Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) 2009 Impact Report
This impact report discusses the progress made by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).
The ANDE network aims to catalyze the development of small and growing businesses (SGB) ecosystems in emerging markets. ANDE believes that energizing entrepreneurship in emerging markets will ensure lasting prosperity and that supporting SGBs will create decent paying jobs in the developing world. The paper states that SGBs face a series of challenges that hinder their ability to succeed. They include:
- Lack of skilled local managers;
- Lack of market knowledge to support export growth;
- Exorbitant interest rates and unreasonable collateral requirements of bank loans;
- Lack of venture capital to facilitate growth of new and expanding companies in poor regions;
- Perceived risk of SGB investing, which increases the cost of serving the market and leads to reduced competition among existing financial institutions.
The paper states that the commitment and innovation of ANDE members and other SGB sector organizations are not enough to overcome the sector’s hurdles. It recommends leveraging the collective expertise and assets of members to make progress in implementing market based approaches to poverty reduction. It also recommends developing strong networks to implement innovative solutions to entrepreneurs’ challenges.
