Last week, we wrote about the importance of connectivity in education in Africa. In this post, we’ll focus on a solution that our portfolio company SolarNow provides. When it comes to education, electricity is critical for reading lights, internet connectivity, as well as for a wide variety of education technologies that schools can use to improve their outcomes. SolarNow is working to provide these key ingredients for improved education by designing PV solar systems … read more
Mobile Money Updates
The mobile money industry continues to grow in the developing world, offering financial inclusion to the masses that were previously without access to financial services. Below are a few recent articles highlighting exciting developments in the industry.
Mobile Money Continues to Penetrate Africa by Emmanuel Iruobe on Ventures Africa
According to an industry report by the Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA), the mobile money industry is continuing to expand across more regions in Africa. … read more
BRCK is “Making Ed-Tech Work in Isiolo” – Education, Energy, and the Digital Divide in Africa
As a follow up to our post on Education, Energy, and the Digital Divide in Africa, visit BRCK’s blog to learn how our portfolio company is making education technology work with its last-mile Internet connectivity solution in rural Kenya.
“What does it take to launch an e-learning initiative in remote schools in Kenya? Last week I packed my bags and drove four hours northwest of Nairobi to Isiolo to find out. BRCK was invited … read more
Updates on UAV use in Agriculture
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a farming tool has been an increasingly popular topic in the agriculture technology space. The collection of articles below outline the benefits UAV use can offer the agriculture sector as well as the roadblocks in the way of widespread commercial use.
Good Morning! I’m Here to Scout Your Crop by Elton Robinson on Delta Farm Press
UAVs in agriculture are still a work in progress yet they … read more
AgTech Solutions to the Issue of Global Food Security
Given our focus on agriculture technology, we are always happy to see new innovations making a global impact. Below are recent articles highlighting how developments in agriculture technology can be used to address global food security.
From the Entrepreneurs’ Garage to the Dinner Table by Jonathan Ortmans on Entrepreneurship.org
Global food demand is expected to increase 70% by 2050, accompanied by an equally significant rise in food prices according to a study found in “… read more
Kenya’s BRCK raises $1.2M to connect the last mile to the internet
Kenya’s BRCK raises $1.2M to connect the last mile to the internet
July 9, 2014
Nairobi, Kenya
Ushahidi spinout BRCK Inc. announced today that it has closed a $1.2 million seed round. BRCK is solving last-mile connectivity problems with a device that can bring seamless internet connection to the most remote areas of the world.
Invested Development, an early stage impact investor, led the round for the Nairobi-based technology startup. Invested Development, Omvestments, Urban.us, Cheryl … read more
Education, Energy, and the Digital Divide in Africa
“While education unlocks the door to development, increasingly it is information technologies that can unlock the door to education”- Kofi Anaan, 2003
It’s widely accepted that technology has improved education in many ways: more efficient communication, better story telling, more accurate assessment, comprehensive access to information and research, just to name a few. Unfortunately, technology has also widened the education gap between affluent and impoverished schools. Education technology (EdTech) tools are often expensive, energy thirsty, … read more
Global Energy Updates
Most of the developing world finds itself in an energy crisis, with little to no access to the grid or unreliable power supply for those with access. The portion of the world with reliable energy on the other hand wastes billions of dollars worth of watts every year. The articles below discuss each of these energy problems and outline solutions that could save money while providing more.
Clean energy developments
1.3 billion individuals across the globe, almost 20% of the world’s population, lack access to basic electricity mostly in emerging markets. If all of the energy currently generated in Africa were equally distributed, it would be enough to turn on one standard light bulb per person for a mere three hours per day. The following articles detail some new initiatives that are aiming to combat this pressing worldwide issue.
Ag tech developments
Given our interest in agricultural technology, we are always interested to hear about new advancements in the space. The following articles describe a wide range of recent developments that will impact the ag tech sector now and in the years to come.
Agtech Company aWhere To Launch Crowdfunding Campaign on AgFunderby Samantha Hurst on Crowdfund Insider
Following up on our portfolio company OnFarm’s successful AgFunder campaign, in which the ag tech firm … read more
Invested Development Invests in iProcure to Improve Access to Farming Inputs in Kenya
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2014
Boston, MA & Nairobi, Kenya – Invested Development, an early stage impact investment fund manager, has invested in iProcure, a technology startup serving the needs of the agricultural ecosystem in Kenya. iProcure provides software to enhance sales and inventory management in rural and peri-urban agriculture markets. As a result, farmers can access high-quality farming inputs and equipment conveniently and affordably.
According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the … read more
Off-grid on a roll
Of the more than 1.4 billion individuals in the world lacking access to clean energy, the majority of them live in developing countries. There are many efforts going towards developing off-grid energy solutions, but the majority require financing to scale. The following articles detail some recent developments that are attempting to address this issue.
$2m for off-grid renewable energy in Myanmar by Priyanka Shrestha on Energy Live News
The potential for renewable energy use in … read more
Importance of Precision Agriculture
In the next forty years, we will need to produce more food than we have over the entire course of human history. On a planet with diminishing resources that is subject to environmental stress, advancements in agricultural technology offer the best solution to the issue of feeding an increasing population in a sustainable manner. The following articles detail a few advancements relating to this goal.
VilCap Kenya: Serving Farmers 2014
Our partner, Village Capital, … read more
Beyond the Grid at Invested Development
On Tuesday, the Obama Administration announced Beyond the Grid: a framework within the Power Africa initiative created to catalyze private investment in distributed energy solutions for the 240 million people living without household electricity in six targeted Sub-Saharan African nations. We are proud to be one of the 27 founding partners who have committed to investment of over $1 billion over the next five years.
Beyond the Grid has set a lofty goal that … read more
Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid Increasing Access through Small- Scale Energy Solutions
Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid Increasing Access through Small- Scale Energy Solutions
Beyond the Grid Framework to Build on Power Africa Initiative Progress
Today, the U.S. Government is formally launching an innovative framework under President Obama’s Power Africa initiative to increase energy access for underserved populations across sub-Saharan Africa. Over an initial five year period, Beyond the Grid will leverage partnerships with 27 investors and practitioners committing to invest over $1 billion into off-grid and … read more
Solar Energy Developments
Over 1.4 billion people in the world do not have access to electricity, and most of them live in developing countries. Solar energy represents a great opportunity to combat energy poverty by providing clean, affordable energy to all. The following articles detail recent developments, goals, and new technologies in solar energy.
Will SunFunder Unlock $1 Billion in Off-Grid Solar Venture Debt? by Justin Guay on The Energy Collective
One of the big success factors for … read more
Agriculture Investments in Africa
Given our interest in agriculture, it is great to hear about governmental, institutional, and private efforts towards efficient and sustainable food production. Below are a few articles that detail this progress, with a focus on Africa.
Denmark to invest in African agriculture by Christian Wenande on The Copenhagen Post
Denmark’s trade and development minister recently announced earlier that the department is launching an agriculture investment fund targeting developing nations. The fund will be dedicated to … read more
Off-Grid Energy Gaining Momentum
Here at ID, we are always excited to learn about innovative developments in the energy sector, specifically in off-grid technologies. In emerging markets especially, there is a real need for efficient, alternative energy products. The following articles detail recent some developments that will help to address this issue.
Calling all energy grid startups for this Hawaiian accelerator’s next program by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOm
Hawaii’s Energy Excelerator announced that it will soon be opening applications … read more
Climate change and agriculture
Climate change and agriculture are deeply intertwined. Agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, while climate change is changing farming by introducing new challenges. The best solutions to mitigating climate change lie in the dynamically changing agriculture sector, and the answer to improving agriculture and global food production lies in technology.
To Deal With Climate Change, We Need Agricultural Innovation — Now by Robert T. Fraley on The Huffington … read more
Precision ag firms making headlines
Here at ID, we are always interested and excited to hear news coming out of the precision agriculture space all around the world. The following articles detail recent purchases and venture investments in this sector. We need to increase food production sustainably all around the world, and we’re pleased to see activity everywhere from Europe to South America.
Raven Buys Dutch Precision Ag Firm on Farm FuturesPublicly traded Raven Industries (RAVN) announced its purchase … read more
April’s Most Popular Posts
CropIn Technologies Joins ID’s BSP Fund Portfolio
We are excited to welcome CropIn Technologies to the BSP Fund portfolio. CropIn is a Bangalore-based software startup that makes farm operations efficient, transparent, and traceable. The software collects data from the field and makes it available to assist agri-businesses and farmers to improve productivity and sustainability. The cloud-based solution simplifies complex farming operations, especially those common to contract farming, an area ripe for technology innovation.
Contract Farming in India
Contract farming is … read more
SOLAR ENERGY ON A ROLL
Solar energy has been on a roll in recent years, helped by a drastic 64% decrease in the price of photovoltaic cells since 2008. Thanks to falling costs, over 2 million solar lanterns were sold in 2012, expected to increase 75% a year in Africa alone. Lowering costs and increasing affordability will be the biggest drivers for the continued growth of solar, so investments at both the project and product level are important to watch.… read more
Food Adequacy Infographic
Internet of Things in Energy and Agriculture
At ID, we’re interested in the growing “Internet of Things” (IoT) trend, especially in the energy and agriculture sectors. In energy, IoT allows for remote monitoring and management of pay-as-you-go and other smart grid systems. In agriculture, it can give farmers fast insight on their crops and livestock without having to physically inspect them. This week, we’re highlighting examples in the news of both applications and a glimpse at the technology development.