Traditionally, before the Skoll World Forum, ANDE, convenes for its annual London Member Meeting. This year in partnership with the IGC, members are scheduled for April 8 at the LSE.
Unlocking Innovative Solutions to Entrepreneurship Most Pressing Issues
Join us for the ANDE London Member Meeting, scheduled for April 8, 2024, at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The event, in partnership with the International Growth Center, promises an engaging platform for members and potential members of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) to connect, collaborate, and catalyze positive change in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Agenda
Registration Opens | Open Networking
Coffee & Tea
Welcome Remarks
Room: Central Building CBG Auditorium
- Abigayle Davidson, Director of Research and Impact, ANDE
- Vivian Bronsoler Nurko, Director of Programmes and Impact, IGC
- Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President, Aspen Institute
Plenary Session
Devin Chesney, Interim Executive Director, ANDE
Networking Coffee Break
Concurrent Breakout Sessions (A)
1A. Pathways to more inclusive and accessible financing for young entrepreneurs
Room: CBG.1.05
Facilitators:
- Anita Tiessen, CEO, Youth Business International
- Didi Onwu, Managing Editor, Anzisha Prize
What does it mean for young entrepreneurs to be financially healthy? This session will discuss pathways and insights for ESOs to support more inclusive and accessible financing.
2A. Investing in Inclusion: Designing gender-smart investment and business strategies driven by data
Room: CBG.1.06
Facilitators:
- Allie Burns, CEO, Village Capital
- Yasmina Zaidman, Chief Development and Partnerships Officer, Acumen
- Brigit Helms, Executive Director, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
This interactive session will share insights on how funders, investors, and capacity development providers can create the conditions to facilitate greater gender inclusion based on evidence. By the end of the session, participants will leave with practical take-aways for reducing gender bias in investment decisions as well as which gender-smart business strategies have the greatest outcomes for women.
3A. Circular Economy & Early Stage Climate Solutions
Room: CBG.1.07
Facilitators:
- Juan Carlos Thomas, VP of Entrepreneurship & New Ventures, Technoserve
- Dan Barker, President and CEO, Halcyon
- Katerina Hoskova, Community and Initiatives Specialist, World Economic Forum Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship
- Maelis Carraro, Managing Partner, Catalyst Fund
In this interactive session, we will explore how funders and enterprise development support organizations are helping climate innovators as they navigate a rapidly evolving funding landscape, fragmented policy and regulatory environments, and emerging technology trends.
Networking Lunch
Lunch will be provided
Concurrent Breakout Sessions (B)
1B: Raising the bar or stifling innovation? How national BDS standards can be leveraged to drive evidence-based SGB support
Room: CBG.1.06
Facilitators:
- Andrea Warriner, Managing Director, AMI Impact
- John Walugembe, AMI Consultant, Ugandan SME ecosystems expert
- Harry Devonshire, Advocacy and Research Manager, Argidius Foundation
In Africa and beyond, projects to institute national standards of quality for BDS support are gaining traction. BDS standards have the potential to improve the quality of support received by SMEs by providing guidelines for evidence backed offerings. This panel will unpack the potential of national BDS standards, the risk of poorly implemented standards projects, and live learnings from AMI’s work to implement national standards in Uganda.
2B. Unpacking best practices for effective incubation & nonfinancial support
Room: CBG.1.05
Facilitators:
- James Naughton, Head of Development Finance and Investment, DAI
- Max Baiden, Senior Manager, DAI
This session will discuss the importance of non-financial support to start-ups and SMEs. What are the most useful forms of support? Is there a way to quantify the impact of this support? What is the value of custom-made support vs. standard acceleration/incubation models? How can the wider start-up ecosystem improve the quality of BDSPs and entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) so that they can offer the right services? And how do we incentivize start-ups/SMEs to pay for these services?
3B. Exploring challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies like AI for nonprofits and ESOs: An open discussion led by Micromentor and Producers Direct
Room: CBG.1.07
Facilitators:
- Anita Ramachandran, Executive Director, Micromentor by MercyCorps
- Claire Rhodes, CEO, Producers Direct
Emerging technologies like AI have the potential to leapfrog progress toward reaching the SDGs, but large gaps still exist in who has access to new technologies. As nonprofits dedicated to empowering hard-to-reach and under-resourced entrepreneurs through the fusion of human connection and technology, Micromentor and Producers Direct are committed to exploring the dynamic landscape of AI/technology innovation to reach our missions. Join an interactive discussion about the challenges and opportunities AI can create for program operations, service delivery and impact measurement.
Break
Coffee, tea and light snacks will be provided
Plenary Session
Why practitioners and researchers are more powerful together than apart
Room: Central Building CBG Auditorium
Moderator:
- Christopher Woodruff, Scientific Advisor to the SGB Evidence Fund, IGC
Panelists:
- Allie Burns, CEO, Village Capital
- Juan Carlos Thomas, VP of Entrepreneurship & New Ventures, Technoserve
- Golvine De Rochambeau, Economist, IFC (World Bank Group)
This panel discussion will share experiences from researchers and practitioners about how they formed partnerships to build new evidence on best practices for supporting SGBs, and some of the implications of their work.
Wrap Up – Closing Remarks + Participant Reflection
Room: Central Building CBG Auditorium
Adjourn
Reception – Impact Hub Euston
Wine, beer, soft drinks and light canapes will be served
The meeting is scheduled to be held at the LSE Auditorium, situated on the lower ground floor of the Centre Building (CBG) on Houghton Street. To facilitate your journey, we recommend consulting the map provided or visiting the LSE website for comprehensive directions. Conveniently accessible via public transportation, the nearest tube stations to LSE are Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines) and Temple (Circle and District lines).
Community Agreement
The Aspen Institute is dedicated to advancing a free, just, and equitable society. Consistent with that mission, the Institute is committed to creating a safe and vibrant community that is respectful, inclusive, and welcoming to people from all different backgrounds and across the world. For more information, please see the following Aspen Institute resources: Community Agreement and Private Policy.
COVID-19 Health & Safety Advisory
We strongly encourage all those who attend Aspen Institute events to be up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, as defined by the World Health Organization. Masks are welcome but not required. If you need a mask, we can provide one to you.