 12/9/13: Jed Emerson on creating a supportive environment for seed stage impact ventures
Countless early stage entrepreneurs are developing innovative solutions to market problems. Yet investors are inherently looking to manage risks. This difference in perspective is at the heart of a persistent gap in seed stage funding for social entrepreneurs. But as impact investing guru Jed Emerson explains, there is great investment opportunity in this gap—and the fragmented seed stage impact investing ecosystem is ripe for innovation.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- impact investing
-
Weekly Roundup (12/7/13) : Amazon can drone on about flying delivery, but the BoP will be the first beneficary
As intriguing as the Amazon drone, the Prime Air was in its reveal on 60 Minutes, count me among the skeptical. But while drones - also referred to as “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs) - are still a very dubious prospect for commerce in the United States, they could serve other purposes at the BoP.
- Categories
- Technology
-
‘Mobile Midwife’ Empowers Ghanaian Women: Phone apps provide key information during different stages of pregnancy
Almost everyone in Ghana has a mobile phone subscription. That led a to a collaborative initiative to use cell phones to increase the quantity and quality of prenatal and neonatal care in rural Ghana and improve health outcomes for mothers and their newborns.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology, Telecommunications
-
From the BoP Summit: Next Steps In Finance
Graham Macmillan has been on both sides of the social enterprise funding question. Before joining the Citi Foundation as senior program officer - financial inclusion, he served as senior director of VisionSpring. Macmillan carries the perspective of both of the donor/investor evaluating partnerships and deals, as well as that of a social entrepreneur with practical concerns like trying reach that all-elusive scale, making sustainable profits and securing investors.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
-
Unlocking Scale: How seven inclusive businesses are creating their own keys
‘What does it take’ and ‘how long does it take’ for an inclusive business to reach scale? Persistence, adaptation, and many years are the obvious answers, but there is a lot more besides. Some answers to these questions emerge today with the launch of a series of case studies, exploring the journey to scale of seven frontier inclusive businesses supported by the Business Innovation Facility (BIF).
- Categories
- Education
-
Mobile Money Movers – Part 1: A conversation with Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Head of Strategy for Financial Services at Safaricom
M-Pesa is the world’s leading mobile money system, and one of the biggest success stories in the history of BoP business. Launched in Kenya by Safaricom in 2007, it’s now used by over two-thirds of Kenya’s adult population - and it is expanding to other countries in Africa and beyond. In Part 1 of our Mobile Money Movers series, Kyla Yeoman interviews Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Head of Strategy for Financial Services at Safaricom.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
