"Backed by a unique database of over 255 African companies supported by I&P and insights from two decades of experience in impact investing, we highlight the critical role of formal SMEs in driving sustainable and inclusive growth in sub-Saharan Africa, how SMEs face barriers to accessing traditional financing, and how Catalytic capital offers a solution to bridge this gap. I&P shares insights on improving conditions and availability of catalytic capital, fostering collective learning for more impact investments in Africa."

"The report, aimed at donors, underscores the transformative potential of reevaluating funding for Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) and its profound impact on the sustainability and scalability of services that bolster Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are vital contributors to economic growth, particularly in emerging markets, offering innovation, employment opportunities, and societal and environmental advancements. These SMEs rely on Business Development Services (BDS) provided by ESOs. However, current funding often prioritizes short-term quantity over long-term quality. The report emphasizes the pivotal role of donor relationships in fostering ESO growth and sustainable service delivery. By analyzing the growth trajectories of prominent ESOs globally and the role of donors in their development, the report provides recommendations for more effective donor engagement to enhance sustained impact. Using the metaphor of trees, it distinguishes visible aspects (services provided) from less apparent ones (culture, governance, finance, systems) and stresses the need for balanced growth across dimensions to achieve sustained impact. Shifting donor practices towards comprehensive organizational development of promising ESOs is likened to nurturing a tree for consistent, quality fruit production at significant scale over time."

"Blended finance solutions offer the potential to combine development capital with a variety of financial instruments such as impact bonds, concessional capital, and risk mitigation structures. We consistently see that deployment of these instruments is limited because of the inherent complexity and cost. But more so, due to a lack of awareness and standardization among capital providers. Without addressing these core issues, enterprises are deemed too risky, and the potential for social and financial returns may not be realized. Through this report, we aim to raise awareness about the importance of enabling funding for social enterprises – understanding their unique characteristics and challenges in capital raising – and articulate the key issues involved in applying blended finance to SMEs. We hope to simplify current bespoke solutions to build replicable and scalable financing solutions. We propose solutions that include building capacity of enterprises, embedding sustainability into the design of instruments, simplifying impact management, and creating open databases on blended finance transactions."

"This report is an output of the ANDE Gender Action Lab. Authored by Villgro and LEAD At Krea University, this report publishes insights from a survey of over 800 SMEs on how women entrepreneurs access finance in the country. Combining insights from the desk research, demand-side survey and supply-side key informant interviews, the report suggests recommendations across three verticals: program, process and product, with government initiatives as anchors for scaling up."

"This report is an output of the ANDE Gender Action Lab. Authored by Villgro and LEAD At Krea University, this report publishes insights from a survey of over 800 SMEs on how women entrepreneurs access finance in the country. Combining insights from the desk research, demand-side survey and supply-side key informant interviews, the report suggests recommendations across three verticals: program, process and product, with government initiatives as anchors for scaling up."

"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."

"Este informe examina el panorama de la Inversión de Impacto en América Latina y el Caribe durante 2020 y 2021, con base en una muestra de inversionistas de impacto activos en la región, destacando tendencias, desafíos clave y oportunidades, y presenta análisis profundos de esta actividad en tres de los mercados más grandes de la región: Brasil, Colombia y México, así como un acercamiento a Guatemala. Entre sus hallazgos, el estudio muestra que los inversores de impacto buscan cada vez más retornos a tasas de mercado, manteniendo esquemas de retorno flexibles de acuerdo con las necesidades específicas de los países y sectores. Además, revela que los inversores de impacto aún dependen en gran medida en herramientas de medición de impacto desarrolladas por sí mismos, mientras que un número cada vez mayor de ellos utiliza herramientas existentes para abordar los requisitos de medición de impacto. El acceso al capital, la educación y la capacitación, y el entorno regulatorio local se identifican como los desafíos más comunes a superar para activar el potencial del ecosistema emprendedor de la región a través de la inversión de impacto".

"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"