Understanding how to scale gender impact through fintech

Scale Series Expert Q&A with Katherine Owens, Head of Labs (R&D) at M-KOPA. Read our previous Q&A with with Ruby Nimkar, Principal at Greenhouse Capital. As part of a series of expert interviews, the Wheeler Institute’s Science of Scale research team interviewed experts including practitioners, policymakers and investors to understand practicalities and perspectives on scaling digital…

Scale Series Expert Q&A with Ruby Nimkar

Read our next Scale Series Expert Q&A with Katherine Owens, Head of Labs (R&D) at M-KOPA. As part of an on-going series, the Wheeler Institute’s DigitalxScale research team interviewed experts including practitioners, policymakers and investors to understand practicalities and perspectives on scaling digital technologies across Africa. In this interview with Ruby Nimkar, Principal at Greenhouse Capital, WIBD…

Is there a science to scale? Launch of the DigitalxScale website and report

Nearly 15 years ago, M-PESA launched as one of the world’s first mobile money payment systems – catalysing business growth and banking those otherwise excluded from formal financial institutions. Today more than 700 fintech companies operate across the African continent. Collectively, these fintech companies have created digital payment infrastructures that help businesses and individuals overcome…

Scale and fintech in Africa – some hard questions

Do we know how many African fintech companies have reached scale? Scale is often deemed a yardstick of success by investors, policy makers and practitioners. So it follows that we should be able to answer this question, right? However, this is not as simple as it may seem. There is established knowledge in academia on…

Wheeler Institute project team collaborates with Dharma Life to transform their model in response to COVID-19

You can see the last time we posted about this project was announcing the project here. COVID-19 has affected many people in many ways in 2020. Geric and I are very lucky that the biggest personal impact has been that our post MBA employment was delayed by six months. When this happened in May, I…

The Wheeler Institute engages in new research: Measuring the Impact of the COVID-19 on Rural Indian Households

Developing insights of life in rural India during and after COVID-19 This project will develop an observatory of life in rural India during and after the COVID-19 crisis; this involves collecting data from villagers about their health, livelihoods, information sources, and social interactions.   Utilising Dharma Life’s existing network, 1500 individuals across 7 states (Bihar,…