Catalyzing Innovations that Matter
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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