Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs

Report from recently held East Africa workshop now available: Toward an Ecosystem for Early Stage Incubation of Social Enterprises in East Africa

In December 2012, Open Capital Advisors, USAID, Acumen Fund, Rockefeller Foundation, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, and CARE facilitated a workshop in Nairobi. Stakeholders from across the early-stage enterprise ecosystem convened to identify & design high-leverage initiatives that could strengthen support for enterprises through development stages to achieve scale and build sustainably in order to provide broad solutions for large, disadvantaged populations.

The full report from the workshop is available for download here. The Executive Summary is available here.

ANDE's Executive Director, Randall Kempner, speaks at Growing SMEs in The Hague .
November 15th, 2012

Download Randall's presentation here.

Growing SMEs is an international conference (hosted by ANDE member BiD Network) exploring the latest trends in developing, growing and financing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets.
The conference brings together entrepreneurs and experts from emerging markets and the Netherlands in the topics of developing, growing and financing SMEs. Its aim is to facilitate knowledge exchange, networking and learning, hence further paving the way for SME development, which, in turn, leads to sustainable economic growth.

2012 ANDE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Conference Dates: September 26-28, 2012
Glen Cove, New York

In 2012, ANDE returned to Glen Cove for the annual member meeting. As with previous conferences, this gathering was highly interactive and practically focused. The agenda featured roundtable workshops focused on solutions to common challenges, structured and unstructured networking sessions, and participatory plenary sessions with leading thinkers in the entrepreneurship space.

In 2012, ANDE pledged $2 Million to propel small businesses in emerging markets. Recipients of these grants were announced at the conference.

Click here for more details regarding the successful proposals; click here to read the press release.

ANDE Research Initiative - 1st Request for Proposals

The 1st round ANDE Research Initiative Award recipients were announced at the 2012 Annual Conference. Please click here for full details of the winning proposals!

Through the generous support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, and the Multilateral Investment Fund at the Inter-American Development Bank, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is pleased to announce the ANDE Research Initiative, a new program that will support research on the impact of small and growing businesses (SGBs) on poverty.

ANDE Capacity Development Fund (CDF) - 4th Request for Proposals

The 4th round ANDE Capacity Development Fund recipients were announced at the 2012 Annual Conference. Please click here for full details of the winning proposals!

Through the generous support of the MasterCard Worldwide, the Lemelson Foundation, and Citi Foundation, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is pleased to announce the 4th RFP for its Capacity Development Fund. The goal of the CDF is to increase the productivity and effectiveness of ANDE members, while creating tools and insights that can help the SGB sector as a whole.

Argidius - ANDE Finance Challenge

The Argidius - ANDE Finance Challenge winners were announced at the 2012 Annual Conference. Please click here for full details of the winning proposals!

Open Date: March 27, 2012
Proposals Due: June 15, 2012
Round 1 Winners Announced: September 2012
Grand Prize Winner Announced: April 1, 2014

The Argidius-ANDE Finance Challenge (AAFC) is a new competition designed to support innovative ways to provide capital to small businesses in emerging markets which require $20,000-$250,000 in early stage capital.

For more information, click here.

2011 ANDE Impact Report

ANDE’s 2011 report on small and growing businesses (SGB) reveals progress and strides in building a new kind of investment community that is committed to both social and financial returns. The 2011 Impact Report is a one-of-a-kind publication offering data
on the current state of the SGB sector, the impact of ANDE’s members, and a comprehensive review of its work this past year. To read the full report, as well as the executive summary in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, click here.

Where in the world is ANDE? Check out the ANDE map to see where our members work.

ANDE is made up of leading organizations and initiatives from around the world, including the Bernard van Leer Foundation, a key supporter of ANDE's research initiative.