RESEARCH

Title: Analysis of Investor and Donor Demand for Opportunities to Support SGBs in the Developing World
Organizations: E+Co, Endeavor, IGNIA, Mercy Corps, ShoreBank, TechnoServe, VisionSpring, Hope Global Consulting
Outcomes:

• Surveyed 4000 Americans with incomes of $80,000+ from December 2009-April 2010, found a $120B untapped market opportunity for impact investments for individuals with over half for investments under $25,000
• Produced full report as well as special report focusing on the international opportunities

Title: Horizontal Aggregation of Capital to Global SGB Sector
Organizations: Santa Clara Social Benefit Incubator
Outcomes:

• Interviewed and surveyed over 45 impact investors to examine the potential of horizontal capital aggregation and suggest a model for syndication to trigger greater flow of increased capital to this sector
• Published full report

Title: Capacity Building in the SGB Sector
Organizations: E+Co, Grassroots Business Fund, Root Capital, Root Change, SEAF, SNV Netherlands Development Organization, TechnoServe, Velocitas Partners
Outcomes:

• Interviewed 40+ organizations to understand current practices and challenges around the provision of Technical Assistance, including services offered, current language used, funding sources, and methods of impact measurement
• Aggregated data collected to develop final summary document with findings and recommendations which have guided the re-launch of the ANDE Capacity Development Working Group

Title: Feasibility Assessment and Structuring of Africa Talent Fund
Organizations: D. Capital Partners of The Dalberg Group
Outcomes:

• Researched the feasibility of designing a dedicated pool of capital that could be used to stimulate high potential middle management and top management talent to take on senior-level positions in African small and growing businesses
• Conducted a market analysis of the SGB talent landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, completing almost 60 interviews, including a deep-dive with 14 SGB owners in West Africa
• In sum: Using investment capital as a tool to attract and retain top talent for SGBs can be an effective way to begin overcoming the capacity constraint; however, the structure and terms of a fund that seeks to deploy such capital needs to be carefully designed in order to ensure its ability to add value to a complex SGB financing marketplace.