Catalyzing Innovations that Matter
As the year draws to a close, we like to reflect on the state of the space in which we operate. Social enterprise was, and continues to be, a nascent industry, but has come a long way in the last five years. This week, we’re looking at the updates and progress the industry has made and the methods we’re putting in place to grow.
2014 in Impact Investing: The Big Bang and its Aftermath by … read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BANGALORE – 17 December 2014 – Simpa, which sells solar-as-a-service to energy-poor households and micro-enterprises in rural India, today announced that it has completed a $4 million debt financing round. The financing has been provided by Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, and by GDF Suez through their Rassembleurs d’Energies program.
An estimated 400 million people in rural India still do not have access to an electricity … read more
Farming may be one of the oldest industries, but there is no lack of opportunity for investment. Below are articles highlighting the need for innovations in agriculture, opportunities for investment, and the recent success of technology in the space.
Ag-tech could change how the world eats on Grand Haven Tribune
Venture capitalists are putting money into “ag tech” companies focused on anything from big data to drone technology, in an effort to feed the growing … read more
Are we moving as far and fast as we think? FI2020’s E-Zine says no by Susy Cheston on CFI Blog
The second edition of the Financial Inclusion 2020 Round-up 2014 e-magazine looks at progress toward financial inclusion in the year following the FI2020 Global Forum. Last year, a roadmap to Financial Inclusion was presented at the forum, consisting of five focus areas: Technology, Financial Capability, Addressing Customer Needs, Client Protection, and Credit Reporting. Since then, … read more
Invested Development and GVEP International recently conducted a survey in collaboration with Power Africa and UN Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network to investigate the challenges that energy enterprises experience in emerging markets. Of course, company financing is a big issue, but we wanted to dig deeper into manufacturing, human resources, consumer financing, and sales. The goal was to identify the types of support products and services that the industry can provide to move the needle … read more
There has been promising growth in the impact investing space recently, and investors and academics alike are looking for better and easier ways to measure impact. The articles and reports below highlight recent activity.
US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Assets Grow 76 Percent in Two Years Press Release on The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment
According to US SIF – The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment’s latest survey, sustainable, responsible, and … read more
Mobile money and mobile banking have created a revolution in financial services for the unbanked population, but the potential for mobile technology doesn’t end there. Below are recent articles highlighting how mobile technology can be leveraged to create innovative solutions aimed towards the development of emerging markets.
Mobile for Smart Solutions: How Mobile can Improve Energy Access in Sub-Saharan Africa by Helene Smertnik on GSMA
A new report released by GSMA explores the opportunity for … read more
Last week, we addressed global energy access, looking at innovative solutions to solve energy poverty in emerging markets. However, the energy discussion cannot end there. Another major issue the world is facing is rapid climate change and the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to it. Neither energy poverty nor climate change can be addressed alone. The articles below highlight how the international community is coming to the realization that clean energy solutions have the potential to … read more
Solving energy poverty is no easy feat, especially when the majority of the people in the world living without electricity live beyond the grid. Innovation is crucial to finding viable solutions to this global issue, but in addition to innovation we must consider solutions that can scale and create a lasting impact.
Get Rid of the Grid? by Pepukaya Bardouille & Dirk Muench on SSIR
According to a 2013 report, companies in the mobile phone … read more
Over the years, with the introduction of innovations like microcredit and mobile money, Financial Inclusion for the world’s poor has made significant strides. To continue this forward movement, players must look at different approaches to the problem and create innovative solutions while continuing to evaluate and support solutions already in place.
The Next Stage of Financial Inclusion by Dean Karlan on SSIR
In a perfect world, we would never have to think about finance. It … read more
Big Data and Big Agriculture by Adam Lesser on Gigaom
Gigaom, the blog focused on emerging technologies, is tuned into the influence of big data in agriculture. The research arm has released a new report reviewing a variety of data driven services and their potential value-add for agribusiness.
Key findings include:
Access to clean, affordable energy for the rural poor is an issue that we are actively trying to solve. Solar power is a great solution, but solar products often have large up-front costs and the rural population can be skeptical about purchasing technologies they know little about. Entrepreneurs are taking the initiative to overcome these obstacles by creating innovative financing models or technical solutions such as integrating pay-as-you-go technologies with solar products, notably our own … read more
In the impact space, we frequently consider the social impact of our investments. A tangible way of looking at impact is through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics. Many of our peers focus specifically on the gender lens, a social metric in the ESG framework. Check out the following recent articles that discuss the tangible impact of gender lens investing and the admirable work of our peers.
WIN-WIN 2.0: Connecting gender lens investing with clean … read more
Agriculture Technology has the potential to tackle global problems of climate change and food security. We are happy to have had the opportunity to invest in technologies, such as the Rowbot, that are contributing to improvements in agriculture. Below are recent articles highlighting exciting developments in ag tech globally.
Ag Tech Avalance by Chris Bennett on AgWeb
“Big data and precision ag technology will be the most exciting front in technology for global agriculture for … read more
With cloud technologies becoming more and more popular in both developed and developing markets, it’s important to us at Invested Development to understand both the opportunities and the potential implications that the shift to the cloud will have. Below is a selection of recent articles explaining cloud services and predicting growth and potential change in the market.
How to Make Sense of the Cloud’s Alphabet Soup: What are SaaS, IaaS and PaaS? By Bryan Tamador … read more
Access to reliable power and internet connection in Africa is an issue that we are always seeking to solve with investments in new technologies. These new technologies and increased investment in the market are positioning Africa as a leader in growth. The articles below highlight the exciting developments.
Africa marked as fastest growing technology market on IT News Africa
Hemmanth Singh, managing executive of m-Commerce at Vodacom, revealed Africa as the fastest growing technology market … read more
Title: Data Visualization Intern
Start/End Date: Immediately – December 2014 (potential for extension)
Location: Boston, MA
Schedule: 10 hours per week (Flexible)
Pay: $400 Monthly Stipend
Invested Development is looking for a highly motivated student (graduate or undergraduate) for infographic design and data analytics/visualization assignments. The intern will help to design infographics, create interactive website content, and create automated data gathering solutions from public data sources. Applicants should be comfortable working in a start-up environment … read more
You can’t invest in emerging markets without addressing financial inclusion. Between ICT innovations allowing for digital payments from pay as you go energy, financial inclusion is an effort we all must address in order to successfully create an impact.
The Next Frontier of Financial Services James Militzer on Next Billion
Financial inclusion efforts usually center around savings and credit, but Jeremy Leach, director of Bankable Frontier Associates, believes that insurance and microinsurance is the next … read more
Renewable energy solutions continue to contribute to solving the world’s energy crisis. Below are recent articles highlighting recent news and developments in the space.
Renewable Energy Capacity Grows at Fastest Ever Pace Terry Macalister on The Guardian
A recent report by the International Energy Agency revealed that renewable power capacity grew at its strongest ever pace last year and now produces 22% of the world’s electricity. More than $250 billion was invested in “green” generating … read more
The Mobile Financial Service industry has made financial inclusion possible for millions in developing nations. Today, there is an opportunity to integrate mobile money into agriculture development with the potential to benefit farmers, buyers and mobile money providers. Below is a series of articles by Lee Babcock, digital finance thought leader, suggesting the best way to jumpstart mobile payments in the agriculture sector.
Three Steps to Jumpstart Agriculture Mobile Payments by Lee Babcock on Next … read more
At Invested Development, we strive to make a global impact through our investments in innovative solutions to global challenges. The articles below look at the evolution of sustainable investing and explore what the future might look like for the space.
Mission-Driven Business by Eric Nee on Stanford Social Innovation Review
One of the guiding principles behind the launch of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) in 2003 was the belief that social innovations would arise … read more
Momentum gathers in Power Africa initiative on BiztechAfrica
Standard Bank Group has renewed its commitment to the Power Africa Initiative, a multi-stakeholder project driven by US President Barack Obama. The Initiative aims to double power access in Africa by accelerating investments in the sector over the next five years.
The six initial partner countries are Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania. Each have set ambitious goals to boost their power generating capacity to enhance … read more
Title: Graphic/Web Design Intern
Start/End Date: Immediately – December 2014 (potential for extension)
Location: Boston, MA
Schedule: 10 hours per week (Flexible)
Pay: $400 Monthly Stipend
Invested Development is looking for a highly motivated Computer Science, Information Management, or Graphic Design student for web design, website maintenance and data analytics assignments. The intern will help to design infographics, create interactive website content, and create automated data gathering solutions from public data sources. Applicants should be … read more
The City of Benicia in California launched the first solar powered, grid-tied, battery-backed electric vehicle (EV) Fast Charging Station this summer. Our portfolio company Growing Energy Labs, Inc. (Geli) helped catalyze the project and supplied a critical piece of the puzzle: energy storage optimization software. Geli’s EOS (Energy Operating System) intelligently manages the charging station as a whole to determine when to draw from the solar panels on the roof, when to … read more
Cloud-based solutions are spreading throughout Africa, boosting the ICT sector and offering opportunities for local business growth. Below are articles highlighting how cloud integration is impacting the continent.
How the Cloud Can Power Entrepreneurship and Urbanisation in Africa by Derek Kudsee on IT Web Africa
Africa has seen incredible economic growth in the past decade. Income has grown by 30% on the continent and six out of the world’s ten fastest growing economies are in … read more