Early on at the Sankalp Forum 2011 one of the 600-odd attendees told me that the event’s buzzword would likely be “ecosystem”. It turned out to be a  pretty apt observation. From the crowded hallways to the beanbags in the networking lounge, ecosystem creation was certainly on people’s minds.

The event kicked off with Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Innovation Council, video-conferencing in from Chicago and continued to include panels about scale, impact investing, government and each of the five Sankalp sectors: education; technology for development; health, water and sanitation; clean energy and agriculture, food and rural business. » Continue reading “Sankalp Forum: Building the Socent Ecosystem”

This story originally appeared in our February 24, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

A sector of affordable private schools is emerging in the developing world. But how can investors take part?

The affordable private school movement—made up of private schools where monthly student fees are less than US$12 (INR600)—is gaining momentum worldwide and providing low-income families the ability to choose where to send their children to school.

“Our experience has been that the low-income families are very concerned about the education of their children,” said Debasish Mitter, the Portfolio Director of education in India for the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. “These families are making the choice to send their kids to low-cost private schools.” » Continue reading “Private Education for the Poor”

This story originally appeared in our December 3, 2010 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

In the first issue of Beyond Profit, published in April 2009, we wrote about the emergence of the impact investing industry, which facilitates investments that create a positive social impact beyond financial return. Earlier this week, a report by J.P. Morgan and the Rockefeller Foundation declared impact investment a new asset class—a remarkable development in the lifecycle of this industry. What does it mean for social enterprise? Lindsay Clinton analyzes the current landscape.

On November 29, J.P. Morgan and the Rockefeller Foundation released a report that will likely serve as a turning point in the development of impact investing. The report, which assesses expected and realized returns of more than 1,000 impact investments, estimates that the industry presents an investment opportunity between US$400bn and US$1 trillion with profit potential between US$183bn and US$667bn. Importantly, the report declares impact investment an asset class which provides a strong indicator to investors who may have shied away from social investing in the past to reconsider this emerging investment category. » Continue reading “Impact Investing: Challenges and Opportunities”

This story originally appeared in our December 3, 2010 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Can market-based solutions help the poor? The growing crop of impact investment firms across the globe point to “yes.”

Gray Ghost Ventures

The Atlanta-based Gray Ghost Ventures (GGV) is an impact investment firm that has committed more than US$100m to entrepreneurs tackling the needs of low-income communities in emerging markets, with significant focus on India. The firm wears many hats from investor to partner to funder to manager. The focus of GGV’s work is on microfinance, social venture investment, and affordable private schools. Examples of successful investments are D. Light, United Villages, and 2i Capital. Since 2003, GGV has established the Gray Ghost Microfinance Fund, the Gray Ghost DOEN Cooperatief, First Light Ventures, and Gray Matters Capital. » Continue reading “In Profile: 5 Investors Making Social Impact in India”