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Microsoft, Accenture join to provide tech support to social enterprise startups
Intending to help deepen the reach of entrepreneurs and start-ups that are focused on social impact and sustainability, the joint initiative by Microsoft and Accenture aims to provide hands-on support and technologies to social enterprises, helping them build scalable solutions and business models that can lead to more tangible and lasting benefits.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- startups
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Is India the Next Battleground for African Fintech Startups?
As East African fintech startups look for growth opportunities in the face of increasing competition, many are considering expanding into new countries – and India is a top target. Analysts with BFA explore why these startups' established business models and tested skills give them a solid chance to succeed – and why the Indian market nevertheless presents a formidable challenge.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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AWS partners with Kenya’s Safaricom on cloud, consulting services
Amazon Web Services has entered a partnership with Safaricom — Kenya’s largest telco, ISP and mobile payment provider — in a collaboration that could spell competition between American cloud providers in Africa.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: Unlocking the Untapped Opportunity in Asia Through Impact Investing
There is a huge, untapped market opportunity in Asia, driven by under-served populations, with income levels of the poor in Asia expected to increase significantly over the next decade.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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‘Afro-Optimism’ on the Rise Among Continent’s Youth, Finds Survey
Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey, said the results “are a loud wake-up call to all the Afro-sceptics”.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- global development, research, youth
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Facebook Backs Indian Education Startup Unacademy
Unacademy, one of India’s fastest growing education startups, has just received the backing of a major technology giant: Facebook.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- startups, venture capital
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Tech Startups Are Flooding Kenya With Apps Offering High-Interest Loans
Tala has made $1 billion in microloans to people in developing countries, all using its app. It says it can reach those who’ve been ignored by banks, because its software generates instant credit ratings from data scraped off prospective borrowers’ phones. The company is part of the financial-inclusion movement, a loose coalition of tech companies, banks, and nongovernmental organizations trying to lift people out of poverty by offering them new ways to gain access to loans and other financial services.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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What’s Working – And What’s Not – in Africa: A New Report Aims to Inform Better Development Practice on the Continent
The challenges facing Africa are substantial – but so too are the unique assets the continent possesses. As the development sector works to address those challenges and leverage those assets, it's useful to highlight both the approaches that are working – and those that aren't. That's the goal of Next Generation's recent report on the social investment and development industry trends impacting Africa. Reana Rossouw explores its findings.
- Categories
- Technology
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