Financial power isn't about how much money you have. It's about how much say you get over what happens to it. Most founders have neither. #entrepreneurialecosystems #economicdevelopment #womenentrepreneurs #emergingmarkets #impactinvestment

The data on governance aid shows something uncomfortable: the money that works is the money that gets closest to the people it's meant for. Distance is the enemy. #entrepreneurialecosystems #globaldev #impactinvestment #economicdevelopment #emergingmarkets

An economic rule stays broken long after everyone agrees it is broken. Not because nobody knows — because the people who benefit from the rule are not the people who suffer from it. #entrepreneurialecosystems #globaldev #emergingmarkets #economicdevelopment #impactinvestment

Where does money leak in delivery? Not in the big line items. In the small ones — the fees, the delays, the requirements that look like accountability but function as friction. #entrepreneurialecosystems #globaldev #economicdevelopment #impactinvestment #emergingmarkets

ODA to least developed countries fell 1.5% in 2024. The countries that need it most are getting less. Meanwhile the MSME finance gap grew to $5.7T. #entrepreneurialecosystems #globaldev #emergingmarkets #economicdevelopment #impactinvestment

A term sheet doesn't look at the business. It looks at the founder's network, their school, their zip code. The best businesses don't always get funded. The best-connected ones do. #entrepreneurialecosystems #founders #impactinvestment #emergingmarkets #economicdevelopment

If you paid for the invisible work — the care, the cooking, the holding-it-all-together — how much would it be? The economy runs on it and prices none of it. #entrepreneurialecosystems #womenentrepreneurs #socialimpact #economicdevelopment #globaldev

A woman with a stronger business gets less money. The appraisal gap isn't about the business — it's about who the system was built to recognize. #entrepreneurialecosystems #womenfounders #impactinvestment #economicdevelopment #emergingmarkets

Women entrepreneurs are about half as likely as men to report having borrowed from a bank. It's not a difference in creditworthiness — it's a difference in what the scoring model can see. #entrepreneurialecosystems #womenfounders #womenentrepreneurs #emergingmarkets #impactinvestment

Aid fell 6.0% in 2024 — the first decline after five years of growth. When official capital pulls back, it's founders in emerging markets who feel it first. #entrepreneurialecosystems #globaldev #emergingmarkets #economicdevelopment #impactinvestment

Concession capital is cheap money with expensive terms. It asks for patience, and patience has a cost. Founders need to know what they're trading before they sign. #entrepreneurialecosystems #impactinvestment #economicdevelopment #emergingmarkets #founders

Bootstrapping beats VC for most small businesses. Not because founders don't want growth — because the terms of VC money don't fit the businesses they're building. #entrepreneurialecosystems #founders #impactinvestment #economicdevelopment #emergingmarkets

A founder in Sierra Leone asks for a loan. The model sees no collateral, no credit history, no proximity to money. It says no. The model isn't wrong about the data — it's wrong about what the data means. #entrepreneurialecosystems #founders #emergingmarkets #economicdevelopment #impactinvestment

LDCs receive 2.4% of global FDI — home to 14% of the world's population. It's not an accident — it's what a scoring system sees when it was never designed to look at these founders. #entrepreneurialecosystems #emergingmarkets #globaldev #impactinvestment #founders