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4 Tips On Scaling From Open-Source Pioneers
How do you quickly scale an innovation? The industrial-age strategy is well-understood: A generation ago, when General Motors wanted to sell more cars, it scraped together a few billion dollars in capital; built factories; hired designers, engineers, assemblers and patent attorneys; and pumped new Buicks and Caddies through its captive dealer network.
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Why Nairobi is the Stage for the 4th-Annual oikos UNDP Academy
Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi is a good fit for the annual oikos UNDP academy. Since its 2009 inauguration in Switzerland, the academy has leapfrogged from Costa Rica, to India, and now turns toward Kenya where it will be hosted from Aug. 12-17 by the Strathmore Business School in Nairobi
The 15 scholars participating in the 2012 Academy come from universities on four continents.- Categories
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Making Connections: Mercy Corps’ Market Mission : A Q&A With CEO Neal Keny-Guyer
Earlier this month, we formally welcomed Mercy Corps as a NextBillion Content Partner. I had a chance to speak with Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer, who has lead the organization since 1994 and taken it in new directions. "We try to make use of already existing market relationships – those between buyers, sellers, producers and consumers – to bridge social and political divides via business and trade."
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Ugandan Billionaire Ashish Thakkar Launches Venture Capital Fund For Young Entrepreneurs
VENTURES AFRICA – Ugandan billionaire businessman Ashish J. Thakkar, under the auspices of the Mara foundation, a non-profit enterprise of Mara Group, today announced the formation and launch of a venture capital firm – Mara Launch Uganda Fund to support the needs of today’s entrepreneurs.
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India’s RBI Eases Regulations for Non-Bank Microfinance Lenders
India’s central bank eased norms for non-bank microfinance companies, removing a cap on lending rates and relaxing risk-provision standards, after some lenders found it difficult to meet existing regulations.
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In Brazil, a Break Through Investment Model in Affordable Housing: Harnessing a public-private solution to sustainable housing
At Bamboo Finance, we view housing as a critical component to driving economic growth, and our investment of R$7 million (US$3.6 million) in Bille, a Special Purpose Enterprise (SPE) created by Crinale, a Brazilian housing developer, for building and selling 1,200 houses in the interior of Sao Paulo State, represents a scalable solution to a massive social and economic problem.
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Don’t Touch Our M-PESA!: In Mobile Money, Why Even Sacred Cows Need Scrutiny
I was giving a presentation on the potential of branchless and in particular mobile banking at an international forum, and apparently I upset the Kenyans in attendance for not having lavished enough praise on M-PESA. When I talk about mobile banking I generally use the example of M-PESA because there are few others that are really worth talking about at this point (sadly), and I mostly get “enough with that already” kind of looks. So this was new.
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74 Million Served, and Counting: 10th Annual Class of Global Social Entrepreneurs Coming to Silicon Valley
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug 02, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Anuj Sharma's startup company, Sarvajal, has found a way to bring clean water to thousands of households in rural India, who would otherwise have to walk miles or drink disease-causing dirty water. Sarvajal dispenses water from solar-powered, ATM-like machines. Customers pay around $3 a month with their cell phones, and special mobile technology alerts the company if there are problems with any of its 157 franchised machines.
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