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CHICAGO, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Opportunity International, a leading global nonprofit, today announced the successful completion of its three-year Waymaker Campaign, raising $101 million of philanthropic capital that will leverage over $1 billion in social impact funding from local banks and financial institutions to provide loans, investments and wraparound services to 25 million people living in endemic poverty so they can build their incomes and educate their children. Opportunity launched the Waymaker campaign in January 2020 with the goal of raising $100 million to provide $1 billion in loans, investments, training and support to equip families and smallholder farmers living in poverty in 30 countries in the global South with the capital and the skills they need to get jobs, start businesses, improve their farms, build low-cost schools and increase their incomes. The organization’s focus is on reaching high-need groups like women, girls and people living in extreme poverty. "The successful culmination of this campaign during a period of economic uncertainty, global conflicts and a global pandemic is a testament to the passion of our donors and supporters for giving some of the most vulnerable people on the planet a hand-up to build incomes, feed their families, educate […]

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Building a freemium product or service is only the first step . Once you’ve done the work to build and launch a freemium product, you will have to collect initial market reactions and see how the funnel behaves at each touch point. You will then have to decide whether to optimize the freemium experience, keep it the way it is currently or remove the funnel altogether. Each funnel has a set of metrics: Acquisition. Activation. Retention and engagement. Monetization. Expansion. There are many ways to improve each step so you must consciously reevaluate your strategy to avoid over-investing. There may be situations where unit economics are not yet working, but the increase in conversion required to break even is very small. You may learn that new users find it difficult to activate and move to a paid tier. Or you may find that your users are excited about the free tier and see no reason to upgrade. What to optimize? Enabling freemium, especially for established products, can bring organizational and operational challenges even if it adds value to the business. As described above, you need to analyze how your freemium funnel performs to understand where the biggest problems are. […]

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NUZEST-USA Wins Recognition for the Best New Product Line Opportunity NUZEST- USA , a fast-growing and innovative provider of clean, lean, plant-based protein powders, mixes, and snack bars, is rated one of the market’s best brands by discerning customers… especially those consumers suffering from allergies, food sensitivities and immune system issues. This brand is worth serious consideration. NEW YORK , Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — NUZEST – USA has been recognized by Retailer News Network for offering the best new product opportunity in the plant-based protein dietary supplement and snack market. The company’s products are ethically sourced, vegan-friendly and better-tasting (according to many satisfied customers) than those of their competitors, many of which are larger, and better-known brands fighting for an increased revenue share in this very competitive and fast-growing market segment. NUZEST is the superior brand in virtually every important aspect, and is on an impressive trajectory. [ read complete release ] The protein supplement and specialty snack market, which includes a growing proportion of plant-based products, is currently estimated to be $25.6 billion . At a compound annual growth rate of close to 10%, it is expected to reach or exceed $41.23 billion by 2028. As general […]

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Telisha Woodfin (left) is one of several Richmond-based business owners working with Elsie Harper-Anderson, Ph.D., an associate professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, (right) on how to address the challenges she faces as a business owner. (Photo by David Slipher, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU) Elsie Harper-Anderson, an associate professor in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, is advancing Richmond as a national model for entrepreneurial study and investment. L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs When Elsie Harper-Anderson , Ph.D., thinks about the economics of equitable entrepreneurship, her focus extends beyond economic statistics on equality in urban labor markets.She’s recognized a growing need to reach beyond the numbers and uplift voices by capturing a new type of data — the intersection of the everyday lived experience and the journey of entrepreneurship. What are their day-to-day lives like? What are the unique factors impacting their success? What are their perceptions and concerns within the local business environment? These questions are leading Harper-Anderson, an associate professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, down an uncharted […]

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Lari Bat By Bill Zox, CFA and John McClain, CFA Investor obsession with peaks—peak inflation, peak hawkishness, peak bearishness—has shifted to pivots, in particular, a possible Federal Reserve (FED) pivot away from its aggressive rate hikes over the last year. We see that pivot as a three-stage process: downshift, pause, and then rate cuts. The downshift began in December when the Fed hiked 50 basis points after four consecutive 75-basis point hikes. As we write this article, financial markets are discounting 2 to 3 additional 25-basis point hikes during the first half of the year and then a pause. The Fed seems comfortable with this pricing. However, financial markets also are discounting a shift to 50 basis points of rate cuts in the second half of the year and another 100 to 125 basis points of cuts in 2024. The Fed has done nothing to validate the discounting of these rate cuts. Immaculate Disinflation with Rate Cuts Financial markets seem to be placing a higher probability on what some are calling an “immaculate disinflation.” This phrase describes a return of inflation to around 2% over the next year, accompanied by a soft economic landing or perhaps a mild recession […]

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United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): FY22 Ensuring Freedom of Expression for Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations Responding to Anti-Rights Efforts and Targeted Attacks This is the announcement of funding opportunity number SFOP0009384 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.345 Type of Solicitation: Open Solicitation Application Deadline: 11:59 PM ET on April 5, 2023 Funding Floor: $750,000 Funding Ceiling: $750,000 Anticipated Number of Awards: 1-2 Type of Award : Grant or Cooperative Agreement Period of Performance (example 12-18 months, 2 -5 years): 12-24 months Anticipated Time to Award (pending availability of funds): 2-8 months A. Project Description The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) invites civil society organizations (CSOs) to submit applications for projects that have the goal to promote and protect Freedom of Expression (FoE) for vulnerable or marginalized populations. The focus should include women and girls in all their diversity; LGBTQI+ persons, transgender or gender-diverse persons in particular; migrants; members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities, religious minority group members; and others targeted by anti-rights actors. These actors deploy targeted threats and instrumentalized stigma against such groups in order […]

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New Homeownership Pilot Program in Corridors of Opportunity Provides Up to $80,000 in Assistance A new homeownership pilot program from the City of Charlotte will provide up to $80,000 in assistance for eligible residents purchasing a home in "areas of influence" within the Corridors of Opportunity. House Charlotte Plus offers an additional layer of financial assistance to the existing House Charlotte homeownership program . Through this new pilot program, an eligible resident can receive an additional $50,000 as a 0% interest deferred loan. House Charlotte Plus must be used in conjunction with House Charlotte, which currently offers up to $30,000. Together, an eligible homebuyer could receive up to $80,000 in assistance through these two programs. As part of the $60 million in current and planned investments renewing the city’s commitment in the Corridors of Opportunity , House Charlotte Plus is only available in designated areas inside the Corridors of Opportunity known as areas of influence . To be eligible for House Charlotte Plus, a homebuyer’s income must be 80% of the area median income (AMI) or less. The maximum purchase price is $300,000 for existing homes, and $315,000 for new construction. The entire loan balance must be repaid if […]

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Clark Atlanta University School of Business Administration is celebrating 75 Years. In January, Clark Atlanta University joined Howard University, Hampton University, Morehouse College and Morgan State University as participants in the Bloomberg Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) trading challenge event. This event was a virtual investment competition that took place entirely onthe Bloomberg Terminal. Dr. John Young, an Associate Profession of Finance at the Clark Atlanta University Business School, led students through the challenge. I asked Dr. Young to explain what the “Bloomberg” terminal did and how it worked. He spoke about live data to make Wall Street trades. Using an entity’s “ESG” rating, students were given funds to build a portfolio. The program took place over a six-week period. The student who grew their portfolio the most over the period won. Darrin Stephens, a CAU Business School student, won with a profit of 29%. Young went on the explain that the securities class used the challenge of understanding fo using financial skills to create financial independence. While the challenge involved business school students, Young shared that at Clark Atlanta University, “personal finance” is taught across all curriculums. During Smart Money Week, all students will be involved in an […]

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AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Aiken County business owner is working to give back to two local non-profits by selling a special t-shirt. The funds benefit Aiken Equine Rescue and Mental Health America. The owner of White Rose Eclectics chose the charities after seeing the impact the pandemic had on mental health, and the love she has for horses. She’s hopeful the fundraiser helps get the word out about these two charities. Martha Wise, owner of White Rose Eclectics, says, “It’s just such a giving town and there’s so many wonderful non-profits here its hard not to give back. It really kind of goes hand in hand people helping horses and horses helping people.” 100 percent of those profits made from the shirts are split evenly between the two charities. Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

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MSTR Earnings Outlook SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images MicroStrategy MSTR +9% , the bitcoin investment vehicle attached to a business-software company, is likely to report its first quarterly profit in two years in results expected this afternoon as its business improves and the value of its crypto hoard rises. Steady progress in its business-analytics division, which is seeking to transition customers to recurring, internet-based subscriptions–known as the software-as-a-service model–from on-premise licensed programs, should give a lift to results, according to Joe Vafi, a managing director at Canaccord Genuity. Although the business is relatively mature, it is “very sticky with good margins,” he adds. Even though Q4 revenue is expected to fall about 3% to $130 million, according to consensus data compiled by FactSet, the company is on track to report net income of $10.7 million after losing $90 million a year earlier. The last time it eked out a profit was the final quarter of 2020, when it earned $2.7 million. On the adjusted basis used by Wall Street analysts, MicroStrategy is expected to earn 98.3 cents a share, Bloomberg data show. As far as investors are concerned, the software business plays second fiddle to the company’s bitcoin strategy, […]

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