"This interactive Guide gives development professionals the necessary theoretical background, concepts, approaches and practical tools to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems in developing countries. It is intended to be used as a reference after the professionals have completed their analytical ‘mapping’ of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Guide is supported by examples from GIZ and other programmes, all of which are intended to provide an in-depth understanding of how professionals approach various challenges in different regions and contexts – and since numerous sources of information on how to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems exist, each section of the document provides links to many of these useful sources and to opportunities for personal involvement."

"Aid agencies and governments spend more than a billion US$ on entrepreneurship training annually. What have we learned about the effectiveness of training? We review research on entrepreneurship training. Classroom-based training remains the most popular method of training owners and managers of small firms. A meta-analysis shows that the standard training model has modestly positive effects, on average, though the effects imply reasonably high returns on investments in training, given low costs per participant. Innovation on this basic training model has increased in recent years, particularly with regard to content. Both personal initiative and rule-of-thumb training show promise for subsistencelevel enterprises. Individual consulting has shown significant positive effects for larger enterprises, but the model is expensive and markets for consulting do not appear to work well. Selection is important, particularly in matching the type of training with the type of enterprise. There are several seemingly promising approaches to training where definitive evidence is lacking. For example, Kaizen approaches and Incubators and accelerators both appear to have positive effects, though the evidence is limited and, in the case of accelerators, it is unclear as yet whether the effects come primarily from selection or from the content of the programmes themselves."

"Entrepreneurs in developing economies are vital to addressing climate change and promoting sustainable and resilient development. Developing countries will experience some of the worst climate impacts. and they also hold enormous potential for encouraging mitigation and adaptation on local and regional levels. Yet, entrepreneurs in developing economies face distinct challenges and barriers when it comes to addressing climate change. This report is intended to serve as an overview of the current literature on the intersection of entrepreneurs and climate action, as well as a call to action."

"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."

This guide provides an introduction to what term sheets are and provides entrepreneurs with an overview of the key points to look for in negociating their own term sheets. 

"This guide is intended for entrepreneurs and investors new to the process of negotiating term sheets, one of the first steps to close successful transactions. It is not intended to provide legal advice; instead it is meant to show examples of some common provisions that are not always easy to understand."

"Our ANDE South Africa Impact Management Knowledge Brief provides a summary and resources from the 'Impact Management for the South African social and creative enterprises sectors' project, in partnership with Social Value UK and supported by the British Council's DICE Fund. The project aimed to further understand the Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) landscape in South Africa, with a focus on social and creative enterprises. In the efforts to drive inclusivity and development, the project supported entrepreneurial support organisations that wanted to learn how to better measure and manage their impact and, in turn, support their entrepreneurs when using data to improve their decisions and performance, regardless of their level of exposure to IMM practices."

"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."

"In India, women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises struggle to obtain the financing they need. In early 2015, Swadhaar FinServe and RBL Bank launched an innovative business correspondent partnership to reduce the financing gap for MSMEs in India through a customized approach for MSME clients, with a particular focus on women-owned businesses. This Accion Insights paper examines lessons learned from the pilot program and can serve as a point of reference for financial institutions looking to reach the MSME market and female entrepreneurs, particularly through partnership."