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Lok Capital and Acumen Fund announce Rs. 7 crore investment in Hippocampus Learning Centres
Bangalore, May 2012: Lok Capital, one of the largest dedicated funds in India for businesses focused on serving the lower income and base of the pyramid (BOP) customer segments and Acumen Fund, a pioneering nonprofit global venture firm addressing poverty in South Asia, East and West Africa, today announce Rs. 7 crore investment in Hippocampus Learning Centres (HLC), a for-profit rural education service provider in India. This is Lok Capital’s and Acumen’s first investment in Education and marks the launch of their respective education portfolios. Based in Karnataka, India, HLC provides affordable, quality education by employing and training local female teachers who coach students between the ages of 3-12 in both pre-school and primary instruction.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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The Unitus Seed Fund: Harnessing Small Equity for Scale at the BoP
I recently had the opportunity to interview Dave Richards, managing director of Unitus Seed Fund – a new seed stage venture fund investing in startups with high potential to improve the lives of many BoP families in India. USF is focused on making small equity investments – typically $50,000 to $100,000 – at the seed stage where round sizes are less than $500,000 and usually less than $250,000.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Emerging markets forecast to drive dairy industry boom
AT A time when SA’s dairy industry is losing milk producers because of the sector’s limited viability, an international index has forecast growth for the industry from an expected rise in prosperity and buying power among consumers in emerging markets including Africa.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Hapinoy Program – Social Development with a Smile
A multi-awarded program in the Philippines leads the innovation of solutions for the Base of the Pyramid. From the words "Happy" and "Pinoy" (a slang word for Filipino), Hapinoy continues its mission to empower more women micro entrepreneurs - and they do it with a smile.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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Ripe for Innovation: Democratized Diagnostics for the BoP
Healthcare diagnostics might seem like a peculiar call-out, but a few examples suggest that this space is ripe for innovation – especially at the BoP – and with far-reaching implications.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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India’s Aadhaar ID Project Turns Nation’s Poor into Economic Players
Power Shift India: Nation turns to technology to extend a guaranteed identity to its poor
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
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Buy More and Better Bednets for the Money, Says New Report
On World Malaria Day, a new report analysis the anti-malarial bednet market and concludes that we could get better value, more innovation and even more nets from the same amount of funds.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Get an MBA, Save the World
If you want to work in international development, go work for a big, bad multinational company.
- Categories
- Education
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