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Rich People, Nerds, and the Kenyan Context: Thoughts from the Nairobi Office Part 4

Editor’s Note: This is the last post in Sean Smith’s series from the Nairobi office. Catch up on anything you missed by clicking the links below. 
Part 1 – An East African Silicon Valley
Part 2 – The Rich People
Part 3 – The Nerds

The Kenyan Context 

These groups of Rich People and Nerds are slowly beginning to identify each other.  They are slowly feeling each other out and gaining a better understanding
… read more
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Rich People, Nerds, and the Kenyan Context: Thoughts from the Nairobi Office Part 3

Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of Sean Smith’s series on Rich People, Nerds, and the Kenyan Context. Be sure to catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them. 

 

The Nerds

The Rich People are only relevant and useful if there are large numbers of “Nerds” that are hacking away at new technologies and scheming how to launch the next big thing. One of the most remarkable things about
… read more
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Weekly Review December 3-10

In honor of our upcoming event, Clean Tech That Matters, it’s only appropriate to report on articles discussing clean tech and alternative energy opportunities in emerging markets. Anytime you can get a group of ambitious techies, entrepreneurs, and investors in the same room, seeking extraordinary innovations in a time of favorable policy developments and continued market growth, it’s a time for celebration. If you like what you’re hearing, come find out more at Greentown … read more

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Rich People, Nerds, and the Kenyan Context: Thoughts from the Nairobi Office Part 2

Editor’s Note: This post is the second installment in Sean Smith’s series on Rich People, Nerds, and the Kenyan Context. Click here if you missed Part 1.

The Rich People

The most important kind of Rich Person a startup hub can have is successful technology entrepreneurs that are looking to support new startups.  Often, this is subject to a chicken and egg dilemma. Without support, introductions, and investment from successful industry veterans it is a
… read more
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Rich People, Nerds, and the Kenyan Context: Thoughts from the Nairobi Office Part 1

Editor’s Note: This is the first post in a series from Sean Smith, who recently moved to Nairobi, Kenya to open Invested Development’s East African office. 

Having recently moved to Kenya to establish ID’s first international office, I am often asked by friends, family, and colleagues a simple question, “Why Nairobi?” My answer is often just as simple, “Because Nairobi is positioning itself to become the Silicon Valley of Africa.”  What isn’t so simple
… read more
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Weekly Review November 27-December 3

After last week’s regional focus on Africa, this week we focused our reading on social enterprise and development in Latin America.
“Latin America Report: Ready for Explosive Growth” on Renewable Energy World
Many Latin American nations are reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and by transitioning toward renewable energies like wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels. Wind energy prices are increasingly competitive, especially in Brazil, which are expanding so rapidly that wind farms may
… read more
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Poverty-Fighting Mobile Transaction Systems (Part 4): Social Capital

This is the fourth post in our series, “Leveraging Mobile Penetration at the BoP for Poverty-Fighting Mobile Transaction Systems.” Click the links below to catch up on anything you might have missed.

Social Capital – Networking and Participation

As we introduced in the first post, the key to a successful mobile technology applications to
… read more
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Weekly Review November 20-26

Every week, we read about the subtle signs of development in Africa. Here is the round up from this week, featuring everything from renewable energy to mobile money.

“Looking to Africa for innovation” by Nikki and Rob Wilson on The Guardian
The common school of thought believes that Africa should borrow from Western ways of thinking to promote development. On the contrary, there are many social systems and informal economies in place that
… read more
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Weekly Review November 13 – 19

For Global Entrepreneurship Week, we’re following the discussion in various media outlets around the flow of capital to early stage startups. Most agree that entrepreneurship is a necessary tool for development and we’re happy to see that capital is beginning to flow to places where it’s needed.
“Tanzania: Grants to Private Sector on Low Cost Energy Open” on All Africa
The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund is continuing to promote the flow of private
… read more
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Can Lagging Ethiopia Reach African Mobile Penetration Standards?

Adding 55M

Ethiopia is infamously lagging behind the African standard of mobile penetration rates. Currently, mobile penetration in Africa is around 50% and climbing, but Ethiopia’s mobile penetration is around 12%. The Government of Ethiopia, who controls the telecommunications industry in the country, has set some ambitious goals for the next five years to increase mobile penetration rates. While there are many benefits that come along with a mobile phone in the hands of the
… read more
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Poverty-Fighting Mobile Transaction Systems (Part 3): Information Exchange

This is the third installment in our series on mobile transaction systems and their contribution to the fight against poverty. First, we introduced this series with an overview of mobile penetration rates and the mobile phone’s power for impact. Then, last week, we highlighted the first transaction system– mobile money – and the benefits such transactions offer to users. This week, we will look at the different ways mobile phones facilitate exchanges of information … read more

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Weekly Review November 6-12

A cornerstone of our philosophy is to combine the efficiency of the free market with the heart of the social sector. Private investment and entrepreneurship will create sustainable development in emerging markets.

“Social Venture Catalyst Ennovent invests in Barefoot Power” on YourStory.in
Ennovent’s Sustainable Enterprise Fund announced yesterday that it invested in Barefoot Power. Barefoot provides renewable energy and lighting to off-grid or under electrified communities in India. Co-investors include Insitor,
… read more
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Weekly Review October 30 – November 5

This week, we’re stepping back and looking at the explosive developments in the ICT industry and their effects in emerging markets.  In case you missed it, check out our ongoing series on how mobile transactions systems can fight poverty, Part 1 and Part 2.
Image Courtesy of SlimTrader
“Ethio Telecom launches credit transfer service” Press Release from Ethio Telecom
Ethiopia is infamous for its lagging mobile penetration rates. The Government-led telecom released ambitious
… read more
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Poverty-Fighting Mobile Transaction Systems (Part 2): Mobile Money Transactions

Last week we introduced this series that will highlight the different ways mobile phones can combat poverty. This week, we will discuss the first example of a poverty-fighting mobile transaction system. Mobile money transfer services provide financial inclusion benefits for the unbanked, and are the most heralded impact of mobile penetration.


Mobile Money Transactions

Perhaps the most well-known mobile transaction systems that engage the base of the pyramid are mobile money transactions. The various flavors
… read more
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Weekly Review October 23-29

Several exciting headlines this week point to the adoption of clean tech as a affordable and scalable solution to the world’s energy problems.

“New Technology Could Double Solar Cell Efficiency” by RP Siegel on Triple Pundit
Although installed costs of solar photovoltaics have declined by over 43 percent since 1998, many who rely on fossil fuels are still reluctant to make the change to solar. Now, through advancement in the research and development
… read more
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An ID Update

After a busy summer that included the official launch of our BETA initiative, we aren’t ready to slow down. This fall we continued our growth by opening our first in-country field office and welcomed a new team member.
Sean Smith, our Investment Analyst, has moved to Nairobi, Kenya, to open the first Invested Development outside of Boston. Sean will continue to source pipeline from around the world, but will add even deeper insight into
… read more
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Poverty-Fighting Mobile Transaction Systems (Part 1): Leveraging Mobile Ubiquity at the BoP

The ID team spends a lot of time discussing and studying the mobile technology industry. The driving force behind our focus on mobile technology in emerging markets has been the explosive growth of mobile phone penetration rates and the potential for mobile transaction systems to reduce poverty.

Our most popular post on this blog is “Mobile Phones at the Base of the Pyramid: Accessibility and Affordability” published in June 2010. In that post, … read more

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Weekly Review October 17-21

Source: Wikimedia Commons

This week we’re highlighting the importance of enterprise level development and impact investing in India. Several newsworthy excerpts describe the myriad opportunities emerging from the growth of social enterprises, impact investing, and the use of technology in the region.

“Could impact investing help India’s poor” by Shilpa Kannan on BBC News, Delhi
A massive existing population in India coupled with robust economic growth expectations and a changing investor appetite for
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EGG-Energy Development Innoventures Salon

A few months ago, we highlighted EGG-energy’s innovative pricing and distribution strategy for the Base of the Pyramid. If you like EGG-energy‘s business model or discussing BoP strategies in general, then we recommend attending EGG-energy’s upcoming brainstorm session in Cambridge, MA, hosted by the Development Innoventures Salon. The session will open the conversation around three main topics:

  1. Pricing Strategy
  2. Marketing and Sales Strategy
  3. Growth and Distribution Strategy
It’s important for EGG-energy to grow
… read more
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Weekly Review October 10-14

A cornerstone of Invested Development’s strategy is that mobile phones facilitate information, participation, and transactions in emerging markets.  This week’s articles demonstrate examples of how mobile phones can do so.

“Mobiles: The Hub of a Global Information Society” by Melissa Ulbricht on Mobile Active
Like us, Mobile Active is a proponent of the basic feature phone’s potential for impact by distributing information. A new report, “News on the Go: How Mobile Device
… read more
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WANTED: The World’s Most Unreasonable Entrepreneurs

Convinced you have the entrepreneurial mettle to improve the lives of millions of people around the world? Accelerate your venture with mentorship from 50 seasoned entrepreneurs and practitioners, ranging from a Time Magazine Hero of the Planet, to the CTO of HP, to an entrepreneur who’s lifted over 19 million farmers out of poverty. In the process, form relationships with 20 impact funds including Invested Development and our friends Acumen Fund, Good Capital, … read more

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Weekly Review October 3-7

Last week we spoke to the impact that mobile technology can have for development. For the same reasons, our other investment focus is alternative energy. While alternative energy is traditionally expensive, many social entrepreneurs are creating clever financing models that deliver clean energy at an affordable price. The following articles detail why and how alternative energy can create such a significant impact at the BoP in emerging markets.

“Could a Pay-as-You-Go Model Convince People … read more

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Good News in the Portfolio

As we wrote about in a recent post, Cents and Responsibility, investors have a responsibility to entrepreneurs. The Weekly Review prior to that post highlighted the close relationship an entrepreneur must have with the investor to enable productivity and progress. We live by our own words. We have a close relationship with each of our portfolio companies and stand by them on both the highest of highs and lowest of lows.  Although we don’t
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Weekly Review September 26-30

People often ask us why we chose technology as our investment focus. The answer is quite simple: technology has the greatest potential to create impact in the developing world. The following articles for this week share our sentiment and speak to mobile technology’s power for social impact (be sure to check out next week’s Review to see how alternative energy is creating impact).
Source
“Mobile Broadband in Kenya” by Patrick Munyi on iHub
… read more