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Multinationals Get Back to Basics
On August 24, 2015, for the first time, more than one billion people used Facebook in a single day. It's easy to think that the Internet has engulfed the world and communities across the globe are perpetually mesmerised by smartphones. Yet, the reality is very different. More than four billion people - or over half the world's population - still don't have access to the Internet, reports ITU, a United Nations agency.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Why Silicon Valley is failing when it comes to social impact investing
Lately there is a lot of buzz in Silicon Valley about social impact investing. Startup executives and venture capitalists with an earnest gleam in their eyes increasingly talk about using hi-tech to make the world a better place for everyone — rather than just vying for the multimillion-dollar exit. It sounds great in principle, but when it comes to social entrepreneurship, how many Silicon Valley investors are actually willing to put their cold hard cash on the line?
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing
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With $4.3 Million PayJoy Is Ensuring Smartphones Land In The Hands Of The Next 2 Billion
Co-founded by Mark Heynen, Doug and Tom Ricket, and Gib Lopez, PayJoy is an attempt to resolve the financing problem faced by the nearly 2 billion people around the world who have access to internet connectivity but currently can’t afford to buy a smartphone.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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GlaxoSmithKline Partners in Research to Make Vaccines Cheaper for African Babies
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has partnered with university researchers in Melbourne to develop a new manufacturing method to make vaccines cheaper for families in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Central Bank of Kenya Warns Against Using Bitcoin and Other Unregulated Digital Currencies
As the role of bitcoin and other unregulated digital currencies grows, the Central Bank of Kenya has joined other authorities from around the world to warn that virtual money is insecure and could be used to fund terrorism.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- regulations
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A Telemedicine Innovation Is Preventing Blindness in Babies
Every sighted child that is born premature and weighs less than two kg faces a risk of lifetime blindness: a chilling fact that is known to few outside the select community of paediatric retinal surgeons. All that is needed to stop the blindness is screening and a specialised laser operation. But there is next to no awareness on that.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Fintech’s Five Emerging Powerhouse Markets Are At A Crossroads
Accenture has warned local banking communities in Asia to wake up: It took just nine months for investment in the region’s non-banking fintechs to quadruple from 2014’s $880 million to $3.5 billion.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Weekly Roundup: OPIC’s Big Jump with LeapFrog; the Dearth of Do-gooder Drones
With a $200 million planned investment by the U.S. government’s development finance arm, impact equity firm LeapFrog Investments has now attracted $1 billion in funds to invest in companies reaching low-income people with financial and healthcare services. This week, the board of directors for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) approved the investment, as well as eight others. LeapFrog’s announcement hailed the OPIC investment as “the largest commitment in history to any impact fund manager.” That’s not something I could independently confirm, but it is OPIC’s largest single commitment to a private equity manager.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
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