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Non-profits start with energy but lack systems, so struggle for funding: Roopa Kudva of Omidyar Network
Omidyar's most recent investment in India is in Goodera, a for-profit company that helps corporates channel money for CSR activities. India managing director Roopa Kudva , who joined the venture in 2015, explains why financial inclusion is top of its list of priorities.
- Categories
- Investing
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Stakeholders advocate bespoke intervention schemes for MSMEs
According to the stakeholders, MSMEs are the first responders to societal needs and are responsible for significant employment and income generation opportunities across the world even as they have been identified as a major driver of poverty alleviation and development.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- MSMEs
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Investing with ‘green’ ratings? It’s a gray area
There are no set criteria for who is bad and who is good and so-called ESG ratings vary widely, meaning investors may be less protected than they think, for example, from a scandal over labor practices or board pay.
"We don't have a common vernacular," said Asha Mehta, director of responsible investing at Acadian Asset Management in Boston.- Categories
- Investing
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TLcom Capital hits $40m first close for sub-Saharan Africa tech fund
The $100m-targeting TIDE Africa fund will look to provide African entrepreneurs with capital to develop tech-driven solutions to the continent’s biggest problems.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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CleanCapital Closes $4 Million Series A To Make Institutional Investors See Green
“By streamlining the acquisition of high quality, clean energy projects, CleanCapital is able to pass through the benefits to its investors,” said Patelli in a release.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Tags
- impact investing
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‘One size fits all’ investing is limiting innovations in East Africa and India
The reality is different. Despite all of the hype, most startups in India and East Africa are failing to attract the investment capital they need to grow and scale. For example, although startup investment in East Africa is at an all-time high, in the past two years 72 percent of venture capital went to only three startups. The vast majority of startups in these regions are not being given a fair shot.
- Categories
- Investing
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Yes, microlending reduces extreme poverty
Currently, 836 million people – or 12% of the world’s population – experience extreme poverty, living off less than US$1.25 a day. Using data from 106 developing countries from between 1998 and 2013 to examine the efficacy of microlending as a poverty-reduction tool, I found that just a 10% increase in the gross microfinance loan portfolio per client could cut this number by 1.26%.
- Categories
- Investing
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Impact investments booming in Africa
Impact investing has become a key focus for many fund managers on the continent. Just under half of funds surveyed in Southern, West and East Africa are awake to the idea that their assets can not only be used to generate good returns for their clients, but also outcomes that are good for society at large.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa