Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 11, 2013

Six years ago, David and Donna Allman approached Opportunity with an idea that fell outside our traditional microfinance model: to build a Community Economic Development (CED) program in Nicaragua. On a recent trip, he briefed me on his business plan and on the school's operations with the maturity and confidence of a seasoned entrepreneur.

Microfinance 8

Microfinance Rogers Tourism Engineering 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 22, 2013

Shameran Abed, who runs BRAC's microfinance program, explains what happened: "In the first couple months, a lot of our borrowers would send the money through their mobile phones and then physically show up at the branch to check with the accountant that the money had turned up.". Immerse yourself in the details.

Technology 8

Technology Microfinance Banking Document 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 24, 2012

These hybrids pursue a social mission while engaging in commercial activities that generate revenues that help them sustain their operations. Frogtek and many other hybrids sell goods and services, and rely on revenues to sustain and scale their operations. Take, for example, the issue of economic development.

Entrepreneur 14

Entrepreneur Microfinance Market Segmentation Incubator 14

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

With valuable learnings from the solar salesmen, we began the search to build our own dedicated team of salespeople to help us “open up shop” across each region of operation. Experiment #5: Microfinance Institutions. Customers show up regularly to take out loans, arrange payments, and track their finances.

Marketing 8

Marketing Microfinance Retail Development 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 2, 2010

Upon graduation, the governments, nonprofits, or (more recently) microfinance companies give them loans to buy tools and opens shops. We developed a very cheap rechargeable lighting system and a model where a youth can operate a charging station using solar, grid, or human energy. Dropout rates are high; repayment rates are low.

Microfinance 12

Microfinance Seminar How To Education 12

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 21, 2013

One way to tell the story of mothers2mothers' growth is as follows: since 2001, the organization has expanded its operations to nine countries with an approximately $20 million operating budget. Successful examples of this approach are still rare; most people point to microfinance.

Venture Capitalist 9

Venture Capitalist Mentor Microfinance NGO 9

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 17, 2014

As the sector grows through this period of creative destruction, models that don’t work will die out, models that survive will attract copycats, operating costs will go down, and winners will rise to the top. We allowed microfinance and the venture capital industry the time and space to develop over a few decades.

Development 8

Development Microfinance Biotechnology Exit Strategy 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 20, 2012

This combination of higher margins and higher price points boosts the contribution — the amount of money that goes to covering fixed and operating costs — generated from every transaction. They also need to drive up the price point for a single transaction. Offer an enabling service.

Bottom-up 10

Bottom-up Microfinance Price Banking 10