Company Overview
TakaTaka
Solutions is a social waste management company. Its goal is to provide
affordable and environmentally friendly waste management services to all
income areas.
Description
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbzBz2XMSbY
MANUELA MULLER
In
partnership with AIESEC, Potencia Ventures and Artemisia, edge attracts
and develops talent for impactful business across emerging markets.
Description
A
new kind of business is gaining strength in emerging markets: one that
seeks to improve the quality of life of low income people. Such
businesses need talent that is prepared for the demands of the field and
that will help it to grow.
Edge attracts and prepares the next
generation of managers and entrepreneurs to build their careers in this
field, ensuring that they add value wherever they work
.
We draw on a pool of top young talent with both leadership experience
and a desire to make a difference, and we offer them the possibility to
explore new business models.
Together we aim to uncover new
business opportunities that can one day meet the needs of millions or
even billions of low income consumers.
| Founded | 2004 |
|---|
|
| Products | • International work placements in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and India (6 - 12 months)
• Business Design Competition
• 'Plugged In' Summits in Latin America and Asia
• Virtual learning environment
• Local activities, workshops and placements |
|---|
BIJU MOHANDAS-Director Acumen Fund
MUTEMBEI KARIUKI-Acumen Fund
Changing the way the world tackles poverty
Our mission is to create a world beyond poverty by investing in social enterprises, emerging leaders, and breakthrough ideas.
Our vision is that one day every human being will have
access to the critical goods and services they need – including affordable
health,
water,
housing,
energy,
agricultural
inputs and services – so that they can make decisions and choices for
themselves and unleash their full human potential. This is where dignity starts
– not just for the poor but for everyone on earth.
The Challenge
Tremendous wealth is being created in the world today thanks to
globalization and the power of technology and markets. Yet there is a
growing gap between rich and poor. Something must be done to extend the
benefits of the global economy to the majority of the world’s population
that lives on less than four dollars a day.
Why Charity Alone isn’t the Answer
Poor people seek dignity, not dependence. Traditional charity often
meets immediate needs but too often fails to enable people to solve
their own problems over the long term. Market-based approaches have the
potential to grow when charitable dollars run out, and they must be a
part of the solution to the big problem of poverty.
Why the Marketplace Alone isn’t the Answer
Very low-income people are too often invisible to businesses and
society. Businesses see no significant market opportunity and
governments view low-income areas as having insufficient tax revenues to
pay for basic services like clean water, healthcare, housing and
energy. Building new models that provide these critical services at
affordable price – in the face of high costs, poor distribution systems,
dispersed customers, limited financing options and, at times,
corruption – requires imaginative business solutions and partnerships
supported by investors willing to take on a risk/return profile that is
unacceptable to traditional financiers.
Changing the Development Paradigm
We believe that pioneering entrepreneurs will ultimately find the
solutions to poverty. The entrepreneurs Acumen Fund supports are focused
on offering critical services – water, health, housing, and energy – at
affordable prices to people earning less than four dollars a day.
The key is
patient capital.
We use philanthropic capital to make disciplined investments – loans or
equity, not grants – that yield both financial and social returns. Any
financial returns we receive are recycled into new investments. Over
time, we have refined the Acumen Fund investment model, built a
world-class global team with offices in four countries, and learned what
does and does not work in growing businesses that serve low-income
people.
GHALIB HAFIZ
About:Juhudi Kilimo
Juhudi Kilimo is changing the way farmers do business. We finance
targeted agricultural assets for smallholder farmers and rural
enterprises across Kenya. Operating exclusively in very rural areas, we
give smallholder farmers access to the tools they need to scale up and
succeed.
Our Mission
To provide market driven, wealth-creating financial services that
empower smallholder farmers and rural enterprises to create sustainable
agri-businesses and improve their livelihoods.
Our Vision
To reach 100,000 farmers by 2015 with superior financial services for agri-business.
Asset Financing and Insurance
Unlike traditional microfinance, which primarily provides loans for
working capital to informal businesses, Juhudi finances specific
agricultural assets that offer immediate and sustainable income for
farmers. The assets act as an alternative form of collateral in case of
default, reducing the farmers’ risk of greater poverty through
indebtedness, and assets are insured to protect clients from harsh
business losses. This comprehensive approach creates long-term gains in
productivity and local engines of economic growth.
Training and Technology
Juhudi maximizes the benefit of asset financing by providing both
technical assistance and business training. Prior to each loan, officers
visit the client’s farm to perform a business assessment and advise on
improvements. The first four meetings of a new group are then devoted to
training clients on basic finance and business. After a loan is
approved officers give continued support, working with partners and
local government ministries to offer targeted technical assistance on
assets. To best serve rural clients, Juhudi also uses mobile technology
to collect payments and feedback and reduce the burden on clients and
loan officers in these remote areas.
Solidarity Loan Groups
Juhudi’s clients support each other through solidarity loan groups,
and co-guarantee their loans. Led by client representatives, groups
function independently but with strong support and oversight from loan
officers. Loan groups serve as a central meeting place for farmers to
share ideas and encouragement, learn about new products and services,
and organize for access to better pricing and markets.
info@juhudikilimo.com
PATRICIA JUMI
Managing director and co-founder
Growth Africa
For contacts to GrowthAfrica
Email
info@growthafrica.com or
Call +254 20-2501777
or
Visit us at Cape Office Park, Ring Road
Kilimani,
Nairobi
