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Touchstone Partners Launches US $10 Million Green Transition Fund at Net Zero Challenge Finale
Each funded climate-tech startup in Vietnam and Southeast Asia will receive capital alongside coaching and strategic guidance from Touchstone Partners and its advisory network.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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South Africa Launches $100 Million Digital Inclusion Fund
Backed by a blended group of investors, the initiative aims to give entrepreneurs both capital and access to global networks.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Deetken Impact Expands Climate Finance Leadership as Canada Joins Inclusive Climate Action Fund
Deetken Impact, a leading Canadian impact investment firm, is proud to partner with the Government of Canada and announce their CAD$106 million commitment in the new Inclusive Climate Action Fund (ICAF).
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
- Region
- Global
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Financing Off-Grid Solar: A Pioneering Provider in Honduras Shows the Impact of Diversified Funding
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and many of its most remote regions remain unserved by the electricity grid. Richenda Van Leeuwen at Hummingbird Green Solutions and Richard Stuebi and Jesse Colman at Boston University explore how Soluz Honduras is bringing freezers and other solar products to these markets by leveraging a variety of different financing models — an approach that shows how diversified funding can enable businesses to serve even the hardest-to-reach areas and the poorest of customers. (In celebration of our 20th anniversary, NextBillion is highlighting key articles from our decades of coverage of different sectors on our homepage below, with a current focus on energy.)
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Entrepreneur-Friendly Inclusive Finance: A Survey of Brazilian MSMEs Highlights Key Lessons for Lenders
In Brazil, impact-focused lenders like Estímulo are successfully reaching small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with inclusive lending approaches. But as Carla Grados-Villamar at 60 Decibels and Lucas Conrado at Estímulo explain, inclusive finance is not just about disbursing loans — it’s about understanding entrepreneurs’ realities and adapting accordingly. They share findings from 60 Decibels' interviews with over 400 Estímulo loan applicants, highlighting lessons lenders can use to improve business outcomes for borrowers, and prepare non-borrowers for future credit opportunities. (In celebration of our 20th anniversary, NextBillion is highlighting key articles from our decades of coverage of different sectors on our homepage below, with a current focus on education.)
- Categories
- Finance
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Public Good vs. Profitable Exits: Why Public Innovation Agencies Must Stop Copying Venture Capital
A new class of venture capitalist is emerging, but they aren’t Wall Street financiers or Silicon Valley tech bros. As Emre Eren Korkmaz at the University of Oxford argues, they are public innovation agencies that are shifting their funding approach: Instead of supporting high-risk research and innovations aimed at delivering societal benefit, they have begun to adopt the logic of venture capital, favoring commercially viable projects that are more likely to secure follow-on private funding. He explores the downsides to this shift, arguing that the world needs these institutions to do what private capital cannot or will not: supporting innovation for the public good, not just for profitable exits.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Press Release: Grameen Foundation and Yunus Social Business Unite to Build the Future of Locally Led Development
Together, Grameen Foundation and Yunus Social Business will harness blended finance, agribusiness investments, and innovative agricultural solutions to deliver transformative, locally led programs across multiple regions.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Global
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One Clean Cooking Project Could Generate Rwf 27 Billion From Carbon Credits
The project primarily targeted low-income households, providing them with modern, energy-efficient cook stoves that use less charcoal and firewood.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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