"This issue brief is a part of a series formulated by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) India chapter. It aims to contextualise the findings and strategy regarding our key urgent issues and the small and growing business (SGB) sector outlined in ANDE’s globally focussed issue brief, Climate and Environmental Action in the SGB Sector, at a regional level. This brief is a starting point for conversations on environmental action and is meant to help shape ANDE India’s strategy for the region. This is not meant to serve as an exhaustive collection of the research/literature on the topic, and proxy data points have been used to best represent the state of the SGB sector."

"As an output of the ANDE SGB Finance Learning Lab, ANDE India and Asha Impact have collaborated, with the support of SAP and platform partner UNDP SDG Finance Facility, to put together this playbook on Social Success Notes. SSNs are innovative financing mechanisms that aim to leverage commercial capital for social good. Aiming to be a functional tool for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, this playbook addresses the why, what and how of SSNs, along with a few case studies, challenges and opportunities revolving around these nascent financing tools. Especially in times of crisis, instruments such as SSNs have the potential to improve the efficacy of philanthropy and government spending. The playbook has been developed for impact investors, social entrepreneurs, outcome funders and other players in the impact ecosystem."

"Within the entrepreneurial community there is growing recognition of the benefits of diversity, and more specifically of investing in women and gender equality. Despite this rising interest, most investors and intermediaries working with social enterprises and small and growing businesses (SGBs) are still in the early stages of understanding how best to incorporate a gender lens. This knowledge brief aims to share lessons and innovations from the Brazilian ecosystem on bringing a gender lens to supporting Brazilian SGBs. It focuses on four key topics, which emerged through a series of engagements, convened by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and supported by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), to catalyse thought leadership on gender inclusion and investing in Brazil."

"Existe, na comunidade empresarial, um reconhecimento crescente dos benefícios proporcionados pela diversidade e, mais especificamente, pelo investimento em mulheres e na igualdade de gênero. Apesar deste interesse crescente, a maioria dos investidores e intermediários que trabalham com empresas sociais e pequenas e médias empresas em crescimento (SGBs), ainda estão dando os primeiros passos na compreensão da melhor forma de incorporar uma lente de gênero. Este estudo visa compartilhar lições e inovações do ecossistema brasileiro sobre como trazer essa lente para apoiar as SGBs brasileiras. O estudo se concentra em quatro tópicos-chave, que surgiram através de uma série de encontros, convocados pela Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) e apoiados pelo IDS, para catalisar a liderança do pensamento sobre inclusão de gênero e investimentos no Brasil."

"ANDE, the Center for Development Alternatives, Enterprise Uganda, and Koltai & Company released the Phase I findings of ANDE's Uganda Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative on November 28. The Phase I report maps the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Kampala and Gulu—two key regions for Ugandan economic growth. It then outlines a strategic path forward for promoting entrepreneurship in these regions, recommending specific actions to overcome ecosystem constraints. The second phase of the initiative will use these findings to design and implement a multi-stakeholder, multi-million-euro program to develop Ugandan entrepreneurship, beginning in 2019. Read the full report."

"In March 2015, the ANDE South Africa chapter brought together just over 30 participants involved in the education entrepreneurship ecosystem including public and private funders, capacity development providers, academics and edupreneurs for a full-day roundtable discussion in Johannesburg to flesh out challenges and opportunities faced by edupreneurs in South Africa and to come up with collaborative actions to strengthen the ecosystem. The discussion, which covered five topics from Access to Finance to Infrastructure and Enabling Technologies, focused on direct instruction models (predominantly Low Fee Private Schools) and EdTech entrepreneurs."

"A survey of the support available for entrepreneurs in South Africa was undertaken by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), South Africa. The Infographic highlights the key findings while interactive buttons provide a more detailed overview of the support available."

"Social enterprises address social and environmental problems through innovative business solutions that improve the lives of underserved communities. They are businesses which trade for a social purpose, re-invest surpluses into their social objective, and make themselves accountable for their actions, rather than simply maximising profits for owners and shareholders.

The survey finds that social enterprise is a growing and dynamic sector of the Indian economy that is creating jobs for disadvantaged groups, empowering women, and addressing social exclusion across the country. This study seeks to expand our knowledge of the Indian social enterprise sector and has taken into account the findings of previous researches on the subject."

"Esse relatório se concentra nas especificidades dos investimentos de impacto no setor de conservação da biodiversidade. Começamos apresentando um panorama local do contexto ambiental, social e econômico, seguido de dados sobre operações de investimentos de impacto no setor, extraídos da segunda edição do relatório "Panorama do Setor de Investimento de Impacto na América Latina", publicado recentemente pela ANDE e LAVCA. Por fim, apresentamos um caso de uma operação, antes de concluir com perspectivas e recomendações para o setor."

"Novo spotlight conta com o panorama local do setor. Analisamos os dados sobre o investimento de impacto no setor, extraídos da segunda edição do relatório "Panorama do Setor de Investimento de Impacto na América Latina", publicado pela ANDE e LAVCA. Por fim, apresentamos o caso de um negócio do setor que recebeu investimento, concluindo com perspectivas e recomendações para o futuro.

Relatório mostra que as oportunidades para melhorar a inclusão financeira são abundantes no Brasil, considerando as necessidades da população de menor renda e as possibilidades oferecidas pelos avanços tecnológicos. Além disso, no lado dos investidores, sugere a necessidade de investigar maneiras de oferecer capital com tickets menores, uma vez que a ampliação do tamanho dos investimentos ajudaria a fortalecer o pipeline de futuros investimentos. Assim como, os empreendedores precisam ficar atentos às necessidades e atitudes da população de menor renda para contemplar as três dimensões da inclusão financeira: o acesso, o uso e a qualidade."