NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Do you have a solution to the world’s most pressing challenges? We encourage you to apply to Solve’s Global Challenges, which are open for solutions until June 18, 2020 at 12pm ET.

Finalists in our Challenges will pitch their solutions to a live audience of 400+ leaders and expert judges at Solve Challenge Finals in September during UN General Assembly Week in New York City. Those that are ultimately selected as a Solver will:

• Join a supportive community of peers, funders, and experts to help advance their innovative work through Solve’s nine-month program;
• Receive mentorship and strategic advice from Solve and MIT networks;
• Attend Solve at MIT, our annual flagship event in May; and
• Receive access to more than $1 million in prize funding for the 2020 Challenges.

In the last three years, thanks to our partners, Solve has brokered commitments of over $14 million in funding for Solver teams and entrepreneurs, in addition to in-kind support such as mentorship, technical expertise, media and conference exposure, and business and entrepreneurship training.

As Asia begins to adapt to the new post-pandemic normal, some economies have begun to reopen while others continue to battle on. At the same time, we also acknowledge the pandemic is a terrible human tragedy spanning the global and sparing almost no economy. As we all collectively confront and adapt to this new normal, the roles of and need for sustainable finance and impact investing could not be more critical and urgent.

Notwithstanding the lessons learned from previous epidemics such as SARS, MERS, and Ebola as well as Bill Gates’ prescient TED talk in 2015, the uneven responses of various economies to the COVID-19 pandemic point to a dire picture of what could happen to humanity if we fail to tackle the more serious threats of climate change and extreme weather events going forward.

In the immediate term, as we await for vaccines that can be produced at scale, developed and developing economies alike will continue to face unprecedented economic and public health challenges. Already we are seeing some economies begin to delay or roll-back some climate- and sustainability-related initiatives as a matter of economic survival. And there are growing concerns that stopgap solutions to jumpstart economies could stall the growth of sustainable finance.

In this virtual fireside chat, Impact Entrepreneur’s Laurie Lane-Zucker and Asia Value Advisors’ Philo Alto will discuss with our distinguished group of panellists — Leonie Kelly of Sustainable Finance Initiative, En Lee of LGT, Ronie Mak of RS Group, and James Robinson of PRI — the trends and developments in growing sustainable finance in Asia in the new post-pandemic normal.

The conversation will tackle topics such as:

• Trends and developments in sustainable finance in Asia in the private, institutional and development sectors in the current transition phase to a new post-pandemic normal
• Political and economic headwinds in the post-pandemic normal and how sustainable finance is (or is not) staying the course in Asia
• Playing the long-game — building a cross-sector talent pipeline in sustainable finance
• Practical considerations — state of impact measurement and management; challenges and gaps in the sustainable finance ecosystem in Asia; and, how US, Europe and Asia regions can learn from and support each other
• Turning crisis into opportunities for the future — role of policy and ecosystem capacity building; advice on how one’s own professional journey can support sustainable finance and contribute to systems change in the new normal

Impact Entrepreneur’s Building an Impact Economy Webinar Series features presentations, conversations and panel discussions with the leading individuals and organizations in impact investing and entrepreneurship.

For more information, visit www.impactalchemist.com

Note: This program is a Live Webinar & Q&A that is accessible from any web-enabled computer or mobile device. Premium members of Impact Entrepreneur get complimentary admission to all live webinars and free access to the entire archive of past programs.

Time: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM EDT

COVID-19 has dramatically changed business as we know it, especially for agricultural entrepreneurs. Join Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation Director Laura Harwig in a discussion with three of our partners about their experiences adapting to the pandemic and what it means for the future of their respective businesses.

– Linnet Akol, Managing Director of Krystal Ice (Kampala, Uganda)
– Sylvia Natukunda, CEO and Facility Manager of Farm Reap (Kampala, Uganda)
– Affiong Williams, Founder and CEO of ReelFruit (Lagos, Nigeria)

As part of this discussion, Partnering for Innovation will share highlights from its recent survey capturing the impact of COVID-19 on our past and current partners engaged in various agribusiness sectors across 19 countries.

Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation is changing the landscape for supporting agriculture in emerging-market countries by empowering the private sector to raise incomes and reduce hunger. www.PartneringforInnovation.org

Time: 10 am EDT

Business does not operate in a vacuum. The health of the communities in which business operates is inherently connected to the health of business itself. And vice versa, the health of business impacts the health of communities. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the global reaction to the murder of George Floyd are two huge social issues…affecting everyone, including business. And yet business can and should also be part of the solution.

How businesses engage with social issues is more important than ever. Businesses sharing nice words without action to back them up are being publicly called out. Businesses that are able to demonstrate their authentic social purpose are winning fans, with employees, consumers and shareholders.

After a year of research asking whether business can have “purpose”, deliver “sustainability” and be “a force for good”- this online discussion brings together experts, practitioners and invites everyone to share their insights on the following key questions:

1. What examples are there of businesses delivering authentic sustainable purpose beyond the usual suspects? What are the key factors that define authentic business purpose?
2. Our research 1 suggests that investors are an under-utilised and often overlooked source of expertise and support for companies who are serious about embedding purpose. What are the ways that investors and other stakeholders can influence how a business behaves and performs?
3. What are your best examples of how companies and investors collaborate to embed purpose authentically into business? Our research suggests that there could be three areas in which collaboration between investors and companies would be particularly fruitful: Materiality, Leadership, and Impact – what could this mean in reality?

Format:

This is a text-based discussion. There will be no video or audio. Please post your comments below. After the live session, this discussion will remain open, so please do continue to share your insights. To receive a free summary of this discussion afterwards, register here 3

How to participate:

To post a comment, you will need to sign in / sign up to the Business Fights Poverty Discussion Forum:

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If you are not already a member of the Business Fights Poverty online community, you will need to sign up here . Once you are have joined the community, you can return to this discussion page, click “Log In” at the top right of the page and then enter your details.

Time: 11 AM – 12 PM BST / 6 AM – 7 AM ET

Sustainable Energy for All, the Clean Cooking Alliance, ENERGIA, and members of the People-Centered Accelerator are taking an active role to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting women entrepreneurs in the sustainable energy sector. We are all in this together and are seeking to better understand the effects of this global pandemic on our gender and energy community. By understanding current needs, we hope to better craft advocacy efforts for future funding and programming to sustain women’s businesses in the sector.

As a first step, we are organizing a “COVID-19 and Women’s Energy Entrepreneurship” webinar to create a virtual space for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented times to share their stories. Focused on elevating voices from the field, this webinar will showcase the experiences of entrepreneurs across the sector, unpacking insights on how this pandemic is impacting their company operations, customers, and communities. As women entrepreneurs are adjusting, bearing additional responsibilities due to the nature of their businesses, it is critical to recognize the invaluable, creative contributions and perspectives that women entrepreneurs can provide in support of energy delivery services during this pandemic.

As we adjust, respond, and hopefully rebuild in the near future, we hope that women will be at the center of those efforts, ensuring they have equal access to response and mitigation efforts. Please join us in what will be a rich discussion around challenges, as well as strategies, for supporting women’s businesses now and in the future.

Time: 9 AM EDT

As Asia begins to adapt to the new post-pandemic normal, some economies have begun to reopen while others continue to battle on. At the same time, we also acknowledge the pandemic is a terrible human tragedy spanning the globe and sparing almost no economy. As we collectively confront and adapt to this new normal, the roles of and need for sustainable finance and impact investing could not be more critical and urgent.

Notwithstanding the lessons learned from previous epidemics such as SARS, MERS, and Ebola as well as Bill Gates’ prescient TED talk in 2015, the uneven responses of various economies to the COVID-19 pandemic point to a dire picture of what could happen to humanity if we fail to tackle the more serious threats of climate change and extreme weather events going forward.

In the immediate term, as we await for vaccines that can be produced at scale, developed and developing economies alike will continue to face unprecedented economic and public health challenges. Already we are seeing some economies begin to delay or roll-back some climate- and sustainability-related initiatives as a matter of economic survival. And there are growing concerns that stopgap solutions to jumpstart economies could stall the growth of sustainable finance.

In this virtual fireside chat, Impact Entrepreneur’s Laurie Lane-Zucker and Asia Value Advisors’ Philo Alto will discuss with our distinguished group of panellists — Leonie Kelly of Sustainable Finance Initiative, En Lee of LGT, Ronie Mak of RS Group and James Robertson of PRI — the trends and developments in growing sustainable finance in Asia in the new post-pandemic normal.

Time: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM EDT

Learn about the upcoming 2020-2021 IACBE Live Case Competition Series! We will discuss the various formats, timelines, and provide additional insight on how these experiences will enhance your classroom. Plus, we are bringing back last year’s company host Coinsource, as well as the faculty mentor and a student from the winning Oregon Tech team of the Spring ACAM competition.

Time: 12 PM – 1 PM ET

RIN’s Co-Managing Director Tim Docking will present key insights from our recent COVID-19 Refugee Investment Ecosystem Survey, and will be joined by three panelists with unique perspectives on the experiences and needs of refugee entrepreneurs in the U.S. at this moment.

Time: 12 PM ET