This story originally appeared in our June 30th, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to download the pdf e-magazine.

When someone says Latin America, the first thing that comes to mind likely to be Carnivale in Rio, cocoa, coffee, Machu  Pichu, may be even the infamous late Pablo Escobar.

Which is why we decided to devote this issue to things that Latin America is not exactly famous for, but is in great need of – social enterprise. Indeed, while most of the world is looking to Africa and Asia for the latest developments in that industry, Latin America is taking small but significant steps towards building institutions to buttress that industry.

In the cover story, Abby Callard looks at what is going on in the socent space, and how a few companies are making a difference, including one that has developed a mobile phone application that allows small shopkeepers to track their inventory, one that uses bamboo to build resilient structures for schools and living quarters, particularly in areas affected by natural disasters.  Additionally, there are institutions – including a state-run one – that are helping social enterprises acquire the skills and funding to run their businesses.

But social enterprises can’t grow until they have an environment that is conducive, and our Top 5 section lists the easiest countries in Latin America to start and run a business, while noting the challenges as well.

» Continue reading “Focus on Latin America”

This story originally appeared in our June 30th, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to download the pdf e-magazine.

While most of the social enterprise and impact investing spotlight remains on Africa and South Asia, Latin America is making its own strides to develop a solid foundation in the industry.

While the term social enterprise seems to be picking up steam worldwide, much of the focus remains on Africa and South Asia.

There are many reasons for that, says Mark Hand, an investment analyst with First Light at Grey Ghost Ventures. The language barrier, cultural and political differences all play a part in why Latin America has been slower to attract attention than others. “What we’ve seen in the impact investing space, especially the kind of venture funding circles that we swirl around in, is that people overlook Latin America,” he said.

William Portilla, a senior loan officer with Root Capital – which has operations in Latin America and Africa – says that developed countries have a “stronger strategic political interest” in Africa and South Asia than they do in Latin America.

“The money that is most commercially minded is most drawn to India. The money that is most charity minded is most drawn to Africa,” he said. “In that spectrum, that leaves few people that are operating in Latin America.” » Continue reading “Latin America’s socents: poised for flight”

This story originally appeared in our June 30th, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to download the pdf e-magazine.

For the first time in 2011, the Latin America region topped the Grant Thornton International Business Report on business optimism.

Latin America topped the business optimism chart on the 2011 Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) with +70%, a statistic that is significant when compared to the score of other regions – +50% in Asia Pacific, +26% in North America and a mere +22% in Europe.

The annual IBR report, which surveys 11,000 businesses in 39 economies, measures the percentage balance of businesses that indicated optimism against those that indicated pessimism in a survey. The highest score a country can receive is +100%; the lowest, -100%. » Continue reading “Latin American business outlook”