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Marketing Intern – Summer 2013 – Immediate Start

Title: Marketing Intern
Start/End Date: Immediately – August 2013
Schedule: 15-20 hours per week (Flexible)
Pay: Stipend or Course Credit
Location: Boston, MA

Invested Development is looking for a highly motivated marketing or communications student for research, blogging, brand management, and social media management assignments. Ideal candidates will have experience in these areas. Writing sample required.  Graphic design experience a plus. Applicants should be comfortable working in a start-up environment with minimal resources and supervision.… read more

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Achieving universal energy access

What will it take to achieve universal energy access? This week’s Weekly Review articles cover advice for entrepreneurs working on these types of projects and alternative funding options.

“Can Technology End Poverty?” by Susan Davis on Harvard Business Review
Are you a skeptic or a believer that technology will impact the lives of underserved citizens around the world? We think it already has and will continue to do so. At ID, the idea … read more

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Startup challenges in emerging markets

This week, we read several articles discussing the challenges that early stage startups and investors face in emerging markets.

“Distribution equals development:  Announcing the D-Prize” by Andrew Youn, Founder and Director of One Acre Fund on Skoll World Forum
Distribution is one of the biggest challenges that companies working in emerging markets face. Even the most innovative and affordable technologies may struggle to find their way into the hands of the customers who … read more

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Technology in India

This weekly review is all about technology in India.

“India’s World Startup Report is Released and the Future of Technology Looks Bright for the Country” by Drew Olanoff on TechCrunch
A former LinkedIn employee recently put together a report on the market opportunity for technology in India, as well as the key players in the market.  The report is produced under the World Startup Report brand, which highlights hot new markets in the … read more

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Marketing Intern – Boston, MA – April to June 2013 (Potential for Summer Extension)

Title: Marketing Intern
Start/End Date: Immediately – June 2013 (potential for summer extension)
Schedule: 10 hours per week (Flexible)
Pay: Stipend or Course Credit
Location: Boston, MA

Invested Development is looking for a highly motivated marketing or communications student for research, blogging, brand management, and social media management assignments. Ideal candidates will have experience in these areas. Writing sample required.  Graphic design experience a plus. Applicants should be comfortable working in a start-up environment with … read more

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Technology and Impact

At ID, we invest in technology that benefits underserved populations. With so many innovative and affordable technologies hitting the market, there are lots of new opportunities to use them to empower previously excluded populations. This week’s selection of articles discusses different technologies and their applications in emerging markets.

“M2M Communications Could Leverage Clean Energy for Billions of People” by Justin Guay on GreenTech Media
M2M (machine-to-machine) technology and high levels of mobile subscriptions … read more

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Kenyan Election

All eyes are on Kenya this week, as the nation awaits the results of an historic election. As such, this week we’re reporting on the progress we’ve seen in Kenya and across sub-Saharan Africa and how this election is different from the last.

“#KenyaDecides – Reflections from a Regional Fellow” by Rachel Gichinga on Acumen Fund Blog
Rachel, an Acumen Fund fellow and Kenyan national, writes from the ground in Nairobi. She, along … read more

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Impact Investing News

Social entrepreneurs have to do it all: innovate, develop solid business models, pitch them well, and measure impact. This week’s articles on impact investing cover all of these topics, as well as exciting ID partner and BSP Fund portfolio news.

“Defining Impact Investing:  A Call to Action” by Beth Sirull and Ben Thornley on Stanford Social Innovation Review
Many people continue to seek a clear definition for the term “impact investing.” Sirull and … read more

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Invested Development Invests in SolarNow to Provide Affordable Solar Home Systems in Uganda

Invested Development Invests in SolarNow to Provide Affordable Solar Home Systems in Uganda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 25, 2013

Boston, MA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, & Kampala, Uganda – Invested Development, an emerging markets-focused social impact investment company, has invested in SolarNow, a Dutch social enterprise operating in Uganda. SolarNow combines a franchise model with an end-user credit facility to provide affordable solar home systems (SHSs) in Uganda. There are 4 million off-grid households in Uganda, … read more

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Mobile for development

Since the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress is next week, it’s only fitting that this week’s Weekly Review focuses on mobile for development news.

Video: Exploiting Opportunities for Mobile Money in Untapped Markets – NFC & MMS 2012 on Mobile Money for the Unbanked GSMA
We’re attending MWC next week, and we’re particularly looking forward to the discussion about NFC applications in emerging markets. NFC is near-field communication technology that allows for simple, fast, and secure … read more

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Impact investing

This weekly review covers the ever-growing and nascent impact investing sector.

“Impact Investing for the New Economy: People” by Atlee McFellin on Triple Pundit
Impact investing is different from the green movement of years past. The new mindset of investing for impact emphasizes a dual focus on sustainability and well being for both the environment and people. Emerging investment and lending models, such as our own Impact Factoring Fund, are more frequently … read more

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Technology Innovation in Africa

This week’s articles cover news on technology innovation in Africa. There are many opportunities for organizations of all sizes, both public and private, to respond to the diverse needs on the African continent.

 “2013 and the Emerging Market Potential” on IT News Africa
The potential for growth in emerging markets is going to be driven by “fast-paced technological advancement.” In Africa in particular, we’re seeing the development of technological hubs and centers such … read more

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Tech Startups and Entrepreneurs

Today we’re featuring news on tech startups and entrepreneurs in emerging markets.

“Novel Energy Storage to Chill Milk in Rural India” by Martin LaMonica on MIT Technology Review
Our portfolio company Promethean Power revealed good news last week: after years of technology iterations and a move to India, Promethean signed a contract with Hatsun, India’s largest private dairy, for 50 rapid milk chillers. This comes along with a new joint venture and a … read more

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SOCAP is Headed to Boston! SOUL, on March 9th

What if your job, your finances, and your community were all aligned with what you value? SOCAP has created a special one-day event, SOCAP: Soul, to help answer that question and explore how change starts within us.

SOCAP: Soul Boston – Social Capital Market’s first east coast event – will be held on Saturday, March 9th at MIT’s whimsical and sustainably innovative Stata Center. The event will kick-off at 8 am with registration and … read more

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Innovating to Meet Energy Demand

This week we’re featuring news on energy, including breakthroughs from innovators and commentary on how this type of innovation is needed to meet the growing energy demand in Africa.

“A quiet breakthrough in geothermal power tech” by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM
As we frequently mention on this blog, we like to keep tabs on innovation breakthroughs in renewable energy. Although we haven’t invested in a geothermal tech, we like to learn about those … read more

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Marketing Intern Spring 2013

Title: Marketing Intern
Start/End Date: Immediately – May 2013
Schedule: 10 hours per week (Flexible)
Pay: Stipend or Course Credit
Location: Boston, MA

Invested Development is looking for a highly motivated marketing or communications student at the sophomore or junior undergraduate level for blogging, brand, and social media management assignments. Ideal candidates will have experience in these areas. Writing sample required.  Graphic design experience a plus. Applicants should be comfortable working in a start-up environment … read more

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Opportunities and Inspiration for Social Entrepreneurs

The third annual survey from the GIIN and JP Morgan on impact investing, Perspectives on Progress, highlighted that, although still a nascent marketplace, impact investors plan to commit at least $9 billion in 2013. In addition to this mass of available capital, we are seeing a significant number of calls-for-applications, winner announcements, and advice on how to advance startup activity that can provide entrepreneurs with both inspiration and opportunities. Here’s this week’s round up … read more

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United Nations Foundation Welcomes UN General Assembly Declaration of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All

Washington, D.C. (January 4, 2013) –The United Nations Foundation today commended the United Nations General Assembly for its recent declaration of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, 2014-2024. The Decade of Sustainable Energy for All will make access to sustainable energy a continuing priority on the global development agenda.

“Sustainable energy is essential to achieving sustainable development and meeting our goals as a global community,” said United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth.  “By … read more

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Weekly Review January 5-11: Mobile Tech’s Cross-Sector Influence

From agriculture to broadband, payments to people, mobile technology continues to impact every facet of Africa’s burgeoning economic growth.

“Africa: Raising the Bar on Agricultural Innovation” by Wendy Atkins on All Africa
An increasingly interesting area for us is agriculture. Mobile technology innovation has lots of applications and benefits, and more frequently experts are looking to it to solve the world’s food production gaps, especially in Africa. From the GSMA, to governments across … read more

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Weekly Review December 28 – January 4: Seed Stage Impact Investments and Acceleration

2013 is already shaping up to be a big year for seed stage impact investment. Read what industry leaders like Ross Baird of Village Capital and Kevin Jones of SOCAP are saying, and what opportunities social entrepreneurs can take advantage of this January.

“Investing Early to Impact World-Changing Solutions” by Ross Baird, Village Capital Executive Director, on The Huffington Post
Ross Baird, executive director at our partner organization, Village Capital, discusses the … read more

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Weekly Review December 22-28: Technology Innovation and Advances for 2013

Here’s our final weekly round up for 2012. This week, we are covering the way technology innovation and advances are setting up the potential for significant social and economic gains in Africa in 2013.

“Charity:Water, Other Nonprofits Get Help from Tech Innovators to Inspire New Philanthropy” by Brett Zongker on The Huffington Post
Charity:Water, one of the most well-respected nonprofits out there, has funded 7,000 clean water projects to date. The organization … read more

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Weekly Review December 15-21: The Business of Energy

As alternative energy investors, we’re monitoring trends, innovations, business models, and costs for 2013. Read on to learn what GigaOM, The Guardian, Next Billion, and CleanTechnica have to say.

“The 10 best and worst things to happen to clean in 2012” by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM
Katie Fehrenbacher closes out the year at GigaOM with her list of the best and worst trends in clean tech in 2012. Some are company-specific, but are … read more

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Energy Storage Technologies and Innovation

Our December 12th post introduced the importance of energy storage; today, we take a deeper look at where innovation is needed and the technologies that make it all possible.

Energy storage technology: more than just batteries

When we mention energy storage, your phone and computer batteries are likely the first technologies to come to mind; AA batteries are probably a close second. This is because they’ve become such a daily part of our lives. In … read more

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Weekly Review December 8-14: Trends in 2013

With December upon us, everyone is looking ahead to 2013. We, at Invested Development, are doing the same across our sector focuses and looking at trends for the upcoming year. Here are this week’s articles that reflect on trends and what’s next in alternative energy and mobile technology.

“Which Tech Trends Will Be Making Waves in 2013” on IT News Africa
Tablets, smartphones, and 4G and LTE data speeds made a big splash … read more

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The Importance of Energy Storage

ID’s investment focus on alternative energy solutions includes not only renewable energies like solar, but also innovative ways to store energy. Energy storage technologies have the potential to radically transform the global energy landscape in the coming years, helping to solve key issues for integration and deployment of renewable energy systems. The technologies are crucial both in developed and developing markets and present an exciting opportunity for innovation. This post will discuss the role of … read more