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Inclusive Business and CSR ? How To Grow Local Innovation Clusters? Reflections From Cali
Do concepts like ’base of the pyramid’ and ’Inclusive Business’ really enter into the mainstream practice of businesses located in or close to poor communities? Do local business leaders really care about the "endless opportunities" that academic thought-leaders proclaim? Or do they smell another buzzword storm and continue with business as usual?
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From Inventions to Ventures: NCIIA?s 2011 Open Minds Showcase
Last weekend, dozens of teams took part in National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) Open Minds showcase. NCIIA was established in 1995 with support from the Lemelson Foundation to advance experiential learning for technology innovation and entrepreneurship on university campuses and classrooms. Several teams focused on the BoP.
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NexThought Monday: A New Movement – From Divergence to Convergence?
A few days ago a friend of mine asked me "is this movement (social entrepreneurship) really any bigger or different than any other social justice movement we have seen? And if so, why?" After giving it more thought, my short answer was "yes." Here are some of the ideas that came out of our dialogue..
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Friday Roundup ? 2/25/11: ’A New Geography of Global Poverty’
?Most of the world?s poor no longer live in low-income countries. An estimated 960 million poor people ? a new bottom billion ? live in middle-income countries (MICs), a result of the graduation of several populous countries from low-income status.? So opens a report this week that should change the way we think about development.
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Disruptive Innovation in Service of Social Business Growth (Part 1)
Innovation in social businesses is not limited to development issues: it goes beyond the borders of sectors, creating disruption in the market, with the potential to generate a new wave of creative destruction. These posts seek practical answers to the reality of entrepreneurs that continue their battle to ensure the survival and growth.
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Small Business Might Be Big Business for Mobile Money
Small business owners and entrepreneurs are getting in on the action of mobile money. This post summarizes conversations I had over the past few months, as well as two new research pieces that highlight some challenges ahead for the industry to cater this important segment.
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Thoughts On Strategic Transitions From Humanitarian to Development Work
The Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF), outside of improving humanitarian aid practices, may present an opportunity for us to better examine this cross-section of modern change by innovating programs that consider the important transition from short-term (humanitarian) to long-term (development and beyond) ownership of projects.
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Unreasonable Institute Finalists Emerge
The 2011 Unreasonable Institute, an intensive six-week mentorship program that seeks to accelerate budding ventures serving the base of the pyramid consumers, fielded applications from 300 entrepreneurs who hoped to attend. The first test was competing with other applicants to raise $8,000 in tuition fees, while rallying support for their mission.
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