Publication database

Based on interviews with movers and shapers involved in off-grid electrification projects in Africa and Asia this paper looks at how standalone electricity and mini-grids can increase access to electricity. It opportunities and challenges and comes up with a five-point plan to accelerate electrification.

This case study presents a business model of the Indonesian company Rajawali, which integrates Indonesian taxi drivers as Business Partners in the core activities of its subsidiary Express Taxi. By providing access to capital and training Express Taxi redefined the traditional business model between large transport companies and drivers’ groups. The case examines the challenges and opportunities of such a partnership in the context of income generation for the poor and reliability and safety for the general public.

This report discusses "system leadership" needed to tackle global challenges like food security, climate change, job creation, and gender parity. System leadership can help align the efforts of diverse stakeholders in order to accelerate this process, and ensure that it delivers more sustainable, inclusive business growth and human development.

This Guidebook illuminates the critical part played by brokers in multi sector partnerships as both process managers and behind the scenes leaders. It focuses on partnership brokering – that essential intermediary function that enables partners to work well together and ensure the maximum effectiveness of their partnership.

The Entrepreneurship Database Program at Emory University leverages relationships with a growing number of accelerator programs to collect systematic data from entrepreneurs who apply to and participate in accelerator programs. This report summarizes application data collected from entrepreneurs who participated in the programs during 2013, 2014, 2015 and early 2016. It covers aspects like e.g. venture performance indicators, country of operations, sectors and impact objectives, gender or profit margin aspirations.

This brief article points out different aspects of innovation in low-income countries as well crucial impeding factors of innovations.

This article describes and ranks 10 lessons that Acumen has learned while working to tackle global poverty. The lessons learned include: 'dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth'; and that 'neither grants nor markets alone will solve the problems of poverty'.

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 report discusses the state of the mobile money sector and industry trends, and it provides insights into the rollout and adoption of other mobile financial services such as mobile insurance. It is designed to provide practitioner and stakeholders, such as regulators, senior executives in the telecommunications and banking sectors, and international development agencies, with an overview of the industry and its impact on the financial lives of unbanked and under banked users.

This annual survey provides the latest insight into investor perceptions and a number of key market variables such as types of investors, the number and size of investments made, target returns, and impact measurement practices. This “State of the Market” analysis explores how investments continue to be made across different geographies, a range of sectors, and multiple asset classes, signalling continued market growth and an increasing interest in impact investing opportunities.