-
Can blockchain turn plastic waste into currency for the poor—and save our oceans?
The Plastic Bank offers a secure and transparent way to monetise ocean-bound plastic with a dual mission of protecting the environment, and banking the unbanked in some of the world’s poorest regions.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
-
Failing to Scale: Fixing Common Missteps in mHealth Ventures
Telemedicine or mHealth systems have great potential to bolster fragile health care systems in the developing world. However, these programs often fail to survive beyond the pilot phase. A team at the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program at Penn State studied 35 telemedicine and mHealth projects and discovered six recurring reasons for failure to scale. Program director Khanjan Mehta offers solutions to some common missteps.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
-
Blockchain technology is being used in the early disruption of Kenya’s agribusiness
In many emerging markets, food retailers along with smallholder farmers, struggle to secure loans and develop a credit history. And without the proper financing, many of them fail to scale their businesses.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Amazon vs Google: A race to capture India’s consumer space
Unfriendly policies and homegrown behemoths have made it difficult to breach Beijing. The US, the home market, is saturated. India, on the other hand, is inviting.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Entrepreneurs capitalize on rural handicraft e-commerce
Born in a Dong village in Zaima town, Guizhou Province, Yang opened a shop on retail website Taobao to sell handmade ethnic cloth made by fellow villagers.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- e-commerce
-
Blockchain for Agriculture: Improving Supply Chain Efficiency and Access to Finance for Smallholder Farmers
Though blockchain applications in agriculture are still in early stages, they have intriguing potential that merits increased investment and exploration, says Nikki Brand. She discusses several innovative uses of the technology across the agriculture supply chain, and highlights new Stanford University research on the organizations and initiatives that are leveraging blockchain to drive social impact.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
-
IIM Amedabad’s CIIE launches $25 million Bharat Inclusion Initiative
IIM-Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) has launched the Bharat Inclusion Initiative, with a commitment of $25 million from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network and Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. The initiative will focus on incubating and backing startups that work in areas such as financial inclusion, livelihood, education and health.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Blockchain-Based Platform Aims to Protect Intellectual Property of Emerging Markets Inventors and Entrepreneurs
With access to more than 1.5 million devices in 105 countries, plus another 44 million that are under contract to go live by the end of 2018, Spire (SPI), the token that powers UpChannel's mobile dApp marketplace and Android hardware wallet, and Loci (LOCI), a blockchain-based intellectual property (IP) platform, announced their plans to empower and protect inventors and entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Technology
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.