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How to Save Microfinance from the Indian Government
Microfinance is on the brink of collapse in Andhra Pradesh and across India, but the market for banking to the ultra poor will not disappear. Therefore, the time is ripe for a discussion about the core competency of microfinance and what institutions will fill this void in the coming years, be they for profit or not.
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iuMAP: Milaap Bridges the Gap for Microfranchisors
Capital investment is expensive and involves risk; if the already vulnerable entrepreneur fails to sell her inventory, she’s stuck with the liability. Inspired by his work with the business development team of SKS Microfinance, Anoj Viswanathan founded Milaap, a crowd-funded, low-cost, risk-tolerant capital model focused on microfranchises.
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Innovations and Challenges in Carbon Finance
Several clean tech projects serving the poor are, in part, financed by the creation and sale of carbon offsets. Carbon finance improves the product’s value proposition by providing additional revenue streams to make them financially viable and available at a lower price point for end-users.
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- Energy, Environment
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- solar
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A LIVE Chat with Ted London and YOU
What better occasion for our first live conversation than the release of a new book that aims to change the conversation about doing business with the BoP? Please join us at 12 PM EST on Thursday, December 16, 2010, for a Webchat with Ted London, co-editor of the book Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid.
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- Investing
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Re-thinking Accessibility: Designing a Car for Africa
Mobius Motors, an African car company in its infancy, is developing the first car targeting African buyers. But how exactly does one build a car company from scratch in one of the most notoriously difficult markets? For Mobius Founder Joel Jackson, it starts by re-imagining the car as a more "relevant," device - built around the needs of its users.
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- Transportation
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Via Acumen Blog: Can We Believe the Hype about Impact Investing?
The following post is by John Simon, author of the new report from the Center for Global Development: More than Money: Impact Investing for Development. The report is being released today, and the Center for Global Development will hold a live webcast of the launch event from 4-5:30 PM EDT. We’d welcome your reactions on the event and report.
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Who’s Making an Impact? 4th Annual BoP Short-Essay Competition Aims to Find Out
Managed by the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell, 2009’s contest attracted nearly 100 submissions from 15 countries, illustrating a diverse array of business ideas and solutions in 25 different countries. Submitted essays must illustrate existing BoP enterprises (not hypothetical businesses). Prizes range from $1,000-$4,000.
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NexThought Monday: The Multiplier Effect of 10,000 Women
By the end of 2010, 3,000 women will have enrolled and/or graduated from the 10,000 Women business management education project globally. The effort has taken root in 22 countries and involved more than 70 academic or nonprofit organizations. Early data shows 70% of graduates are reporting business growth and 50% have hired one or more employees.
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