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Stop Looking for the Next ‘Uber for X’ and Start Changing the World
The paradigm of the Silicon Valley "tech bro" pioneering the next "Uber for (whatever)" has become a cliché. Its ubiquity is a distraction, says Alex Amouyel of MIT Solve – one that excludes social innovators from much-needed funding and keeps those with capital from making real change through their investments. Instead of looking for the next unicorn and quick exit, she argues, investors should expand their definition of “venture-backable” entrepreneurs to include those driving transformative, mission-driven impact.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Technology
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Press release: Tulaa closes seed round of investment
Four out of five African families depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but lack of access to quality inputs, affordable finance and reliable markets keep many of them trapped in a cycle of poverty. To solve these problems, Tulaa leverages mobile technology and artificial intelligence to enable farmers to purchase inputs on credit and to market their crops efficiently at harvest time.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Saved by a ‘SAFE’: Three Lessons from a Broken Impact Investing Deal
Many in Silicon Valley's tech investment sector are familiar with the founder-friendly financial instrument known as the “Simple Agreement for Future Equity" (SAFE). SAFEs are commonly used, yet they're often misunderstood by entrepreneurs – and they're not always beneficial for investors. Will Poole of impact investing firm Capria reflects on an experience with a SAFE that went wrong, involving a South America-based entrepreneur with an apparently promising social enterprise. Poole presents three lessons learned about the importance of business integrity, simplicity and luck.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Why Silicon Valley’s money can’t solve Africa’s tech problems
“Parachute investing is a problem. If you’re investing in early-stage companies from an airplane, you should consider philanthropy"
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press release: Monsanto’s Venture Capital Arm Makes First Direct Investment in Brazil
Start-up company that created a platform to digitize the grain buying and selling chain, Grão Direto, receives investments worth R$ 2.3 million from three companies
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- agtech, startups, venture capital
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Insitor, Oikocredit lead seed round in Kolkata-based Aashiyaan Housing Finance
Journalist Swaminathan Aiyar, Columbia University professor Neeraj Kaushal and others also participated in this round, said Aashiyaan. Boutique investment bank Unitus Capital was the financial advisor to Aashiyaan for this transaction.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- South Asia
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Your Customers Aren’t Data Points: How Social Enterprises Can Avoid Three Impact Investor Red Flags
Villgro President PR Ganapathy has met with hundreds of early-stage social entrepreneurs – and he's noticed that they keep making the same mistakes when seeking impact investing. As part of NextBillion's “Survival Guide for Raising Capital” series, Ganapathy shares three essential tips to help entrepreneurs avoid some common red flags when pitching impact investors.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Why One Private Equity Firm Is Betting Big On Impact Investing In Renewable Energy
The concept of impact investing is hardly new and one that is refreshingly simple. It is simply about funneling investment dollars into companies established with the intention of generating a quantifiable, visible and broadly beneficial social impact alongside a financial return.
- Categories
- Investing
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