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Rethinking Scale in Agribusiness: An Impact Investor Explores the Massive Benefits of Being Small
Many impact investors have adopted the mindset of traditional venture capital, seeking out companies with the potential to reach millions of customers. But Chris Wayne and Coco Lim at Acumen argue that this single-minded focus on scale ignores the realities of agribusinesses in emerging markets, and overlooks small businesses' potential to make a deeper impact. They explore why impact investors should focus on more than just the number of "lives impacted” by their agriculture investments, moving toward a more nuanced understanding of scale in this crucial sector.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Yunus Was Right — Credit is Indeed a Human Right, and Savings is Important Too: Why the Microfinance Sector Must Avoid the ‘Circular Firing Squad’ and Promote Multiple Approaches to Financial Inclusion
Alex Counts, financial inclusion pioneer and founder of Grameen Foundation, took issue with Jeffrey Ashe’s recent NextBillion article, “Yunus Was Wrong—Savings, Not Credit, is a Human Right.” He argues that, instead of seeing the world through an “either/or” lens, the financial inclusion sector should embrace multiple tools, including credit, savings, insurance and more — and he urges today's changemakers to avoid promoting one social innovation at the expense of others.
- Categories
- Finance, Social Enterprise
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Closing the ‘Subjective Impact Gap’: How Social Enterprises Can Motivate and Retain Talent by Overcoming Doubts About Their Impact
Social enterprises often struggle to recruit a skilled workforce, leading many to attract workers by promising a rewarding job that makes a difference. But as Andreana Drencheva at King’s College London explains, workers don't always experience this sense of positive impact — something she terms the "subjective impact gap." She explores how this issue can affect staff morale, recruitment and retention, and shares five ways social enterprises can address it.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Press Release: Global Leaders and Civic Courage Alarmed by Possible Jailing of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Call for Justice
One of only seven people to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, Yunus has been under attack by Sheikh Hasina's government since 2010.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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d.light Harnesses $125 Million to Boost Off-Grid Solar Solutions in Tanzania
d.light champions the mission of providing affordable solar-powered household commodities.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Social Enterprise, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Reckitt Nigeria Launches WASH Accelerator Programme With Seed Funding for Social Entrepreneurs
Dettol, Harpic, and Mortein manufacturer, Reckitt has launched the Fight for Access Accelerator, which offers social businesses who are tackling access to WASH with the chance to scale their solutions.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- accelerators, hygiene, sanitation, scale, water
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Press Release: 100X Impact Accelerator Announces Inaugural Cohort of Future Social Unicorns
The diverse cohort consists of social ventures spanning a range of sectors, geographies, and demographics.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Health Care, Social Enterprise, Technology
- Region
- Global
- Tags
- accelerators, agtech, edtech, innovation, startups
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Accelerating Social Unicorns: How an Impact Accelerator is Supporting the Innovators Who are Tackling the World’s Biggest Problems
The holy grail in venture capital is to invest in a “unicorn” — a startup that achieves a valuation of over $1 billion. But as Leslie Labruto at 100x Impact Accelerator explains, this approach overlooks the businesses and organizations that are tackling pressing societal issues at scale. She argues that it’s time to shift the focus to "social unicorns" that aim to make a massive positive social impact, and explores three keys to these enterprises' success.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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