Startups, entrepreneurs, innovation, technology, and economic development.
Entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for promoting inclusion and empowering marginalized groups, including women, indigenous people, people of color, and the LGBTQI+ community. It can play a role in mitigating disparities and advancing diversity by offering avenues for financial independence and social empowerment. Entrepreneurship provides a solution to the systemic obstacles and biases faced... Continue Reading →
The rate of adoption of digital technologies by companies of all stages and sizes has been growing fast over the past decade. These technologies range from e-commerce applications, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, video conferencing and financial management software, all the way to blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), to name just a few. In the... Continue Reading →
In a previous post I discussed the different types of investors available to entrepreneurs. But choosing the right investor depends also on the types of financial commitment you are willing to take on. Therefore, in this post I will discuss the main financial instruments used to fund startups – equity, debt, grants, and convertibles –... Continue Reading →
Startup fundraising is never easy and the current pandemic crisis makes it even harder. Typical early-stage investors, such as angel investors and venture capital funds, today might be more reluctant to take risks and bet on early-stage startups. In such situations, entrepreneurs often turn to friends and family (2F's) to support their endeavors. Asking people... Continue Reading →
Startups are constantly looking for funding to support their growth. Here is a brief explanation of the different types of investors that typically support entrepreneurs in their journeys. Friends and Family These are people you (obviously) know personally and who decide to help you in your endeavor. Think “rich uncle”. These investors usually have little... Continue Reading →
Guest post by Zaki Raheem During this unprecedented global economic downturn caused by COVID-19, accelerators, incubators, and other entrepreneurship support organizations have a valuable role to play in supporting entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging and frontier markets. For corporates, foundations, donors, and development banks that support these entrepreneurship ecosystems, we offer... Continue Reading →
It is not a coincidence that the most developed nations are also the ones with the highest levels of entrepreneurial activity and innovation. While starting from a minimal level of development helps support the latter two, for example through basic access to capital and institutional stability, the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship on the economy... Continue Reading →
Most discussions regarding the scaling of base of the pyramid (BOP) models focus on financing the BOP companies themselves. While this is obviously very important and the way to go in the majority of cases, there are other ways development finance institutions (DFIs) could help BOP ventures scale. My first company, PV Inova, was a... Continue Reading →
Guest post by Suhail Kassim A new startup is like a baby A startup needs to be cradled and nourished. Even so, there is no certainty that the baby will grow up to be a lean mean fighting machine. In this post, I begin to investigate the phenomenon of some exciting startups which then refuse... Continue Reading →
Lame reasons to give up before you even start I often hear people claim to have good ideas for a business, but say they can’t pursue them for one reason or another. Some of course are valid, but others are misconceptions that deserve to be revisited. Here are the top five from my experience. 1.... Continue Reading →
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