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In Remembrance of Pro-Poor Business Pioneer Paul Polak: 1933-2019
Paul Polak, a pioneer of pro-poor technologies and social impact-focused business, passed away peacefully over the weekend, surrounded by his family. A true "serial entrepreneur" since long before that term became popular, Polak founded numerous organizations and businesses aimed at alleviating poverty – and he served as a source of wisdom, inspiration and humor for the social business sector for decades. He will be greatly missed.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Social Enterprises Outperform Traditional Business, Says New Research
The new report demonstrates the strength of social businesses, just as Social Enterprise UK launched a celebrity-backed campaign to get consumers supporting brands with purpose.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Charting the Next Decade in the Global Small and Growing Business Sector: A Q&A with ANDE Executive Director Randall Kempner
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, a membership organization of investment groups, NGOs and business ecosystem advocates, recently marked its 10th anniversary. As it approaches a second decade moving the global small and growing business sector forward, ANDE announced a new strategy that focuses on gender, the environment and job creation. We spoke with Executive Director Randall Kempner about what the future holds for ANDE and the global SGB sector.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Finance, Impact Assessment, Investing
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This AI Helps Kenyan Farmers To Know When To Plant Their Crops
In order to see how artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data could help those farmers, French consultancy firm Capgemini teamed up with a Kenyan social enterprise in the Kakamega region in Western Kenya.
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- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Amped Innovation Closes Series A Funding of More Than $3 Million
This financing accelerates Amped’s ability to bring high-quality, affordable solar-powered appliances to market, serving growing demands from energy distribution companies, utilities and mini- and micro-grid providers for better power solutions.
- Categories
- Energy
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Meet the Social Enterprise Brand Providing Pepper Spray to At-Risk Women Around the Globe
With every KUROS product sold, pepper spray is distributed to a woman who could not otherwise afford it.
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- Entrepreneurship
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What Rural Solar Energy Enterprises Can Learn from Mobisol’s Hard-Earned Lesson
Energy access pioneer Mobisol’s insolvency, announced last spring, sparked questions about the industry’s health. But according to Rob Goodier, managing editor at Engineering for Change, subsequent analyses suggest that many of the company's problems were internal, not a reflection of the industry as a whole. He explores what the rural energy sector can learn from Mobisol’s struggles, based on interviews with industry insiders and two people close to the company.
- Categories
- Energy
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The Sales Mistakes That Are Holding Back Africa’s Solar Enterprises – And How to Fix Them
Selling solar energy products is challenging, so you'd expect solar enterprises to focus on making their sales departments as effective as possible. But in fact, as Whitten & Roy Partnership CEO Scott Roy points out, most solar companies are underemphasizing sales, harming not only their businesses but the broader industry's growth. He shares essential tips for how they can create truly effective sales teams.
- Categories
- Energy, Entrepreneurship
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