Latest News
Impact Investing: an interview with Harold Rosen of the Grassroots Business Fund (GBF)
The BidNetwork sources and selects business plans of small and medium sized enterprises in emerging markets. They offers tools to the best entrepreneurs, paving the way for them to access finance. Read their interview with GBF here and learn more about the behind the scenes of GBF’s investment process and the challenges of their sector.
01/26/12
GBF Partners with LGT Venture Philanthropy to Employ the iCats Program
The Grassroots Business Fund (GBF) announces that it will be partnering with LGT Venture Philanthropy (LGT VP) to employ their iCats Fellowship Program.
10/25/11
GBF at the Clinton Global Initiative:
The Grassroots Business Fund announced today at the closing plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) its 5-year commitment to provide sustainable economic opportunities to more than 20 million people living at the base of the economic pyramid by supporting more than 60 High Impact Businesses in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
09/22/2011
Innovations: Economic Empowerment Through Enterprise
Read GBF's article in the latest edition of Innovations. The journal is jointly hosted at George Mason University's School of Public Policy, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and MIT's Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.
09/05/2011
Akin Gump Partners With GBF to Expand Mobile Banking in Africa
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP recently advised its pro bono client the Grassroots Business Fund (GBF) on a deal that will help extend crucial mobile banking opportunities to sub-Saharan Africa.
07/12.2011
Scaling Technical Assistance: Regional Workshops for High Impact Businesses
There are budding networks where High Impact Businesses are coming together to develop tools, strategies, and best practices that can be applied to a wide variety of contexts across the developing world. Last month, the Grassroots Business Fund (GBF), an impact investing organization, hosted a two-day management training workshop in Nairobi, Kenya.
05/20/2012
Investing for Social Impact:
Harold Rosen explains a model aimed at plugging the financing gap that has impeded for-profit businesses set up with a social purpose
05/11/2011
GBF Featured in March 2011 Beyond Profit Magazine
GBF & Africa Investment Analyst Soha Ehsani were proud to be featured in Beyond Profit Magazine's March 24 issue, which highlights GBF's unique approach to impact investing, and its role as a GIIRS Pioneer Fund.
03/24/2011
Award Winning Approach to Combating Poverty:
GBF is pleased to announce a feature in the March 2011 issue of Upsides Magazine, a prominent finance and sustainable development publication. Read "Award Winning Approach to Combating Poverty" to learn more about GBF's role in the impact investing space, and plans for the future.
02/15/2011
Working for a World Where Economic Opportunity Reaches Everyone
About a year ago, the USAID Trade Hub welcomed the Grassroots Business Fund to its office in Accra, Ghana, a win-win partnership for both organizations...
01/05/2011
From Pilot Project to Tripling in Size in Three Years: Grassroots Business Fund Shows What Scale Means
Innovation abounds in the social capital market. The number of one-off proof of concept projects is increasing geometrically.
12/28/2011
PBS NewsHour Profiles GBF Portfolio Company Juhudi Kilimo
In Kenya, Generating Wealth - One Cow at a Time: With mainstream banks and microfinance organizations mainly helping business startups in urban Kenya, an organization called Juhudi Kilimo decided to focus on rural small-holder farmers.
12/27/2010
Need of the hour is knowledge and good human resource
GBF Executive Director Harold Rosen emphasizes strong management for scaling and strengthening of social businesses in India.
11/12/2010
G-20 Looks to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises for Economic Revival in Developing Countries
Economic Revival in Developing Countries: GBF Executive Director Harold Rosen looks to small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for economic revival in developing countries.
11/01/2010
GBF Wins G-20 SME Finance Challenge
In an unprecedented competition, GBF wins G-20 SME Finance Challenge. GBF’s proposal to establish the “East African Rural Enterprise Facility” will help create wealth, and provide jobs for up to 150 SMEs specializing in agribusiness.
10/01/2010
2010 GBF Annual Report
GBF is pleased to present its 2010 Annual Report! In FY10, GBF’s clients have moved markedly toward commercial sustainability and delivered over $15 million in value to more than 4.5 million people at the base of the pyramid.
10/01/2010
GBF Invests in Indonesian Angel Club
The Grassroots Business Fund is pleased to announce an investment to Sosial Enterprener Indonesia (SEI), a social capital fund focused on providing capital and technical assistance to small and medium social enterprises in Indonesia...
10/06/2010
Interview with Grassroots Business Fund's Social Impact Coordinator - Rafi Menachem
The IRIS team interviewed Rafi Menachem, Social Impact Coordinator at the Grassroots Business Fund, about his experiences using IRIS metrics to measure the social performance of their portfolio companies. Click here to read more...
09/24/2010
Grassroots Business Fund Expands International Presence to Kenya
The Grassroots Business Fund (GBF) has opened a new office in Kenya as a part of its ongoing global growth strategy. While GBF has been operative across the region for more than two years, the expansion intends to provide greater on-the-ground technical and financial assistance to high-impact businesses in region...
08/10/2010
GBF Announces New Partnerships
GBF is proud to announce new partnerships with several potentially high-impact businesses based in India that aim to provide sustainable economic opportunities to thousands of people at the base of the economic pyramid...
08/04/2010
GBF Celebrates Two Years of Operations
GBF Celebrates Two Years of Operations! Learn more about just a few of our accomplishments..
06/30/2010
GBF Meets With SAWIP Students
This week, GBF met with students from the South Africa-Washington Internship Program (SAWIP) to discuss GBF’s role in helping to create economic opportunity in the developing world...
06/21/2010
GBF Spring 2010 Newsletter
Spring Edition of the Grassroots Business Fund Newsletter
05/12/2010
GBF Selected as Pioneer Fund for New Rating System
The B Corporation selected GBF as one of a select few funds with which to test its new rating system, the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS).
04/26/2010
GBF investment featured on Canal N in Peru
Natalia Barantseva, the investment officer for Latin America at GBF and Juan Gonzalo Flores, Regional Director of the IFC join Canal N's business talk show "Rumbo Economico" to speak about their activities in Peru.
03/09/2010
GBF partners with UMich for export business study
The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and GBF are partnering in a 7 week long consulting project (MAP) focused on the challenges faced by small export focused producer groups and GBF’s Client Incubator Facility.
03/01/2010
