"This report studies the opportunities and challenges in investing in India’s creative manufacturing and handmade (CMH) sector and the role of catalytic capital in supporting the same. This first-of-its-kind mapping finds that craft-led MSMEs operating in the CMH sector and broadly across the nation’s cultural economy face development and growth challenges that affect their ability to scale and grow. A primary challenge is the financing gap faced by MSMEs in the sector. We make the case for why these enterprises need the right financing, at the right time, in the right place, and offering the right conditions. Catalytic capital offers an untapped opportunity to build an entirely new ecosystem of financing that can catalyse and nurture new markets while driving much needed social change."

"The whitepaper discusses the problem of gender inequity in funding outcomes for women-founded startups, both globally and in India. The research aimed to understand the gender gaps in funding outcomes among investors and identify opportunities for improvement. The study utilized data from the Tracxn database, global benchmarks, and interviews with stakeholders in the investment ecosystem. Key findings include the concentration of funding in a few sectors and cities, the growth of women-founded companies in recent years, and the lack of gender diversity in investment teams. The report also highlights case studies of organizations that practice gender-smart funding and offers recommendations for fostering gender lens investment in India. It emphasizes the need for data tracking, a change in investment processes, and the promotion of gender diversity in firms to improve funding outcomes for women entrepreneurs. The report suggests a targeted approach with a dedicated team and industry-wide engagement to create a sustainable and robust platform for gender lens investment in India."

"Access to capital is crucial for fostering entrepreneurship, fueling business growth, and enhancing productivity. Unfortunately, femaleentrepreneurs in developing countries face significant challenges securing formal financial support and making lower profits than maleentrepreneurs. While the evidence on the gendered investment gap is well documented, scant evidence-based studies investigatewhether the disparity arises from investor bias. Authors Shibiru Ayalew, Shanthi Manian, and Ketki Sheth implemented a large-scale field experiment in a high-stakes natural context to identify whether loan officers exhibit discriminatory behavior in capital allocation decisions for businesses inEthiopia. The experimental study showed no evidence that financial providers discriminate against women-owned businesses in reviewing loan applications."

The brief provides an overview of the ongoing impact evaluation on the Impulso Chileno program, which aims to support Chilean entrepreneurs through financial assistance, training, and mentoring. Previous assessments of entrepreneur training interventions have yielded mixed results. The evaluation of Impulso Chileno holds significance as it examines the unique design and components of the program and their potential impact on business success. By evaluating the combined effect of its components, the evaluation of Impulso Chileno aims to uncover the determinants of business success and drive program improvements. The evaluation employs a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) design to assess the program's long-term impact on various business growth indicators such as monthly sales, profits, business practices, and employment.

"Female founders raise less capital from investors than male founders, even if their ventures are similar or identical. However, providing systematic evaluation frameworks could encourage investors to assess all candidates equally, thus reducing gender disparities. In this vein, the authors – Amisha Miller and Saurabh Lall – investigated whether changing systematic evaluation practices could close the gender gap in investment decisions. The authors designed and implemented a two-stage experiment in collaboration with Village Capital across different developing regions across Africa, South Asia (India), the Middle East, and Latin America to reduce gender disparities in investment decisions. The experimental findings confirm that using a systematic evaluation framework – prompting investors to consider both risks and growth, as well as progress – reduces or even reverses gender disparities in investment decisions. This study provides strong causal evidence for an intervention that can be implemented right out the gate at a low cost: providing a systematic evaluation framework to investors."

"Uganda's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative (UEEI) Phase II aimed to address key gaps and opportunities in the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Kampala and Gulu, Uganda. The initiative was designed to work collectively towards addressing interrelated constraints such as limited access to financing, mentorship, and network connections, which were found to be limiting entrepreneurship in Uganda. While progress has been made, challenges such as bureaucratic red tape and a lack of appropriate financial products for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still exist. The UEEI Phase II serves as a valuable learning opportunity for practitioners and policymakers working to cultivate a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem in emerging markets."

"This report examines the impact investing landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2020 and 2021, based on a sample of active impact investors in the region, highlighting trends, key challenges, and opportunities, and featuring deep dives on activity in three of the region's largest markets: Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, as well as a feature on Guatemala. Among its findings, the study shows that impact investors are increasingly seeking market-rate returns while keeping flexible return schemes according to the specific needs of countries and sectors. Additionally, it reveals that impact investors still heavily rely on proprietary impact measurement tools, while an increasing number of them are using existing frameworks to tackle impact measurement requirements. Access to capital, education and training, and the local regulatory environment are identified as the most common challenges to overcome to unlock the full potential of the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem through impact investment."

"The report “Impact Investments in Brazil – 2021”, carried out by ANDE in partnership with the Alliance for Impact Investments and Businesses, Instituto Clima e Sociedade, Fundação Grupo Boticário and with the support of Wright Capital, captures the characteristics of the impact investing in Brazil in the year 2021, based on a sample of 38 impact investors active in the region. The report provides an overview of where and how capital is being allocated and identifies the challenges facing the ecosystem, in addition to addressing topics such as gender equity, assessment of climate risks and opportunities for the portfolio and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse associated with the portfolio. Pipe.Labo coordination and analysis"

This report provides insights into the state of social innovation and impact investment in India. The report analyzes the key trends and developments in the social innovation ecosystem in 2022 and highlights the opportunities and challenges for the sector. It provides a comprehensive overview of the impact investment landscape in India and assesses the performance of impact investment funds and organizations in the country. The report identifies the key drivers of the social innovation sector, including the growing focus on sustainability, innovation, and impact measurement. It also highlights the need for increased collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders to address the challenges faced by the sector, such as the lack of adequate funding, regulatory barriers, and limited capacity for impact measurement. The report emphasizes the role of impact investment in driving social change and calls for greater support from the government, private sector, and civil society to foster the growth of the sector. It recommends the development of a conducive policy and regulatory environment for impact investment, the establishment of a dedicated impact investment fund, and the creation of platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders. Overall, the report presents a positive outlook for the social innovation and impact investment ecosystem in India and highlights the potential for the sector to drive sustainable and inclusive development in the country.

This report provides insights into the current policy landscape and regulatory environment for impact investment in Bangladesh, identifying the challenges that have hindered the growth of the impact investment sector in the country, such as the absence of a supportive ecosystem and inadequate policy frameworks. Through the analysis of the current state of the impact investment ecosystem, the report highlights the need for a clear and comprehensive policy framework, increased awareness and understanding of impact investment, and capacity building for investors and investees. It also stresses the potential of impact investment to promote sustainable development in Bangladesh and calls for increased government support and private sector engagement to foster the growth of the impact investment ecosystem. It finalizes by recommending the development of a national impact investment strategy, the establishment of a dedicated impact investment fund, and the creation of a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders to create an enabling environment for impact investment in Bangladesh.