South African politicians frequently refer to entrepreneurship as a potential solution to the economy’s significant unemployment problem. In reality, many entrepreneurs need to come from townships. Numerous reports address challenges faced by South African entrepreneurs. What distinguishes this report from extant studies is that this report features the voices of entrepreneurs and entrepreneur support organisations (ESO) to vividly portray township entrepreneurs’ challenges through in-depth interviews. This report also aims to elucidate the factors that contributed to the success of exemplary township entrepreneurs despite existing challenges and other strategies that ESOs can employ to guide more entrepreneurs to emulate these success stories.

Como tem feito desde 2013, a Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) foi a campo para produzir dados e análises sobre o mercado de investimentos de impacto brasileiro. O ano de 2021 – recorte deste estudo – é um marco importante para o setor em todo o mundo. Afinal, trata-se do primeiro dos últimos 10 anos até 2030, ano que a Assembleia das Nações Unidas apontou como alvo para o alcance dos tão almejados Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS, ou SDG na sigla em inglês). Firme na convicção de que os empreendedores e seus negócios são uma peça-chave do desenvolvimento social e econômico, local e globalmente. Este estudo, propõe-se a retratar o mercado de investimentos de impacto brasileiro e, em particular, produzir informações que ajudem investidores, empreendedores e agentes deste mercado à tomada de decisão

"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."

"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".

"Este relatório examina o cenário do investimento de impacto na América Latina e no Caribe para 2020 e 2021, com base em uma amostra de investidores de impacto ativos na região, destacando tendências, principais desafios e oportunidades, e apresentando mergulhos profundos na atividade em três dos países da região: Brasil, Colômbia e México, além de uma análise sobre a Guatemala. Entre suas conclusões, o estudo mostra que os investidores de impacto estão buscando cada vez mais retornos ajustados à taxa de mercado, se mantendo flexíveis de acordo com as necessidades específicas de países e setores. Além disso, revela que os investidores de impacto ainda dependem fortemente de ferramentas próprias de medição de impacto, no entanto, um número crescente deles utiliza metodologias existentes para atender aos requisitos de medição de impacto. Acesso a capital, educação e treinamento e o ambiente regulatório local são identificados como os desafios mais comuns a serem superados para liberar todo o potencial do ecossistema empreendedor da região por meio do investimento de impacto."

"COVID-19 has taken a painful toll on numerous aspects of society, including the small and growing business sector. To restrain the spread of the virus, governments in many countries introduced lockdowns, social distancing, and mandatory shutdowns. However, those measures interrupted many commercial activities worldwide, causing major economic disruption.

Although the pandemic necessitated the transition to virtual program delivery, the experience allowed stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to discover the benefits and limitations of virtual support. Now that lockdowns have largely ended and economic activity is recovering, support organizations need to decide whether to continue with virtual entrepreneurial support, revert to in-person mode, or adopt a hybrid approach to retain the benefits of both virtual and in-person programming. To understand the effectiveness of virtual support and to synthesize lessons learned during this forced experimentation period, ANDE used surveys and interviews to gather perspectives from both entrepreneurs and intermediaries on what worked - and what did not - in the shift to virtual programming."

"COVID-19 has taken a painful toll on numerous aspects of society, including the small and growing business sector. To restrain the spread of the virus, governments in many countries introduced lockdowns, social distancing, and mandatory shutdowns. However, those measures interrupted many commercial activities worldwide, causing major economic disruption.

Although the pandemic necessitated the transition to virtual program delivery, the experience allowed stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to discover the benefits and limitations of virtual support. Now that lockdowns have largely ended and economic activity is recovering, support organizations need to decide whether to continue with virtual entrepreneurial support, revert to in-person mode, or adopt a hybrid approach to retain the benefits of both virtual and in-person programming. To understand the effectiveness of virtual support and to synthesize lessons learned during this forced experimentation period, ANDE used surveys and interviews to gather perspectives from both entrepreneurs and intermediaries on what worked - and what did not - in the shift to virtual programming."

Climate change and environmental degradation place significant stress on India’s biodiversity, food supply, water and energy security, and human health. The private sector will play a critical role in achieving these objectives, particularly growth-oriented entrepreneurship that can bring new ideas into practice, introduce technical innovations, and create demand for new environmentally friendly goods and services. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), green entrepreneurs address climate change and/or create a positive environmental value either through the process of delivering products/services (e.g., utilizing clean technologies) or by working in a green sector (e.g., waste management). Such entrepreneurs tackle climate change from multiple angles.

This report establishes a baseline understanding of the state of green entrepreneurship in India by assessing existing business models, the available financial and technical support for entrepreneurs, and key sectoral issues regarding the policy landscape and market opportunity. The purpose of the study is to inform decision-makers, such as policymakers, donors, investors, and business development service providers, of the primary trends, opportunities, and challenges in the green entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.

"A growing body of research has shown that business accelerators programs can effectively help ventures move to the next stage of growth. However, further examination has revealed that women entrepreneurs do not experience the same benefits as their male counterparts, showing that women are still underrepresented and underperforming in accelerator programs. This brief synthesizes the key findings of four selected research projects and draws actionable insights for practitioners aiming to fill the evidence gap on the needs of women entrepreneurs and in what ways accelerators can address key barriers."

"A growing body of research has shown that business accelerators programs can effectively help ventures move to the next stage of growth. However, further examination has revealed that women entrepreneurs do not experience the same benefits as their male counterparts, showing that women are still underrepresented and underperforming in accelerator programs. This brief synthesizes the key findings of four selected research projects and draws actionable insights for practitioners aiming to fill the evidence gap on the needs of women entrepreneurs and in what ways accelerators can address key barriers."