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’NextThought Monday’: Lisa Simpson, Carl Schramm and Skepticism
NextThought Monday is a new feature I?m starting at here NextBillion. Each Monday, I hope to introduce a new idea, point of view, or simply a guide to help you chart out the week ahead in the BoP space. This week we’ll explore the skepticism of microfinance and international development, and what we can learn from it.
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- Investing
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The Hoop Fund: Connecting BoP Producers with New Markets, Finance
The Hoop has been called the Kiva for fair trade, as it uses the basic platform of micro-lending from individuals to channel finance to emerging market cooperatives. However, according to the Hoop CEO Patrick Donohue, the Hoop?s point of differentiation is on the consumer experience it provides.
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- Uncategorized
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BoP Career Paths: Interview with Peter Frykman, Driptech CEO & Founder
In this series, NextBillion brings you Base of the Pyramid career path stories and best practices from across the BoP industry spectrum. Today we speak with Peter Frykman, founder and CEO of Driptech, an innovative company that creates ?extremely affordable, water-efficient irrigation solutions for small-plot farmers in developing nations.?
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- Agriculture
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Power to the People: New Report on Energy for the Base of the Pyramid
WRI’s new report, Power to the People, produced in collaboration with the Center for Development Finance-IFMR, looks at the market potential for clean and renewable energy in rural India. The following interview, with co-Author and NextBillion Staff Writer Saurabh Lall, explores the study’s main insights and conclusions.
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- Energy
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The “Gandhi Approach” to Better Governance
Microcredit, formal and informal loans from friends or family can get a social enterprise only so far. Larger equity investments can help a micro-enterprises over the hump and into real SME scale. This article summarizes some governance principles indispensable at this stage.
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- Social Enterprise
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From the Field, Part 5: The Launch and Seeing the Vision Become Flesh
The formal launch was perhaps the most difficult part of the journey so far. Because both the Governor of the State and the Finance Minister were coming, the local political officials were determined that everything should be perfect.
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- Uncategorized
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Notes from the Field, Part 3: The Money Chase
When BOP entrepreneurs share war stories, they are inevitably about raising money. And I’m often asked, how do you do it? So here in brief are my experiences in raising money for our rural healthcare venture, which now has 3 operating E Health Points in rural Punjab, India.
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- Uncategorized
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Ashoka Launches Innovative E Health Points in Rural India
I just got an email from our friends at Ashoka announcing the launch, just two days ago, of a venture that promises to disrupt and transform rural healthcare in India: The E Health Points, a joint venture led by Ashoka, the Naandi Foundation, the Government of the State of Punjab and and Healthpoint Services India Pvt. Ltd.
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- Uncategorized