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When ‘Hibernation’ Is Not an Option: How a Small Business in India Fought to Stay Alive During the Pandemic
Soon after the COVID-19 lockdown started, Lal10 – a social enterprise that connects India’s indigenous artisans to formal markets – faced cratering demand for its standard products, like saris and other textiles. As Sachi Shenoy at Upaya Social Ventures explains, in order to survive, the company essentially had to start over. She explores how Lal10 managed to quickly pivot to meet the intense demand for personal protective equipment, while continuing to connect its artisans to dignified work – and building a more efficient company in the process.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
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Avanti Finance Secures $2 Million From Dell Foundation
Mumbai, Jan 19 (PTI) Avanti Finance, an NBFC founded by Ratan Tata, Vijay Kelkar and Nandan Nilekani, has tied up with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to provide affordable loans to the pandemic-hit small businesses.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Mekong Capital Annouces US $246 Million Investment Fund in Vietnam
The fund will focus on retail, education, restaurants, consumer services, FMCG, and health care.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Press Release: Visa and Visa Foundation Extend Support of Minority-Led Small Businesses
“The capital gap for entrepreneurs of color must be closed if we are to achieve inclusive economic growth for everyone, everywhere,” said Graham Macmillan, president, Visa Foundation. “Visa Foundation is privileged to partner with these organizations that are addressing this funding and opportunity gap by helping them to empower women, Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. These grants represent just the beginning of our commitment to allocate capital, both grants and investments, to gender and racially-diverse investors and entrepreneurs."
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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2020 MOST INFLUENTIAL ARTICLE CANDIDATE: How to Support Entrepreneurs in the Time of Coronavirus
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing falling demand, mandatory store closings, labor shortages and other challenges for businesses around the world – and micro and small businesses are especially vulnerable. How can development organizations help these critical drivers of local economies? Juan Carlos Thomas and Andrea Bettosini at Technoserve provide answers to this question, based on past experience helping businesses weather socio-political upheaval in developing countries.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Entrepreneurship
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Press Release: Grameen America Launches Impact Investing Fund to Support Minority Women Small Business Owners Impacted by the Pandemic
Over the course of the fund's five-year life, $17.5 million will be redeployed in nearly $200 million of cumulative loans to women entrepreneurs.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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IBM Supports African Agricultural Startups Through Digital4Agriculture Initiative
Digital4Agriculture Initiative is helping over 36 African agriculture startups become better prepared for the digital future.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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An Unlevel Playing Field: Why Small Businesses Face Disadvantages in Digital Commerce – and How Inclusive Tech Innovations Could Help
One reason COVID-19 has been so damaging to global micro and small enterprises (MSEs) is that consumers have shifted towards purchasing online – a change that has mainly benefited large corporations. According to Malika Anand at BFA's Catalyst Fund, making digital commerce more inclusive could help these businesses survive and grow in the long term. She shares research from Ghana that highlights several promising opportunities for digital commerce innovations that can benefit informal MSEs.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Finance, Technology
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