Women leaders have shown promise in improving business performance. A survey by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2019 – covering shopkeeping, sales or trade activities, manufacturing, construction, education, financial/insurance activities, and other economic services – observed that when enterprises have a gender-inclusive business culture and policies, they experienced 63 per cent increase in business productivity and profitability. Additionally, 60 per cent enhancement in the ability to attract and retain talent and a 59 per cent improvement in creativity, innovation and openness (ILO 2019).

Furthermore, globally, funders and investors are increasingly attracted to ethical and gender-inclusive funding, recognising its dual benefits to business and society. With a gender-smart approach, you can seize the opportunity to access the pool of funding by showcasing its tangible impact on gender-related outcomes, effectively aligning its initiatives with the evolving priorities of the investment landscape. Thus, by breaking down gender barriers, you can access diverse skills and expertise, strengthening your workforce and overall competitiveness.

The report summarizes key insights from the “Access to Green Finance – Sustainability Stars” event, which brought together investors, corporates, Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), and Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) to explore catalytic finance solutions in India’s green economy, particularly in waste management and circularity.

If there is one sector in India that has witnessed visible, drastic change in the 21st century, it has to be that of sports. Consider this- at the turn of the century, India was considered as a one-sport nation, namely, a cricketing nation. Even in cricket, India was for most part, an “alsoran”. If you were to read any media coverage of India’s sports sector in the 90s and the early 2000s, you would notice an oft-repeated lament that Cricket in India grabbed all the eyeballs and investments, and all other sports were in a state of poverty. While much of the lament was true then, the narrative has been changing slowly, yet progressively over the last 25 years. 

This White Paper explores how such multi-stakeholder collaboration, matching and funding can happen. In answering the “how”, we have discussed various blended finance approaches case studies derived from their deployment in other social sectors, which could be adapted and deployed for raising funding within the sporting ecosystem, be it for building sporting infrastructure or for developing community sport or for achieving Olympic/Paralympic glory. Within the Indian context, the advent of the Social Stock Exchange provides for yet another exciting social financing mechanism to be explored in the days ahead. We also provide two recent example of Social Stock Exchange listings for readers to assess this platform’s potential.

The Pakistan Startup Ecosystem Report 2024 offers a deep dive into the journey of Pakistan’s entrepreneurial landscape, spotlighting the opportunities, challenges, and transformations that shape it. From a historic funding boom to today’s recalibrated focus on sustainability and innovation, the report provides key insights into the ecosystem’s evolution.

Discover how Pakistan’s startups are navigating economic headwinds while leveraging their immense potential, fueled by a young population, growing digital adoption, and promising infrastructure.

This guide aims to help Indian researchers and
inventors turn their ideas into reality. It outlines
the tough but exciting process of bringing new
ideas to market through the creation of a new
company. It is particularly tailored towards
inventors working in research institutions, such
as universities and public research laboratories,
but may also benefit a range of other
individuals who wish to build new ventures.

The document is based in part on surveys and
interviews with Indian academic entrepreneurs and
investors.

The structure follows the sequence that is
typically required for a spinout: deciding if an idea has
potential; planning the business; forming the business;
and then scaling it. However, since every spinout is
different, some parts will likely be more relevant to you
than others. Inevitably, the guide can only provide a
high-level overview, and so links to further resources
are provided in the appendix and in footnotes.

In her 2019 budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Social Stock Exchange initiative, which has since attracted considerable attention in the development sphere. Designed to foster inclusivity and adaptability within capital markets, India launched its Social Stock Exchange, the fourth functioning exchange in the world.

The Social Stock Exchange challenges the issue of inconsistent funding and transparency, by connecting Not-for-Profit Organisations (NPOs) with socially conscious investors through various financial instruments. The exchange serves as a centralised hub for channelling resources to social enterprises and fostering impactful development initiatives. This is facilitated by deploying consistent funding frameworks, diversifying funding sources, and enhancing impact measurement, disclosure, and reporting practices. Through promoting transparency, the exchange cultivates a disclosure-driven ecosystem, guiding stakeholders towards mutual progress. Registering and listing on this exchange can be an intimidating process.

This toolkit aims to equip NPOs with the essential knowledge and resources to navigate the SSE framework through a step-by-step approach. Leveraging insights from Unnati Foundation, the first NPO to get listed on the SSE platform, we segment the NPO’s journey from registration to successful listing into four phases. Each phase aids in understanding compliance requirements, forging partnerships, and embracing best practices