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The Entrepreneurial Case for Tech Investing in Emerging Markets
Africa’s tech ecosystem is huge, yet it barely scratches the surface when compared with those of China, India, Brazil and other emerging markets. In 2006, India and China accounted for only 2 percent of global-deal value. More than a decade later, the two biggest emerging markets now account for nearly 25 percent, with India and China firmly on the list of the top 20 startup ecosystems in the world.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
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Bringing social change to the dinner table, one rice bowl at a time
“I wouldn’t say I intended to venture into social entrepreneurship, but I’ve always wanted to make a difference. It took me about 15 years to really start this (Siam Organic) and prior to that, I was thinking about tackling the various problems faced by the world,” Neil tells The Edge.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Rwanda social enterprise wages war on dirty floors with an alternative to cement
The floors are credited for making homes or communities healthier through eliminating health problems caused by dirt floors, such as childhood asthma, diarrhea, malnutrition, and parasitic infestations.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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In Cambodia, a bold teaching program draws on international models and local context
The program is the first of its kind in Cambodia, where founder Siv Monirath, or Moni, hopes the global model can gain a foothold in his country. A staunch advocate for educational equality, Moni has firsthand experience of the difference that the right or wrong type of schooling can make.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Perspective: The Mis-Measure of Development
Today’s global development agenda is trying to be all things to all people. The Millennium Development Goals worked because they were few in number and sharply focused. By contrast, the MDGs' successor, the Sustainable Development Goals, comprise an eye-popping 169 targets, which means there is no focus at all.
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Press release: MIT’s Inclusive Innovation Challenge awards over $1 million to organizations harnessing technology to create greater economic opportunity for workers
The MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy has awarded over $1 million in prize money in its second annual MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge (IIC) in recognition and celebration of for-profit and non-profit organizations using technology to improve economic opportunity for base- and middle-level income earners.
- Categories
- Technology
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Releases Open-Source Software to Support Efforts that Expand Access to Financial Services in Developing Countries
Current data from the World Bank shows that nearly two billion people in developing economies lack bank accounts and miss out on the benefits and security that basic financial services provide. Digital financial services, such as mobile money on cell phones, have rapidly expanded over the last two decades because they are convenient for users and cost-effective for companies aiming to serve new markets.
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How stoves can help solve a global pollution crisis
Dirty air, besides contributing to global warming, leads to 4 million deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization. That's about 1 millions deaths in China, 600,000 in India and 140,000 in Russia in 2012 alone.
- Categories
- Environment