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Viewpoint: In Emerging Markets There Are No Copycats, Just Budding Entrepreneurs
While in foreign eyes, we have been building a Mexican Kickstarter, a Middle Eastern Uber, an Indian Amazon or a Colombian Postmates, I argue visionary founders are taking a simple idea that already exists and creating new worlds.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Ease Off on the Accelerators: Why GALI’s Latest Study on Accelerator Programs May Be Overstating Their Impact
Early-stage social venture accelerators are growing at a rapid pace in emerging markets, and they receive widespread acclaim – driven in part by positive results from research conducted by the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative (GALI). But South Africa-based investor Nicky Khaki cautions that, while accelerators can certainly have value, their benefits to participating companies may not be as clear cut as GALI's data suggests. He explores why the studies may be exaggerating accelerators' impact – and how they could do better.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Impact Assessment
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Young, African, Employed – How A Ugandan Startup Aims to Mobilize the Continent’s Youth
Almost 80 percent of Ugandans are below the age of 30 – and many of them are struggling to generate a reliable livelihood. Hire the Youth is addressing this issue through online and in-person programs advancing youth employment and education, using a hybrid non-profit and for-profit model. Its founder, Ssenkubuge Kenneth, discusses the challenges the startup has faced – and how it has overcome them – as it aims to expand its services into other African countries.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Nigeria’s Hello Tractor in AI, blockchain partnership with IBM Research
Nigerian agri-tech startup Hello Tractor has partnered IBM Research to pilot an agriculture digital wallet and decision-making tool that provides demand and supply visibility for farmers, tractor fleet providers and banks.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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As regulators turn sights on fintech, a Nigerian startup is first to secure credit rating
Indeed, payment startups facilitating online transactions in key African economies are increasingly getting validation with global payment giants including Mastercard, Stripe and Visa paying closer attention and investing in Nigerian fintech companies.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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UNICEF Backs Blockchain Projects, Bitmain Shutters Israeli Development Center
The organization, which is the charity effort of the United Nations for children, is reportedly putting $100,000 toward the effort.
- Categories
- Technology
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The Philippines’ Voyager Innovations raises $175m from KKR and Tencent
In total, the company now has raised $215 million in funding since Voyager Innovations also secured $40 million from International Finance Corporation (IFC) and IFC Emerging Asia Fund last week.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Are the days of the African unicorn numbered?
Hopes of seeing an African unicorn on the horizon have been floated around for years, but increasingly, investors are changing their focus. The emerging consensus is that Africa needs to forget about “mythical” unicorns, and focus on building more successful local companies.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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