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This Impact Investing Platform Was Set To Be A Game-Changer. So Why Did It Fail?
In order to scale, impact investing needs a platform that will make it easier for investors to connect with vehicles for their funds. ImpactUs promised to do that–but its failure shows that the space wasn’t quite as ripe for innovation as its founders had hoped.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
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Impact Investing Marketplace ImpactUs Shuts Down
“The ImpactUs Marketplace was formed with the goal of simplifying the impact investing process; providing impact investors, advisors, and institutions with solutions to accelerate the flow of capital to funds, companies, and projects that deliver community, societal, and environmental benefits. Unfortunately, we have had to make the difficult decision to cease operations,” reads a message on its web site.
- Categories
- Investing
- Tags
- ESG, impact investing, startups
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Impact funding for Kenyan firms set to hit $1.2B
The rise of social impact investors — who invest in firms or projects that will have a wider social impact such as high job creation — is opening up an additional funding stream for start-ups which have traditionally relied on private equity and venture capital funds for financing.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- impact investing, startups
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Uber rival Grab acquires Indian startup to bulk up its mobile payment platform
The deal — which is undisclosed — will see iKaaz’s engineering team join the Bangalore-based engineering office which Grab opened last year. The firm declined to say how many new recruits are moving over from iKaaz, but a spokesperson disclosed that Grab currently has 75 engineers in Bangalore with plans to grow the number to 200 before this year.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- digital payments, startups
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Bono’s Fund Makes Its First Fintech Investment, Backing Acorns
Financial technology startups are grabbing a greater share of capital from investors. Now Bono is getting in on the action.
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Econet Wireless, Untu Capital partner to launch mobile money bond platform in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless, touted by analysts as best placed to develop mobile money offerings alongside Safaricom, has opened a mobile money bond purchase platform in partnership with Untu Capital to raise US$1 million in support of local start-ups - specifically to address the low level of funding in this space.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Michael and Susan Dell Foundation-backed Education Catalyst Fund makes two bets
Education Catalyst Fund, which is managed by global philanthropic organization Michael and Susan Dell Foundation-backed CBA Capital, has made two more investments in the education space.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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This Social Entrepreneur is Creating Employment in Underserved Areas
Started in 2014, the non-profit body focuses on youth and women from ages 18-25 in the most rural parts of the world. The initiative builds conscious enterprises and undertakes income enhancement initiatives for indigenous and underprivileged communities by engaging urban leaders and start-ups.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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