Publication database

This case study showcases the Juhudi Kilimo business which provides asset financing and technical assistance to smallholder farmers throughout Kenya and aims to increase the incomes of the farmers by 50 percent. It outlines how the model works, the business and development impacts to date, and the key success factors.

This guide seeks to explain the evolution of challenge funds, the conceptual rationale for their use and their use in practice. It also presents findings on the effectiveness of challenge funds and how the lessons learned could have an effect on future challenge funds.

This study explores how the social entrepreneurship ecosystem can unite to develop an action plan on gender lens incubation and investing for enterprises focused on the low income market segment in India. It takes an international perspective with a geographical focus on India an emerging leader in innovation for the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) and is supported by examples of such innovative high impact, sustainable enterprises.

This report provides insights on the successes and failures from Shell Foundation's 15-year journey in enhancing energy access for BOP consumers. It outlines six challenges to the growth of inclusive energy markets and it discusses emerging ways to blend the unique assets and preferences of ‘social investors’ to overcome them.

This report presents an impact assessment on the Grassroots Business Fund, whose mission is to grow viable businesses that generate sustainable earnings or savings for people with low incomes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It provides an initial assessment of their financial, social and economic impact; it assesses the impact of the investees as well as the investees’ impact on their beneficiaries.

This report provides an overview of the impact investing ecosystem in India; it highlights the sector’s emergence, the unique characteristics, the dominant approach to investing, and the key areas of focus for the sector going forward. It describes how the sector is characterised by: 'innovations tooted in local context', 'investing that adopts an entrepreneur led approach', 'an ecosystem focused on accountability', and 'impact investors with the ability to unlock main-stream capital'.

This case study discusses the Tribanco business model, a financial institution that provides financial and management solutions for its retail customers at the bottom of pyramid. The study elaborates on the finance sector in Brazil as well as Tribanco's market drivers, commercial results and impact.

This report synthesises the findings of Rockefeller Foundation which funded research in five sub-Saharan African countries to understand the barriers for impact investing across Africa, and as well to inform national policies that encourage the growth of the industry. The study thus examines the potential of impact investing as a ‘strategy of choice’ for African policymakers and provides three frameworks to help policymakers understand and maximise the potential of impact investment.

This report details the impact of the Bamboo Finance portfolio of 46 companies across 30 countries. Bamboo Finance is a commercial private equity firm specialising in investing in business models that benefit low-income communities in emerging markets.

This case study focuses on the inclusive business model of Promigas, a private utility provider of natural gas in Colombia. Approximately 88% of Promigas’ residential customers in Colombia belong to the country’s lowest-income strata. Promigas offers financing to low-income families that can't afford to pay for the service upfront. The case describes the inclusive business model, the company's commercial drivers, results achieved as well as IFC's role and value add.