"A growing body of research has shown that business accelerators programs can effectively help ventures move to the next stage of growth. However, further examination has revealed that women entrepreneurs do not experience the same benefits as their male counterparts, showing that women are still underrepresented and underperforming in accelerator programs. This brief synthesizes the key findings of four selected research projects and draws actionable insights for practitioners aiming to fill the evidence gap on the needs of women entrepreneurs and in what ways accelerators can address key barriers."
"A growing body of research has shown that business accelerators programs can effectively help ventures move to the next stage of growth. However, further examination has revealed that women entrepreneurs do not experience the same benefits as their male counterparts, showing that women are still underrepresented and underperforming in accelerator programs. This brief synthesizes the key findings of four selected research projects and draws actionable insights for practitioners aiming to fill the evidence gap on the needs of women entrepreneurs and in what ways accelerators can address key barriers."
In November 2022, ANDE was excited to host its first in-person Metrics from the Ground Up conference in 3 years in Bangkok, Thailand. This year, we welcomed nearly 60 participants from 42 organizations and around 10 countries!
Entrepreneurs who lead innovative companies and spearhead transformative solutions are needed to address some of the world’s most pressing issues. Endeavor Insight offers in-depth research on innovation and entrepreneurship across agriculture, healthcare, and clean energy sectors, made possible with support from the Lemelson Foundation, and additional funding for agriculture-specific research by Small Foundation.
These studies evaluate the challenges and opportunities for founders creating positive impact in emerging markets, specifically sub-Saharan Africa and India. Based on data from more than 500 innovative companies and interviews with over 130 entrepreneurs, the research draws lessons from high-performing companies, identifies how they are addressing urgent needs, and analyzes the role of ecosystem actors such as support organizations in enabling their success.
"Endeavor Insight has partnered with the Argidius Foundation to promote further learning among organizations that support entrepreneurs. This guide draws from Endeavor Insight’s body of research on ecosystem development and summarizes the most effective ways that stakeholders, primarily entrepreneurial support organizations and donors, can incorporate lessons into their decisions."
"Endeavor Insight partnered with HSBC to examine the challenges that climate tech founders face as they scale their companies, and the opportunities for investors and supporters to help them succeed. This study demonstrates how global connectivity can further drive innovation and highlights what decision makers can do to better support female-led and minority-led companies."
"The Climate Capital Network’s (CCN) first annual India Climate Finance Report explores the direction of climate finance in India, uncovers funding opportunities and gaps, and showcases organisations that are using innovative approaches. This report consolidates survey findings, interviews, and articles from leading climate finance organisations allocating in India. The universe of funders in India has grown significantly to encompass everyone from the Climate Committed (core mandate and/ or deploying in these sectors for a number of years) to the Climate Crossover (newly part of the mandate and starting to actively deploy/ refine thesis) to the Climate Curious (will opportunistically deploy, but no specific mandate at this point). We reached out to funders who are actively and strategically looking at climate right now. The focus of this report is on the data as a way to provide context and background, but equally importantly on the insights and areas of emergence."
"Conventional wisdom holds that women are less likely than men to start and lead businesses. This trend, however, may be changing. Since 2020, the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute (VEEI) has surveyed small businesses around the world. Our findings suggest that firms born in the past two years are more likely than older firms to be headed by women. They are also more likely than pre-pandemic firms to be led by minority women. And once they start to export, they sell to a larger and more diverse set of markets. These women-led firms are also adopting digital technologies at about the same rate as those led by men. What factors predict success? The newly established women-led firms that weathered the initial impacts of COVID-19 better than other businesses share three characteristics: 1) they are more likely to use digital payments; 2) they are more likely to sell on global marketplaces that enable them to scale their sales and diversify their markets; and 3) they are more likely to export. This paper sets out recommendations for policymakers and the business community to better encourage and support the development of women-led firms by: 1) providing access to digital opportunities; 2) fostering digital skills; and 3) promoting a safe environment in which women-led firms can operate."
To meet the job creation needs of India’s growing population, we need to prioritize investment into the companies often called “the missing middle.”