Skoll World Forum: Hybrid and For-Profit Business Models via Acumen Fund Blog
Skoll World Forum: Phil Hope & Karen Tse via Acumen Fund Blog
Jamii Bora and the environment in Kenya via Acumen Fund Blog
(Photo: Gabriel Kadidi)
It has been several weeks since both Pakistan and Kenya began to experience political and social unrest.??As Jacqueline initially reported (here??and here), Acumen Fund???s communities on the ground remain safe, but the environment in both countries has taken a decided turn for the worse.
The past weeks in Kenya have been heartbreaking. Tremendous excitement about an election year has turned to frustration over the process and its impact on the country???s stability.?? Kenya was on the rise as an economic model for East Africa. Acumen Fund investee Jamii Bora had overcome legal obstacles to begin to realize the dream of Nairobi???s poorest to build a new town for its members. By December, nearly 500 homes were under construction???Dedan ??? JB???s bicycle messenger... Signs of an exciting trend at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference via Acumen Fund Blog
This past Sunday, March 4, nearly 1,000 people gathered to learn and exchange ideas at Harvard’s business school conference on “Social Enterprise.” The phrase is sufficiently broad to cover a wide range of issues, from socially responsible business to business-like social change and everything in between. The aim of the conference, according to its co-chairs, is to engage a broad set of institutions across sectors to “turn dreams into reality,” and the theme of bringing pragmatic approaches to achieving lofty goals for social justice was woven strongly throughout the day’s discussions. Victoria Hale exemplified this in her opening keynote when she talked about the way that her non-profit pharmaceutical company was engaging with corporations, foundations and governments to...
Wireless Networking for Development On Display at AirJaldi via Acumen Fund Blog
Where on earth can you talk about wireless mesh networks over lunch in the Dalai Lama’s private courtyard while gazing out at snow-capped Himalayan peaks?
At the first annual AirJaldi Summit held last month in Dharamsala, India, of course. I had the privilege of attending this event along with one of our colleagues at Drishtee and interacting with a global group of technology professionals drawn by the opportunity to meet and discuss wireless networks and their relevance to local and international development.
AirJaldi was chaired by a determined Israeli technology specialist named Yakel Ben-David, with a vision of using wireless mesh as an inexpensive means to broaden the communications capabilities of rural institutions around the world. This approach has been effective in this... Three views of Africa via Acumen Fund Blog
A jolt not soon forgotten via Acumen Fund Blog
On a Saturday, one year ago at precisely 8:50 A.M., I was in my bed, sleeping soundly. Suddenly, everything began vigorously swaying left and right. At first, the shock of the motion had me confused, but as I opened my eyes, I realized it was an earthquake. I got up to go stand beneath the beam of the bathroom door (Dad’s orders since we were kids – apparently the safest place to be) but I couldn’t walk more than four steps without losing my balance and falling to the ground. The house was a big bowl of Jell-O and I was somewhere in the middle of it all. This was the biggest quake I had ever experienced, and I was certain my house would collapse any minute.
Fortunately no serious damage occurred, although I was so scared after the six-minute quake passed that I didn’t move from... Overcoming the day-to-day struggle for water via Acumen Fund Blog
A recent series of articles in The New York Times highlights the everyday challenges of water access and sanitation in major cities all over India, and the significant consequences these challenges have on the lives of Indians. With over 700 million people lacking access to adequate water supply, and 2.1 million children under 5 dying from preventable water-borne disease, the toll is devastating. With both infrastructure and natural resources overstretched and misused, individuals take on a “me-first” approach, trying to get the water they need at any cost. This leads to accelerated degradation of pipes, which are illegally tapped, and water resources that are being drawn with little planning from depleted aquifers. Where in the midst of these governmental, social and market... Giving ideas wings via Acumen Fund Blog
More than money via Acumen Fund Blog
Great article on the front page of the New York Times about our partner Google.org and its executive director, Larry Brilliant. It is really exciting to see Google.org push boundaries around what is possible and how we need to use ALL of the resources at our disposal to solve tough problems of poverty. If there is one thing our work over the past five years has taught us, it is that to be more effective, philanthropy cannot be thought of only as money given to help people. Google has such great reach in the world that it can influence entire sectors using much more than its money - and their vision is an exciting one.
From Acumen Fund’s perspective, watching ideas that were seen as crazy five years ago be instituted as more mainstream also is a reminder that change can happen.... Moving away from fear via Acumen Fund Blog
Drishtee - one of Asia’s hottest startups via Acumen Fund Blog
We are delighted that Acumen Fund investee Drishtee has been named one of Red Herring’s “100 Hottest Startups in Asia.” In Drishtee CEO Satyan Mishra’s words, “this award augurs well for the scalable growth of ‘Technology for Development’ in India and in all other developing economies. ” We would like to congratulate Satyan and everyone who has worked so hard with him to help Drishtee grow and strengthen its operations. The company is a powerful example of what is possible by combining strong heads and soft hearts, the commercial and the social, and we couldn’t be prouder to be working with the Drishtee team.... Acumen Fund at Stockholm World Water Week via Acumen Fund Blog
I was recently invited (with full sponsorship from UN Habitat) to speak on a panel at Stockholm World Water Week. This is the world’s largest annual water conference and I was there to discuss the value of market-based approaches to water and sanitation funding for small towns. The planners of the session wanted to foster a debate and encouraged speakers to take on their opposing roles in earnest. Goaded on by facilitator Dominic Waughrey of the World Economic Forum, we each took polarized positions and provided concrete examples of failures and opportunities of the various forms of financing. With a little humor and expert facilitation, each of us went further than we may have planned in pointing out the inconsistencies and gaps in each others’ arguments.
My team-mate, Moses... IAVI: accelerating the search for an HIV/AIDS vaccine via Acumen Fund Blog
Acumen Fund Advisory Council Member, Dr. Seth Berkley is President and founder of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). IAVI is a global non-profit organization focused on accelerating the search for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. Their biennial flagship publication, AIDS Vaccine Blueprint 2006: Actions to Strengthen Global Research and Development, was released last week at the XIV International AIDS Conference in Toronto. We are proud to know Seth and his team.... Calling for creative partnerships via Acumen Fund Blog
Acumen Fund and IDEO have developed a partnership over the last two years to explore how Acumen Fund’s focus on using entrepreneurial approaches to address the problems of poverty, coupled with IDEO’s human-centered approach to design, could create synergy and help both organizations achieve their broader goals.
Earlier this month, Acumen Fund and IDEO met with Jennifer Davis of Stanford University and Ranjiv Khush of the Aquaya Institute, experts bringing extensive experience working on issues of water and sanitation internationally. This was a unique group - bringing together Acumen Fund’s knowledge of water-related BOP market business opportunities, the creativity of IDEO’s idea workshop and the deep sector knowledge of water experts.
A pervasive challenge... A Big Idea in a Flat World via Acumen Fund Blog
The power of a PPP via Acumen Fund Blog
The British metal firm BHP Billiton’s recent efforts to reduce malaria prevalance in Mozambique are a good example of a public-private partnership, driven through the efforts and innovation of a single company that saw the potential for doing something important and powerful. The world needs more such partnerships. I thought you would enjoy this article.
Acumen Fund would be very interested to know if our community has ideas for corporations that might be interested in following suit and doing something similar for their own employees and local communities. We would like to do a “road show” with A to Z to determine whether there are more such opportunities for local market distribution.... Voices from the slums via Acumen Fund Blog
Celebrating success, collectively via Acumen Fund Blog
Check out this piece on Venture Philanthropy Partners that highlights six years of hard earned successes in building local community institutions in Washington, DC using a venture capital-like approach. Mario Morino is a friend of Acumen Fund and an extraordinary leader. I share the article with you because it captures so many lessons that are relevant to building and scaling nonprofit institutions. I share Mario’s letter to his community because it reflects the kind of leader that he is - one who moves from a place of humility and inclusion and is always asking questions rather than believing he has all the answers. We need more leaders like him at all levels of society. Our hat is off to Mario and his entire team and there is much to learn from the work of VPP.
Mario’s... The power of the internet, the reach of the cellphone via Acumen Fund Blog
The power of the internet, the reach of the cellphone via Acumen Fund Blog
Celebrating success, collectively via Acumen Fund Blog
Voices from the slums via Acumen Fund Blog
The power of a PPP via Acumen Fund Blog
The British metal firm BHP Billiton’s recent efforts to reduce malaria prevalance in Mozambique are a good example of a public-private partnership, driven through the efforts and innovation of a single company that saw the potential for doing something important and powerful. The world needs more such partnerships. I thought you would enjoy this article.
Acumen Fund would be very interested to know if our community has ideas for corporations that might be interested in following suit and doing something similar for their own employees and local communities. We would like to do a “road show” with A to Z to determine whether there are more such opportunities for local market distribution....