Earlier this year we took a group of philanthropists and partners to visit some of the social businesses in our portfolio in Uganda including Godson Commodities, Impact Water&Tugende. We also visited Kenya to see some of our pipeline companies. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet not only with the social entrepreneurs, but with the people whose lives have been changed with the products, services and higher incomes that the social businesses provide.
If I told you that the key to a greener city looked like a lego-style cubic car that could be assembled like IKEA furniture (well almost)… would you believe me? Whilst Elon Musk's view of the future is made up of bullet proof steel, the french startup, XYT is building a future built on inclusion, simplicity and functionality.
As consumers, we are constantly demanding more. We want faster delivery, logistics and services to our door. To satisfy this demand, there is a huge focus in the investing space on “last mile” - finding the cheapest and most efficient way to serve the furthest to reach places. The last mile is the most expensive and time-consuming part of the delivery process
The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes once famously noted that: “we have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less“. The act of listening as a means of truly understanding an entrepreneur is an important skill when it comes to tackling the challenges they face.