Observing Acceleration: Uncovering the Effects of Accelerators on Impact-Oriented Entrepreneurs

by Peter W. Roberts and Saurabh A. Lall (Foreword by Randall Kempner)

This book summarizes five years of learning from data collected as part of the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative. The authors present data describing impact-oriented ventures and accelerators that operate in both high-income countries and in emerging markets. Blending survey data with insights from sector experts, their various analyses shed light on the basic structure of accelerators, showing where they are having their most promising results. Unlike previous studies, this book does not focus on a few high-profile accelerators (like TechStars and Y Combinator) and startups (like AirBnB and Uber). Instead, it compares a range of accelerator programs that target specific impact areas, challenging regions, and marginalized entrepreneurs. Therefore, it serves as a valuable tool for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in the effectiveness of accelerator programs as tools that unleash the economic potential currently trapped in entrepreneurial dead spaces.

Amplify II: The Next Mile of Impact Investing for INGOs

Humentum and the International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) Impact Investing Network published their second impact investing report, Amplify Impact Investing 2: The Next Mile of Impacting Investing for INGOs, in December 2018. This report is the follow up to the original Amplify Impact Investing report released in 2016, Amplify Impact Investing: the INGO Value Proposition for Impact Investing.

In recent years, international non-governmental organizations, traditionally known for implementing donor-funded programs for social and environmental impact around the world, have begun to make a distinctive imprint on the impact investing ecosystem. The report updates our knowledge on the role of INGOs in impact investing, and discusses their evolution in the market. It concludes that INGOs are continuing to emerge as key players in impact investing. Learn more.

On the functioning of agricultural markets in Mali: Strategies for development

This study, commissioned by USAID's Economic Growth Office and implemented by CrossBoundary's Mali Investment Facilitation Platform, investigates constraints to Mali's agricultural markets. It identifies the obstacles that stand in the way of organizations and projects aiming to modernize the country's agricultural sector, and provides possible remedies. The report also presents evidence that sustained support for private sector actors can initiate a paradigm shift. Read the full report.

Spotlights setoriais em investimento de impacto

Após o lançamento da terceira edição do estudo de investimento de impacto, com o objetivo de se aprofundar e entender melhor tendências, desafios e oportunidades de crescimento, a Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) está desenvolvendo uma série de spotlights sobre investimento de impacto em quatro setores específicos: conservação da biodiversidade, educação, serviços financeiros e saúde

Spotlight: Conservação da Biodiversidade

 Relatório, produzido pela ANDE em parceria com a Fundação Grupo Boticário, apresenta um panorama ambiental, social e econômico do setor e fornece dados sobre o impacto do investimento na conservação da biodiversidade a partir do relatório "Panorama do Setor de Investimento do Impacto na América Latina". A fim de ilustrar o potencial de negócios e investimentos no setor de conservação da biodiversidade, apresenta um estudo de caso, e finaliza com uma série de oportunidades e recomendações para melhor fomentar o investimento neste setor.

Spotlight: Inclusão Financeira & Fintechs

Novo spotlight conta com o panorama local do setor. Analisamos os dados sobre o investimento de impacto no setor, extraídos da segunda edição do relatório “Panorama do Setor de Investimento de Impacto na América Latina”, publicado pela ANDE e LAVCA. Por fim, apresentamos o caso de um negócio do setor que recebeu investimento, concluindo com perspectivas e recomendações para o futuro.

Sector spotlights in impact investment

After the launch of the third edition of the Impact Investment Study, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is developing a series of spotlights on impact investment in four specific sectors, to analyze and better understand trends, challenges and opportunities for growth, The sectors are biodiversity conservation, education, financial services and health.

Biodiversity Conservation Spotlight

The report, produced by ANDE in partnership with Boticário Group Foundation, presents an environmental, social and economic panorama of the sector, then provides data on investment impact in biodiversity conservation from the report "Overview of the Investment Sector of Impact in Latin America". In order to illustrate the potential for business and investments in the biodiversity conservation sector, it presents a case study, before ending with a series of opportunities and recommendations to better foster investment in this sector.

Spotlight: Financial Inclusion & Fintechs 

The new spotlight has the local panorama of the sector and shows that opportunities to improve financial inclusion are plentiful in Brazil, considering the needs of the lower income population and the possibilities offered by technological advances. Moreover, on the investor side, it suggests the need to investigate ways to offer capital with smaller tickets, as expanding the size of investments would help strengthen the pipeline of future investments. Just as entrepreneurs need to be attentive to the needs and attitudes of the lower income population to address the three dimensions of financial inclusion: access, use, and quality.

Uganda Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative: Phase I

ANDE, the Center for Development Alternatives, Enterprise Uganda, and Koltai & Company released the Phase I findings of ANDE's Uganda Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative on November 28. The Phase I report maps the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Kampala and Gulu—two key regions for Ugandan economic growth. It then outlines a strategic path forward for promoting entrepreneurship in these regions, recommending specific actions to overcome ecosystem constraints. The second phase of the initiative will use these findings to design and implement a multi-stakeholder, multi-million-euro program to develop Ugandan entrepreneurship, beginning in 2019. Read the full report.

Click here to read the press release.