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Friday Roundup: Gratitude and New Challenges
This Friday Roundup is the last post I’ll publish as Managing Editor of NextBillion.net. I would like to thank the NextBillion community at large, but especially those whose trust and advice have allowed me to make a contribution over the last few years.
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Is 2011 Ghana’s 1978? New National Pension Fund Scheme Could Repeat History
In 1978, U.S. regulations changed to allow pension funds to invest in private equity (PE) firms, including venture capital groups, creating a tsunami of capital to new and growing firms. This year, key changes from Ghana’s 2008 pension law come into effect that might lead to a similar explosion in private equity and venture capital.
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- Investing
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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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WDI Developing BoP Asset Class in Asia Pacific Region
Developing a "blueprint" for a new asset class of private equity funds considering base of the pyramid enterprises and investments in the Asia Pacific region is the goal of a new project at the William Davidson Institute’s Development Consulting Services group.
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- Impact Assessment
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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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Leading the Next Wave of Corporate BoP Engagement
Most multinational corporations (MNCs) just don’t find the social business at the BoP niche attractive yet - or at least not enough to hire a large consultancy to come figure out how to make it work for them. Those successful in developing financially viable solutions to social issues within a large organization are known as social intrapreneurs.
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Reinvent Maternal Health: It’s a Challenge
ABC News, The Lemelson Foundation, and Duke Global Health Institute recently teamed up to launch the Reinventing Maternal Health challenge. Targeted to university students, this challenge seeks to find the most innovative, impactful idea that will prevent thousands of women from dying in childbirth across the globe.
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- Health Care