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Salesforce launches $50 million Impact Fund to invest in social change startups
Salesforce announced Tuesday that it's launching the Salesforce Impact Fund, a $50 million initiative to accelerate the growth of startups that are using Salesforce technology to address some of the world's biggest problems. Through the fund, Salesforce will invest in these companies, furthering each one's goal of driving positive change.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing, startups
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Ecobank launches mVisa across 33 African Countries
Ecobank has partnered with Visa to launch Ecobank Scan+Pay with mVisa solutions to their consumers. The strategic tie-up signals interoperability on a cross border level - and potentially huge gains - as it affords consumers with the ability to use their mobile phone to directly access the funds in their bank accounts to pay person-to-merchant (P2M) or person-to-person (P2P).
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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First global funding pact launched to secure indigenous land rights
Indigenous people under threat from companies seeking to develop their land for agriculture, mining and energy projects will be supported with money and practical help through a major global partnership backed by philanthropic and government funding.
- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- human rights, philanthropy
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WHO launches bold plan to slash cholera deaths by 90 percent
The challenge is daunting. Three million people get cholera every year, in Asia, Africa and Haiti, and increasing urbanization and temperatures will put more people at risk. In Yemen, the biggest epidemic in modern times is now approaching 800,000 cases, and is growing. Emergency experts say a “catastrophic” outbreak looms in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
- Categories
- Health Care
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CLEAN launches first “State of the Sector” report on last-mile clean energy access in India
The Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN) (thecleannetwork.org), India’s industry body representing the decentralized renewable energy (DRE) sector, today launched its first annual “State of the Sector” report. The report highlights the significant progress and innovation made by the sector.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Bad medicine: the toxic fakes at the heart of an international criminal racket
The recent news that another batch of fake meningitis vaccine had been discovered in Niger is just the most recent incidence of a particularly dangerous and cruel criminal racket. As many as 1,500 cases have been reported to a surveillance database launched by the World Health Organization in 2013, and that’s probably an underestimate, says Mick Deats, head of the substandard and falsified medicines group at WHO.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- public health, vaccines
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Press release: MyBucks Named ‘Best Financial Inclusion Company’ at European FinTech Awards 2017
Luxembourg-based and Frankfurt-listed fintech, MyBucks S.A., was announced as the winner of the Award for ‘Best European Financial Inclusion Company’ at the European Fintech Awards 2017 taking place in Brussels, Belgium.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
- Tags
- fintech
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Startup Accelerators Have Become More Popular in Emerging Markets — and They’re Working
Business environments in most emerging markets are complex and can be difficult for even the most experienced entrepreneur to navigate. So while running any startup is tough, we assumed that launching a new business in Mombasa would be much more difficult than running one in Menlo Park. However, we were surprised to find far fewer differences in the effects of acceleration than we had expected.
- Categories
- Investing
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