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Mongolia’s Untapped Lending Market Has Earned This Japanese-Backed Fintech Startup A $30M Valuation
In Mongolia, where the average monthly income is $390, informal loans between friends or family members are commonplace as credit and small bank loans are hard to get. On the other hand, small informal loans are almost expected to not be paid back.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Accelerating fintech in China
In 2016, investment in mainland Chinese and Hong Kong fintech ventures totaled $10.2 billion, exceeding North America’s $9.2 billion. Many domestic financial services and e-commerce conglomerates are supporting Chinese fintech startups.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- fintech, startups, venture capital
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Salesforce launches $50 million Impact Fund to invest in social change startups
Salesforce announced Tuesday that it's launching the Salesforce Impact Fund, a $50 million initiative to accelerate the growth of startups that are using Salesforce technology to address some of the world's biggest problems. Through the fund, Salesforce will invest in these companies, furthering each one's goal of driving positive change.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- impact investing, startups
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Startup Accelerators Have Become More Popular in Emerging Markets — and They’re Working
Business environments in most emerging markets are complex and can be difficult for even the most experienced entrepreneur to navigate. So while running any startup is tough, we assumed that launching a new business in Mombasa would be much more difficult than running one in Menlo Park. However, we were surprised to find far fewer differences in the effects of acceleration than we had expected.
- Categories
- Investing
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Upaya Social Ventures Selects Next Two Companies for Investment: UpSkill and SMV Green
“We are thrilled to support these two companies as they scale.” Upaya’s CEO Kate Cochran said. “Upaya believes in the power of entrepreneurs to fight global poverty. Mansi and Naveen are exceptional in how deeply they share our commitment to providing jobs and opportunity."
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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New Startup Accelerator For Social Entrepreneurs Targeting Climate Change And Water Systems
Social entrepreneurs fighting climate change: There’s a new accelerator that might be for you. Called Climate Ventures 2.0, it’s run by GoodCompany Ventures, a Philadelphia-based social enterprise accelerator, and will accept 10 startups aimed specifically at addressing climate-related threats to agriculture and the resilience of water systems.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Region
- North America
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Did This New Nonprofit Crack the Code for Building Developing World Housing?
Last June, a brand-new nonprofit set a giant goal: Over the summer, they would crowdfund enough money to build an entire neighborhood—100 homes—for earthquake victims in Haiti. They raised the money in 90 days, and by this March ended up building 151 homes, where more than 1,200 people now live.
- Categories
- Finance
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(With Video) Beyond the Prototype: Wello’s CEO on product design, understanding customers and advice for social entrepreneurs
Cynthia Koenig, CEO of Wello, whose flagship product is a rolling water tank, advises against getting too reliant on a series of check boxes when it comes to measuring impact. In a video interview with NB, she talks about prototyping the next generation of the device, designed for BoP customers.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment, Social Enterprise