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July’s Most Popular Posts on NextBillion: From the value of female mobile money agents to the power of Latin America’s BoP
From the benefits of training women as mobile money agents to the remarkable size and vibrancy of Latin America's BoP, the month of July brought some compelling content to NextBillion. We highlight the three most-read and most-shared posts of the month.
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- Agriculture, Energy
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The Next Challenge for Impact Investing – Thinking Small to Think Big: Scaling up support to early-stage social enterprises
Both small investors and businesses are especially in need of partner and mentorship services, but they're left out of most impact investment networks. Global networks that serve as knowledge, best practice and deal flow platforms should focus especially on early-stage social enterprises and investors, which need the most support.
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- Uncategorized
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Fast Lane to the Future: Three ways the ‘leapfrog effect’ is transforming developing countries – and revolutionizing finance
The “leapfrog effect” refers to the phenomenon, in fast-growing emerging economies, of technological advances permitting shortcuts in infrastructure building. This saves considerable time and money – and can deliver quick results that took more developed countries decades to attain. Here are three ways the leapfrog effect is reshaping economies – and finance – in the developing world.
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- Technology
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Venture Capital Investing Boom Neglects Startups Tackling Poverty
The venture capital investing boom has sent billions of dollars to startups that serve the upper crust of society, yet many VCs continue to resist investing in viable businesses bringing toilets, water and electricity to the rural poor.
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- Investing
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Group That Shelters Trafficked Girls In India Wins $10,000 Prize From A Social Enterprise
Social enterprise CommonBond, which runs a business plan competition for social entrepreneurial-minded MBAs, just held its second contest. The winner of the $10,000 prize: Sanlaap North America, a nonprofit that helps to rescue human trafficking victims and provides them with housing, medical care, therapy and legal aid in Calcutta; it also runs for-profit Zesa, which trains and employs residents of their shelters and other girls and young women, helping them learn marketable skills, and also funds Sanlaap’s operations.
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- Uncategorized
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Needed: A ‘Facebook’ for Impact Investing: Why the Sector Needs to Embrace Failure – And Also Produce Some Inspiring Successes
Impact investing has had some notable success stories, but no true breakout companies that – like Facebook – can inspire public attention and draw more entrepreneurs and investors to the sector. That's a problem, says Vox Capital director Daniel Izzo – as is the fear of failure, both financial and social, among investors. He discusses these challenges, and some possible solutions, in this video Q&A.
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- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
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How A Toilet Franchise Business Is Cleaning Up Kenya’s Slums
When the government isn't providing clean sanitation, Sanergy is showing that there's an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to step in.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Eco-friendly sanitary pads made of banana fibre – Saathi pads’s solution to menstrual waste
Saathi was founded by Kristin Kagetsu, Amrita Saigal, Grace Kane, Ashutosh Kumar and Zachary Rose. The aim was to develop a small scale manufacturing process that would produce affordable sanitary protection from waste banana tree fibre.
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- Health Care
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