Latest update on the $100 Laptop– Quanta, which is the Asian manufacturer making the $100 Laptops, has announced that it will be selling commercial versions of these $100 laptops for around $200 dollars in some parts of the developed world. They are going after the underprivileged markets in the developing world but I’m not sure… Continue reading $100 Laptop (OLPC) Updates- Will Be Sold By Manufacturer In Developed Countries As Well
Month: March 2007
Zaadz- Social Networking for Spiritual Changemakers
Zaadz, a social network for conscious capitalists , just received funding from John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. I have to admit that I’ve never heard of Zaadz until now but it looks like a promising community of like minded folks wanting to “change the world” Our Mission. We’re gonna change the world. Our math… Continue reading Zaadz- Social Networking for Spiritual Changemakers
Closing The Digital Divide With Portable Wifi
Here’s an innovative way that some people in India, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Paraguay are crossing the digital divide– by gaining online access through buses equipped with wifi which drive through several hard to reach villages a few times a day.. The buses and a fleet of motorcycles update their pages in cities before visiting the… Continue reading Closing The Digital Divide With Portable Wifi
Microfinance Startups On The Rise
Busy week but I just quickly wanted to link to two microfinance startups, both based in Germany. Smava One2Money Not sure what their angles are but it’s probably pretty similar to Zopa Related posts: Microfinance- Making A Big Difference In The Developing World- A Plug For Kiva Microfinance Venture Zopa Raises Another Round of Venture… Continue reading Microfinance Startups On The Rise
Everyclick.com – A UK-based Charity Search Engine
I’ve written extensively about charity affinity search engines. These are search engines that attract users because they give a portion of their revenues to charity. Another one just landed on my radar– Everyclick.com is a search engine that is powered by Ask.com for both their paid listings (advertisements) and normal search listings. everyclick allocates 50%… Continue reading Everyclick.com – A UK-based Charity Search Engine
Microfinance Venture Zopa Raises Another Round of Venture Capital Financing
I’ve written about Zopa before on this blog— it’s a microfinance venture based out of London that enables person-to-person lending. Zopa just announced today that they have raised $12.9 million dollars from several VC firms, including Bessemer, Benchmark, and Wellington Management. The extra money will be used to enter the US market. Zopa isn’t focusing… Continue reading Microfinance Venture Zopa Raises Another Round of Venture Capital Financing
Google Supplies Software To African Nations
Google made headlines today by announcing a deal to supply the Google Apps software packages for free to Rwanda and Kenya. East Africa is a region that lags behind in technology and human development so it’s a place where a little help goes a long way. Google Inc. has signed deals to supply software to… Continue reading Google Supplies Software To African Nations
It’s Hard To Give Away Money- Charity Advisors Multiply
I’ve been meaning to blog this for a while– Last week, the Wall Street Journal printed an article, “Paying Money To Donate Money (sub required),” which explores the emergence of charity advisors: Now that donors have more charities to choose from, as well as more financial instruments with which to give away their dollars, wealthy… Continue reading It’s Hard To Give Away Money- Charity Advisors Multiply
Acumen Fund In BusinessWeek
Check out this story in the current Businessweek on the Acumen Fund– Designing Change: How venture philanthropy fund Acumen uses design thinking to help solve real-world problems Here’s some text from an email by founder Jacqueline Novogratz: We wanted to share with you an article on Acumen Fund that just appeared in BusinessWeek’s “Inside Innovation  Continue reading Acumen Fund In BusinessWeek
Bank of America Launches $20 Billion Environmental Loan Program
Bank of America on Tuesday detailed a $20 billion initiative to address global climate change which entails loans, an Eco-friendly credit card, and investments in green buildings. The bulk of the money–$18 billion–is earmarked for lending to companies participating in “environmentally-sustainable products.” Specifically, the bank said that it will invest in low-carbon and energy efficiency… Continue reading Bank of America Launches $20 Billion Environmental Loan Program