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Public Good vs. Profitable Exits: Why Public Innovation Agencies Must Stop Copying Venture Capital
A new class of venture capitalist is emerging, but they aren’t Wall Street financiers or Silicon Valley tech bros. As Emre Eren Korkmaz at the University of Oxford argues, they are public innovation agencies that are shifting their funding approach: Instead of supporting high-risk research and innovations aimed at delivering societal benefit, they have begun to adopt the logic of venture capital, favoring commercially viable projects that are more likely to secure follow-on private funding. He explores the downsides to this shift, arguing that the world needs these institutions to do what private capital cannot or will not: supporting innovation for the public good, not just for profitable exits.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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IFC Invests in EcoEnterprises Partners IV to Boost Job Creation and Support SMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean
IFC will invest US$ 10 million in the new fund, which will support businesses, the majority of them SMEs, that enhance biodiversity, promote climate resilience, and create socio-economic opportunities for rural communities.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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Press Release: Rapid Reaction: Launch of the Call for Funding Requests to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage
Once the call for funding requests officially opens on the 15th of December, developing countries will have six months to submit their requests, with the Board expected to start approving disbursals in June 2026.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Region
- Global
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DEG Discloses Investment in Helios Fund
German development financier DEG has disclosed an investment of $25 million in Helios V.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Pan-African Seed-Stage Ventures Platform Secures $64 Million 1st close for Fund II
Founded in 2016, Ventures Platform targets companies that bridge infrastructural gaps and promote prosperity.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions and African Union Development Agency-NEPAD Launch USD $1.5 Billion AAMFI Infrastructure Financing Facility
The initiative underscores the continent’s renewed commitment to addressing its infrastructure financing gap through home-grown and coordinated mechanisms.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Africa Secures $925 Million From the World Bank to Rebuild Its Ailing Cities
The World Bank has approved a $925 million loan to South Africa to help revive its major cities through a six-year urban renewal program estimated to cost three times that amount.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Brazil Pledges US $72 Million in Support of Gavi’s Global Immunisation Efforts
Brazil commits US$ 72 million to Gavi’s 2026–2030 strategic period, reinforcing its role as a key stakeholder in global health and vaccine manufacturing.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing
- Region
- Latin America
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