Scaling up MENA SMEs: How a Handful of Firms can Fast-Forward Economic Growth
by Mahmoud Makki, Alice Klat and Melissa Rizk

This report shows that successful scale-ups in the region generate on average 3.4 times more revenues and 8 times more jobs than other SMEs. Several countries have recognized the economic value of scale-ups and are developing tailored policies and programs for them. Similar initiatives in the MENA region could have a significant impact. By studying the importance of scale-ups in the context of their local markets, Strategy& Middle East identified priorities for policymakers to improve their local scale-ups ecosystems across four growth pillars: business fundamentals, business propellers, demand creators, and country readiness. Within these pillars, they have recognized several priority areas, including access to financing, talent, foreign markets, large customers, and regulatory relief. Success also depends on mobilizing an ecosystem of private and public players to orchestrate growth initiatives.

Read full report here. 

Networking Works: Peer-to-Peer Business Networks Help Small and Growing Businesses Grow Revenues and Create Jobs
Published by Argidius Foundation

This report investigates the role of SGBs in economic growth and the key success factors of business networks for SGBs. It also spotlights the impact of two organizations – Enablis Senegal and CEED Moldova – on SGB growth. Finally, the report outlines implications for funders, ecosystem builders, SGB-support organizations and SGBs. 

Read full report here. 

Last Mile Solutions for Low-Income Customers
by Richard Gomes and Meera Shah

In this report, the Shell Foundation shares the findings from their work with leading social enterprises to build sustainable rural value chains in the off-grid energy sector over the last two decades. Drawing on success and failure, they note the evolution of several approaches that can help businesses to better understand and serve rural customers, lower distribution costs and broaden reach, including the emergence of dedicated intermediaries who improve cost-efficiency through the combination of technology, specialization and economies of scale. They offer insight to help entrepreneurs select and implement these solutions effectively.

Read full report here. 

Scaling Access to Finance for Early-Stage Enterprises in Emerging Markets: Lessons from the Field

Commissioned on behalf of: Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) / Investment funds local SMEs 

The report seeks to explore how to improve the scalability and viability of early-stage finance provision, thereby reducing the need for philanthropic capital and subsidies to the local providers of finance and support to early-stage enterprises. To this end, DGGF used a landscape exercise to define and prioritize “archetypes of early-stage finance provision” as the focus of this report. They selected business accelerators, business angel networks and venture capital funds - as three key archetypical models - as the main models to be studied in more detail, together with the broader category of supplemental “non-traditional” debt options. They selected and studied 15 early-stage finance providers in detail. They discussed their initial findings from the in-depth research with 40 field-builders in a workshop during which participants shared experiences, insights and perspectives, and helped to challenge emerging conclusions and identify key points of attention to address in finalizing the report.

Read full report here. 

Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide
by Transparent Trade Coffe (Emory University)

As volatile commodity prices continue to hover at historically low levels, industry leaders at various points along the supply chain are talking about the need to buffer the women and men who grow specialty coffees from price references that come from commodity markets.

This project relies on a progressive group of data donors – exporters, importers, roasters, and other support organizations – who provide detailed contract data covering specialty coffee transactions from recent harvests.  Researchers at Emory University use this anonymized information to create tables that describe the distributions of recent prices for green (unroasted) specialty coffees.