Colombia

Growing SMEs - Latin America

Growing SMEs is a premium annual get-together for SME practitioners in Latin America. High growth SMEs, funds, banks, angel investors, and members of the public and academic sector will gather in Bogotá on September 22nd and 23rd to do business and exchange ideas about how to further stimulate the growth of Latin American SMEs.

Parallel to this event there will be a "BiD Network Marketplace" where we will present our projects and where private "Matchmaking New Ventures Meetings" are organized for targeted investors and entrepreneurs.

Go to growingsmes.org/en and register for this international event where you will Connect, Exchange and Invest.

IndieGoGo

IndieGoGo offers anyone with an idea - creative, cause-related, or entrepreneurial - the tools to effectively build a campaign and raise money.

Designed to meet your funding needs, anyone can start raising money immediately on IndieGoGo. Offer unique perks or tax deductions to your contributors in lieu of offering profit, but always keep 100% ownership. Each campaign has the opportunity to be featured on our homepage, placed in the press, or exposed via social media.

Who can use IndieGoGo?
IndieGoGo is open for anyone to use, with any type of campaign - creative, cause-related, or entrepreneurial.

Where is IndieGoGo located?
IndieGoGo is based in the United States, but we have members in 189 countries and counting. You can post and fund a campaign from any country as long as you have a valid bank account or credit card.

CROWDSOURCED FUNDING

http://www.kickstarter.com/

http://www.fundable.com/

http://www.chipin.com/

http://openaction.org

TIC Americas

TIC Americas 2010/Peru 2010

TIC Americas 2010/Peru 2010, an international business competition offers new opportunities for young people in the Americas and Peru , where the Finals will be held, to create and allow their business idea to grow. Young entrepreneurs under the age of thirty-six can register their team and submit their concept paper until March 1 to participate in the 2010 Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas (TIC Americas ), the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) has announced. Teams that wish to participate in TIC Americas 2010 can register and submit their concept papers until March 1, 2010 at www.ticamericas.net

Innovate!2010 global competition

Come be part of Guidewire Group’s Innovate!2010 global competition to identify and promote up-and-coming technology and media startups. Guidewire Group is looking for early-stage companies that have what it takes to be named one of the world’s most promising startups.The top 100 companies will be featured in a prestigious list known as the Innovate!100 – and the best of the best will receive a share of prizes valued at nearly $250,000. In addition, every startup that applies will receive promotional exposure and free training designed to improve their chances of success.

New Series on Social Entrepreneurs

BBC World News will be launching an 8-part series on social entrepreneurs around the globe. Alvin’s Guide to Good Business will follow financial expert Alvin Hall as he visits a different social entrepreneur each week. He’ll look at business models, impact, and the challenges of scaling. Featured organizations include Riders for Health, IDE-India, Marine Stewardship Council, Apopo, Partners in Health, Friends International, Camfed and Kiva. The Skoll Foundation partnered with RockhopperTV on the series.

Pepsi Refresh Project

Pepsi is looking for people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact to apply for Pepsi Refresh Project grants. They will give away up to 32 grants totaling $1.3 million every month to the individuals or groups that receive the most votes by members of the public.

Social Venture Funding Groups

Acumen Fund http://www.acumenfund.org/
BigOnline http://www.bigdatabase.ca/
BigIssue http://www.biginvest.co.uk/
Bridges Community Ventures http://www.bridgesventures.com/
Bridgespan Group
Cadiz http://cadiz.socialinvestmentreport.co.za/
Calvert Foundation http://www.calvertfoundation.org
CAPE Fund http://capefund.ca/
Catalyst Microfinance http://www.catalyst-microfinance.com/
Civic Ventures http://www.civicventures.org
Coast Capital Savings Credit Union www.coastcapitalsavings.com/Community
Draper Richards Foundation http://www.draperrichards.org/
DreamNow http://www.dreamnow.org/
E+Co http://www.eandco.net/
Echo In Green http://www.echoinggreen.org
Edmonton Social Enterprise Fund http://socialenterprisefund.ca/
Face The World Foundation http://www.facetheworldfoundation.com
Generation Foundation http://www.generationim.com/
Genus Capital http://www.genuscap.com/
Good Capital http://www.goodcap.net
Grameen Foundation http://www.grameenfoundation.org
GTech Strategies http://gtechstrategies.org/
Investing For Good http://www.investingforgood.co.uk/
Investeco http://www.investeco.com/
Launchpad http://launchpad.youngfoundation.org/
Metcalf Foundation http://www.metcalffoundation.com/
Natural Investments http://www.naturalinvesting.com
Nesta
Network for Social Change http://www.thenetworkforsocialchange.org.uk/
Network Hub http://www.thenetworkhub.ca
Omidyar Network http://www.omidyar.com/
Renewal Partners http://www.renewalpartners.com/
Rockefeller Foundation
http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/what-we-do/current-work/helping-...
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs
http://www.schwabfound.org/sf/index.htm
Seachange Capital http://www.seachangecap.org
Shuttleworth Foundation http://www.shuttleworthfoundation.org
Skoll Foundation http://www.skollfoundation.org/
Social Capital Partners http://www.socialcapitalpartners.ca
Social Enterprise Fund http://socialenterprisefund.ca/
Social Finance http://www.socialfinance.org.uk/
Social Innovation Fund
http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/serveamerica/innovation.asp
Social Investment Organization http://socialinvestment.ca/
Springbank Social Capital Advisors http://www.springbanc.com/
The Funding Network http://www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk/
Toronto Enterprise Fund http://www.torontoenterprisefund.ca/
UnLtd http://www.unltd.org.uk/
Vancity Community Foundation
https://www.vancity.com/AboutUs/OurBusiness/Subsidiaries/VancityCommu...
Vancouver Foundation http://www.vancouverfoundation.bc.ca/
VentureSome
Volans http://www.volans.com/
W Media Venture
Western Economic Diversification Fund
Young Foundation http://www.youngfoundation.org.uk/
Zero Divide http://www.zerodivide.org/

Nokia’s Growth Economy Venture Challenge

Nokia is seeking an idea that is worth a $1 million (USD) investment. At CES last week in Las Vegas, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo announced the Growth Economy Venture Challenge to encourage innovators and entrepreneurs to create a mobile product or service that raises the standard of living or enhances the lives of those in growth economies worldwide. Ten finalists will be invited to present their ideas and business models to a panel of Nokia business people and private venture capitalists. The innovators may receive business guidance and possibly other funding from participating venture capitalists. Submissions for the Growth Economy Venture Challenge are being accepted now, and the deadline for all submissions is 18 April. The winning organization will be announced in June and will receive a $1 million Nokia investment.

Unreasonable Institute Finalist Marketplace

Good Practice for Establishment of Sustainable IT Parks

infoDev, in cooperation with the World Bank Group, commissioned a global best practice study on IT Parks. The study provides a synthesis of best practices and lessons learned (both from success and failure) and supports governments in developing and transition economies in designing and promoting such projects.

Forum Nokia Calling All Innovators Competition

You could win $25,000, opportunities to promote and distribute to mobile consumers worldwide, and a showcase for your application at next year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The Forum Nokia Calling All Innovators competition is open to all mobile developers worldwide; the deadline for submissions is 15 December 2008. To enter, submit your application in one of three categories:

ECO-Challenge: Make a difference with applications that reduce environmental impacts and offer sustainable choices. Eligible applications include charger reminders, mobile learning applications, navigation information, recycling tips, and more.

Emerging Markets Challenge: Imagine the possibilities for the next billion mobile users. These applications open new opportunities for developers to pioneer and monetize services in developing nations. These applications include health data access, rural agricultural solutions, and education.

Technology Showcase: Here is the place to introduce your killer app to the world. If it runs on either S60 or Series 40 devices, then you should submit it, whether it is a game, enterprise solution, Web-based widget, or just a really cool application that enhances the user experience.

FloDesign Wind Turbine

The entrepreneur success gap among different races

Education, prior work experience and financial backing are crucial factors in the success of entrepreneurs, according to a new book by Robert W. Fairlie and Alicia M. Robb and funded in part by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The book examines why Asian American-owned businesses do well in comparison to white-owned businesses, and African American-owned firms do poorly in relation to both. The book also explores the broader question of why some small businesses succeed and others fail.

According to Race and Entrepreneurial Success: Black-, Asian-, and White-Owned Businesses in the United States, the most significant factors contributing to a firm's level of success are its startup capital and the owner's education level and business experience. The book, which was recently released by MIT Press, provides a new comprehensive analysis of Census Bureau data that are rarely seen by the public.

Financing Technology Enterprises in the Developing World

In developing countries, SMEs have great difficulty in obtaining the necessary financial resources to effectively scale up and grow their businesses. For SMEs competing in the ICT industry and ICT-enabled (ICTE) activities, the challenge of accessing growth capital is particularly acute. In the ICT/ICTE sector, industry specific aspects often limit the access to finance such as the high-tech nature of the business, which magnifies the informational asymmetries, or the intangible nature of assets that can be leveraged as collateral for loans.

This report, "Financing Technology Entrepreneurs & SMEs in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities" by infoDev, traces the nature, extent, and root causes of the financing gap that plagues SMEs in the ICT/ICTE industry in developing countries. Results from this study confirm the existence of a financing gap, in the sense that seemingly well deserving ICT/ICTE operators have limited or no access to external financing when the stage of development of firms, the particular features of the various sub-sectors, and the conditions prevailing in different countries are taken into account.

Mobile Games Innovation Challenge

Nokia Publishing invites you to take part in the Mobile Games innovation Challenge for developers.

They are looking for the best, most ground breaking concepts from the brightest and most creative minds in our industry. This is your chance to shock the mobile gaming world and possibly have your game concept published by Nokia.

Submitting your concept is easy: No code is needed, just a concept description and visualization. Visit insider.n-gage.com/innovation for more information.

The Next Billion Network

MIT has launched a Next Billion Network to deploy innovative mobile technologies that can help people reduce friction in their local markets from the bottom up.

The Next Billion Network is based at the MIT Media Lab and will comprise 6 core activities:

1. Year-Round Academic Coursework at MIT
2. Next Billion Challenge Awards
3. On-the-Ground Deployments with Local Partners
4. Working Relationships with Industry
5. Local Mobile Programming Incubators
6. Opportunities for High-Tech Entrepreneurship

Seedcamp 2008

Seedcamp is an intensive week long event held in September in London targeted at young entrepreneurs from across EMEA. Seedcamp is open to entries worldwide, from the largest megalopolises to the smallest rural hamlets. Seedcamp looks for ideas and businesses with global potential. You can of course start out focusing on a particular region but if that's where your plan ends it may not be right for Seedcamp.

The deadline for submission to Seedcamp 2008 is 23:59, Sunday August 10th.