G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation

The G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation provided an opportunity to recognize companies around the world for their innovative, scalable business models working with low-income people in developing countries. Challenge winners were announced and showcased at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Mexico on June 18, 2012. They attended a high-profile event and were able to engage with other members of the inclusive business community.

Inclusive business practitioners often have few opportunities to exchange insights with peers in this rapidly evolving field. This challenge provided them with the opportunity to raise their global profile and learn from other thought leaders and models.

Fifteen winners were selected by an independent panel. The winners were chosen based on the following criteria:

Innovation
Development results
Potential for growth and replication
Financial sustainability
Environmental and social sustainability

G20 Challenge Workshop Series

The G20 Challenge was complemented by a series of regional workshops which provided the opportunity for winners to meet other stakeholders and thought leaders and develop new business relationships. The G20 Challenge workshop series was hosted by Germany and Saudi Arabia, with support from the United Arab Emirates and the Siemens Stiftung (Foundation).The regional workshops focused on how to scale and replicate successful business models.

The workshop series was launched in Berlin on September 19-20, 2012, at a meeting that convened around 100 participants. Challenge winners were able to meet with leading international businesses, investors and representatives of development agencies and governments. The objective was to showcase successful examples of inclusive business and encourage new business relationships in B2B and cross-sector working groups.

The Berlin workshop was followed by regional workshops in Asia, Latin America and Africa. On April 15, 2013, G20 Challenge winners met with more than 50 business leaders in Mumbai, India at a workshop within the framework of the Sankalp Unconvention Summit. The focus of the workshop was “Scaling Impact through Innovation.”

On June 5, 2013, more than 50 business leaders and experts attended the Latin America workshop held in Medellin, Colombia, based around the topic of “Scaling Up Finance for the Base of the Pyramid.” Participants discussed financing solutions that enable low-income people to be included in value chains.

The Africa IB Challenge Workshop was held in Nairobi on October 29-30, 2013. This B2B workshop with challenge winners and partners was a cross-sector forum with more than 150 representatives from the private sector, government and IB community.

Meet the winners of the G20 Challenge:

*Representatives of the winning companies at the presentation of their awards at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico on June 18, 2012*

Ambassador Rogelio Granguillhome, Executive Secretary of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation and Chair of the G20 Development Working Group presented awards to the following 15 winners of the G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation at a ceremony in Los Cabos, Mexico, on June 18, 2012:

Agrofinanzas (Mexico)

Agrofinanzas is a financial institution that provides financing to farmers and food producers in Mexico. Agrofinanzas’ clients produce 25 commodities, including sugar cane and sugar, cotton, coffee, cocoa, poultry, pork, and beef, and more than 80 percent of them had never received financing before.