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Runa Steers Towards Natural Energy, Away from Tea
Nothing drives impact like dollars. It’s a simple idea, but, for Runa, it represents the seed of an entirely new business-focused outlook.
The Brooklyn-based company, founded in 2009 by college roommates Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie, produces ready-to-drink iced teas and energy drinks made with guayusa, a plant traditionally used as a natural source of caffeine by indigenous groups in South America. Through its vertically aligned supply chain— in which it sources organic crops from Fair Trade Certified partner farms in Ecuador— Runa has made ethical business practices and sustainable farming a key part of its identity.- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Latin America
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Press release: IIX Supports India-based ERC Eye Care in Securing US$1 Million Investment
ERC Eye Care (ERC), an impact enterprise that delivers accessible, affordable and inclusive eye care to low-income persons in Northeast India, has raised a US$1 million pre-Series A round. A consortium of five investors was brought together by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), led by existing investors Ankur Capital and Ennovent. Amongst the round’s investors was a strategic investment from the North East Development Finance Initiative (NEDFi), a Government of India initiative making its first impact-focused investment. Two international investors from Japan and Europe also participated in the consortium.
- Categories
- Health Care, Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
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Does Rwanda need a law on social enterprises?
People running social enterprises in Rwanda are increasingly concerned that there is no law governing social enterprises in the country which could have provided tax exemptions for their companies.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Key Strategies for ‘Social Startup Success’: A Q&A with Spark Co-founder Kathleen Kelly Janus
The nonprofit funding wall is real, says Kathleen Kelly Janus, leaving two-thirds of U.S. nonprofits at $500,000 and below in revenue. In “Social Startup Success: How the Best Nonprofits Launch, Scale Up and Make a Difference,” she explores how some social ventures are able to break through and scale, and shares lessons that are relevant to both nonprofit and for-profit enterprises. NextBillion editor Sonya Vann DeLoach discusses the book’s message with the author in this thought-provoking Q&A.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Seeing Beyond Silos: A More Holistic Approach to Supporting Social Entrepreneurs
If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes an entire ecosystem to shepherd a social enterprise from inception to scale. But that ecosystem too often is splintered with investors, accelerators and other advisors sorting themselves into silos. Alex Pan and Mark Correnti, with the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, advocate for a "structured collaboration," with accelerators taking the lead as honest brokers.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Citi Foundation and UP Foundation join to strengthen social entrepreneurship in the Philippines
The landmark program aims to develop certificate courses to help build and enhance capacities of practitioners in micro and small enterprise development in Central Luzon.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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This Social Entrepreneur is Creating Employment in Underserved Areas
Started in 2014, the non-profit body focuses on youth and women from ages 18-25 in the most rural parts of the world. The initiative builds conscious enterprises and undertakes income enhancement initiatives for indigenous and underprivileged communities by engaging urban leaders and start-ups.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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Press release: Ulula Raises $1 Million in Seed Funding to Improve Labor Conditions in Global Supply Chains
Ulula, a software and analytics platform that equips companies with tools to monitor human rights risks, announced today it raised $1 million in private seed funding to expand its mobile platform that enables organizations to engage workers directly, in real time, across global supply chains.
- Categories
- Technology
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