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Rational Exuberance: The momentum in impact investing is real – but so is the need for clarity about the changes (and challenges) underway
In spite of considerable progress in impact investing— and the staggering exuberance that’s been associated with it since it burst onto the stage— closer inspection reveals cause for serious concern in the sector. Bill Burckart details these challenges in the first post in a three-part series on the current state of impact investing, as it struggles to take the next step.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
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The ‘Scrappy Rockstar’ of Global Health?: Maternova using Amazon-type platform to help save lives of mothers, infants in developing world
Maternova, a women-owned, women-run, for-profit social enterprise, has been described as "an Amazon-type platform, but for global health technologies." Allyson Cote, a co-founder, describes how her company is helping save the lives of mothers and infants in developing countries around the world.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise
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Verifying a Need: SimPrints wades into ‘identification crisis’ in health care, seeking global scale
SimPrints has developed a pocket-size fingerprint scanner that instantly links an individual’s fingerprint to his or her health records. The Bluetooth-enabled scanner allows health workers in the field in developing countries to make better decisions by providing immediate and reliable access to critical medical information.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care, Social Enterprise
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The Acumen Classroom: Six online courses address nuts and bolts of social entrepreneurship
Our vision is that five, 10 or 20 years down the road, not just Acumen, but everyone will be working on a completely different curve, one that’s smarter in solving problems of poverty. Because of this, our courses emphasize tangible financial and operational skills, such as human-centered design and social impact analysis, as well as leadership training and what we call "moral imagination."
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Uncategorized
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In Pakistan, Going Beyond ‘Potential’: Despite progress, Pakistan’s current environment criminalizes good actors rather than enabling them
Kalsoom Lakhani first wrote about Pakistan’s entrepreneurial potential for NextBillion back in January 2012, when the ecosystem there was still relatively nascent. Nearly three years later, the founder and CEO of accelerator Invest2Innovate says today’s entrepreneurship competitions, co-working spaces, university incubators and organizations are not just a rare occurrence, but are becoming the norm.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- incubators, research
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Ideas to Practice, Pilots to Strategy: World Economic Forum report shares best practices and lessons learned from impact investing innovators
Impact investing is a rapidly growing sector that’s generating a lot of knowledge, yet this expertise is spread among dozens if not hundreds of practitioners and academics. Last week, the World Economic Forum released the second edition in its series “Ideas to Practice, Pilots to Strategy” with the goal of democratizing and disseminating this expertise.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- impact investing
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Nexthought Monday – Fertilizer as Both Friend AND Foe: How to use them more responsibly, effectively and for farmers – profitably
More than 100 million tons of fertilizers are applied worldwide each year, supplying our planet with plentiful harvests. But that’s only part of the story. At Semilla Nueva, we have a lot of interest in how fertilizers can be used responsibly and sustainably to feed our growing planet and boost farmers’ incomes in the process.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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Seen and Heard at SOCAP14, Day 1
“The brain is just about the same ... (but) the heart seems to be a lot bigger in social entrepreneurs,” said William Draper, famed Silicon Valley venture capitalist turned venture philanthropist. His comments helped kick off SOCAP14.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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