Year
2018

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"There is widespread recognition that unleashing women's talent as entrepreneurs is an effective way to narrow the current gender gaps in the labor market, and thus contribute to inclusive growth. A number of governments, donors, development partners, investors, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) have geared up to work toward this objective. This report is intended to guide effective decision-making by these stakeholders with regard to supporting women's entrepreneurship in Asia and the Pacific.1 It provides recommendations for programs and policy changes that will create an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs, as well as strategies for addressing gaps and leveraging opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the region."

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"Historically, small enterprises have played an important role in technological innovation, often leading to the introduction of paradigm-shifting technologies and changes in the way we live. However, they face many challenges in maturing to a point where they survive and have positive social, environmental and economic impacts. They often have weak entrepreneurial support systems, fragmented linkages to climate technology markets and a lack of finance for entrepreneurial activities. These challenges are exacerbated in developing countries.

This paper identifies the challenges and opportunities for strengthening climate technology incubators and accelerators in developing countries."

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"Rabobank Foundation, AgriProFocus and ICCO Cooperation offer support to agri-food SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa in overcoming some of the most important hurdles to growth and development...The study increases our understanding of the challenges faced by agri-food SMEs as well as those faced by investors and capital funds operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. We trust that this report challenges regulators, donors and potential investors to come up with novel approaches for making critical capital available to agri-food SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa."

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"Safi Organics is an eco-inclusive enterprise that aims to reverse declining agricultural yields, improve the income and food security of local farmers, and provide opportunities for local youth. Safi Organics has created an agricultural value chain from the local organic waste stream. Using open source technology, the enterprise produces valuable agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and soil treatments designed to meet local conditions.Safi Organics has created a local circular economy that enables farmers to exploit the value of their waste in an environmentally friendly manner, as well as gain access to cheaper fertilisers and soils treatments. Safi Organics also employs a number of local youths, providing them with an income stream, and access to valuable training and experience. This case study is enhanced with short multimedia features that showcase the innovation, the partnership, the support from SEED and the overall impact of the enterprise. It is part of the SEED 2018 Case Study Series, which emanated from the SWITCH Africa Green project "Promoting Eco-Entrepreneurship in Africa", implemented by SEED. This Case Study Series showcases locally-driven, innovative eco-inclusive enterprises which are demonstrating sustainable development on the ground across Africa."

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"This publication identifies ways to catalyse finance for climate technology incubators and accelerators in developing countries. It aims to inform the Green Climate Fund as it develops a request for proposals on climate technology incubators and accelerators. It also aims to inform other financiers and policymakers on opportunities for catalysing financing in this area. It is based on the outputs of a thematic dialogue on incubators and accelerators held in March 2018. It also draws upon an extensive literature review undertaken by these bodies."

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"This guide is intended as an entry point for grantmaking and investing for social impact, with practical direction on how to apply these principles to your own portfolio. This guide is intended to be used by individual donors who seek to maximize social and financial impact across their portfolios, although this coordinated approach can also be used by organizations seeking to do the same."

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"This free guide will help social entrepreneurs better understand the complexities of setting up a social enterprise in eight ASEAN countries, the options that are available to them, and the pros and cons of different legal forms. By providing detailed information on different legal structures that social enterprises can employ this guide offers well informed advice on registering with ministries, the documentation that is required and the licenses and permits needed to carry out certain business activities. It outlines governance and regulatory obligations and provides guidance on the taxes that apply to such organisations and expenses that are tax deductible. Case studies are also included to illustrate how social enterprises have responded to specific challenges."

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"This report is arranged into two sections. In Part One, the editors overview trends in impact investing among INGOs, drawing on data from a recent survey of 45 INGOs engaged in impact investing. Part Two, a series of chapters, authored by leaders in impact investing, delves into key topics of interest for INGOs. These chapters look more deeply at specific assets INGOs bring to the space, challenges they face, and lessons they have learned over the past few years of engagement. Throughout the report, case studies of what INGOs are doing in impact investing brings the data and lessons to life through real life examples."

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"The third major report from GALI examines the ability of accelerators to drive funds into participating ventures and explores which programmatic choices correspond with superior outcomes. The report shows that in a sample of 52 accelerators, the average flow of incremental funds into participating ventures is significantly greater than the average that flows into rejected ventures. In the majority (but not all) of these programs, this difference exceeds the reported cost of running the program. These superior funding outcomes are accomplished in different ways; many programs are most effective at stimulating revenue growth, while others are best at increasing the supply of outside equity investment. Given these differences in program efficacy and different paths to funding success, we then examine how specific program choices correspond with the ability to drive funds into participating ventures."

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"The number of accelerators has increased considerably in various emerging market countries in the past decade, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This includes Nigeria, the largest economy in West Africa. One important question then is: are these incubators and accelerators effective in providing support to enterprises in emerging markets, especially youth-led enterprises? This knowledge brief seeks to capture information from our study of incubators and accelerators in Nigeria in relation to their effectiveness in supporting youth-led enterprises."

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