Priya’s Talk Impact podcast
Gender Financing Gap in Asia by Priya Thachadi In this episode, Priya shares some key insights into the gender financing gap, and the challenges and barriers faced by women entrepreneurs. The post Covid-19 world is a tough landscape and women have been affected disproportionately. Priya also talks about WE Rise, a new initiative her team has designed to support women entrepreneurs in the Philippines. Tune in to find out more: Apple Spotify Stitcher Google podcasts Player FM For more episodes of Talk Impact, click here. (Published Sep 17, 2020)
What I learnt from mentoring rural entrepreneurs
Mentoring rural entrepreneurs has taught me how to hustle by Aditi Seshadri Last evening, I was talking to Sudesh Sharma from Hisar village in Haryana. Sudeshji had a question that many have been asking for the past year all over the world – Mujhe online classes karne hain, aap bata sakte hain main kaise karoon? (I want to run online classes, can you tell me how to do them?) For six months now, I’ve been a pro bono mentor with Internet Saathi Accelerator, an online accelerator for rural women entrepreneurs, run by women’s platform SHEROES, in partnership with Google’s Internet Saathi initiative. We are [...]
Edition 1: Unlock Answers
Impact sector professionals are some of the most anxious and lonely people in the world. Who can help me develop this product, what is the research available, how do I work on this budget, what are the compliances, the questions and doubts are endless... and we often try to figure it all out on our own. But what if you had someone to turn to, a friend and a mentor, who can give you expert advice and tips on just about any topic or issue you have? Starting 2018, Unlock Impact brings you 'Unlock Answers', a Q&A section and [...]
What to expect in 2018
Funding, areas of focus, impact and more By Priya Thachadi 2017 was a year that demonstrated that the human spirit is stronger than ever in the face of adversity. Nowhere did I see this more strongly than in social entrepreneurs working across geographies and sectors in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, I met entrepreneurs who had great products and exciting clients, but did not have the capital to buy machinery to generate volumes to match demand. In Cambodia, there were entrepreneurs who were looking to expand their market for organic produce but faced difficulties in pricing. In the Philippines, I [...]
What are the poor spending on?
World Consumption data reveals the incredible market opportunity at the BoP By Priya Thachadi There are around 4.5 billion poor living in 92 countries around the developing world who collectively spend more than USD 5 trillion a year, according to the World Consumption Data. The data reveals that the lower consumption segments spend more than the middle and higher consumption segments combined. They spend about USD 2.3 trillion a year on food and beverages alone, with USD 646 billion spent in South Asia and USD 926 billion in East Asia. The household spending data released by the World Bank [...]
Getting started with CSR fundraising
Engagement with corporates is moving beyond conventional funding initiatives By Chaarvi Badani Fundraising is the most important work of a start-up, apart from their actual mission itself. It probably feels like every employee’s full-time job despite their designations! In their quest for funding, most entrepreneurs look at traditional options such as seed funders, incubators, impact investors and venture capital firms. But today, let’s focus on the new kid in the block – corporates and their pool of funding from corporate social responsibility. The new Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility) Rules 2014 mandates that 2% of companies’ net profits should be [...]
Pitch perfect
* Getting ready to pitch your business to an investor? * Want to make the best possible impression while conveying all the relevant facts? * Keen to have an expert opinion on your pitch deck? At Unlock Impact, we have experience investing in and supporting startup entrepreneurs, as well as reviewing business models and pitches at business plan contests, and have spent years understanding and honing these requirements. In addition, we have also brought on expert advisors with experience in social entrepreneurship, investment and fundraising to help give you a 360-degree view on how to make the best pitch [...]
Understanding Inclusive Business
Why world leaders are promoting inclusive business as a way to tackle poverty By Priya Thachadi One of my top moments of 2016 was hearing Paul Polman deliver an inspiring speech in Singapore at the DBS NUS Social Venture Challenge Asia awards. Two key things he highlighted that are critical to the development agenda: First, the cost of not acting is higher than acting, it makes economic sense to address development challenges. Second, we have an unprecedented opportunity to work together and ‘finish the job now’ to eradicate poverty. To do that, we need businesses with purpose - from [...]
