News Archive | Page 17 of 22 | Flourish Ventures

[Nikkei Asia] Ant Group and WhatsApp show the risks and upside of Big Tech finance

Originally posted on Nikkei Asia WhatsApp was finally cleared earlier this month to launch its long-awaited payment functionality in India. It is not hard to imagine the new service taking off rapidly when sending money is just a click away on an app with 400 million domestic users. This kind...

[Axios] Survey reveals pandemic's toll on gig workers

Originally posted on Axios More than two-thirds of gig workers have seen their incomes drop during the coronavirus pandemic, with almost a third cutting back on food as they struggle to cover expenses, according to new data from an industry survey shared exclusively with Axios. The big picture: The pandemic has...

ShopUp

Bangladeshi B2B Commerce Platform ShopUp Raises $22.5 Million Series A Financing Round

Dhaka, Bangladesh - 20 October 2020 - ShopUp, Bangladesh’s leading full-stack B2B commerce platform for neighborhood shops and online sellers, has raised a Series A round of $22.5 Million. This is the largest Series A round in Bangladesh and was co-led by Flourish Ventures and Sequoia Capital India, with additional...

[Forbes] Financial Health Still A Struggle For Many—More Financial Innovation Needed

Originally posted on Forbes Recent research highlights the ongoing struggle many Americans have when it comes to financial health—underscoring the need for more financial innovation to meet these needs. Venture investors, technology partners and government bodies need to work together to improve financial health for a broader percentage of the...

[Tech Collective SEA] The path to success for challenger banks in Southeast Asia

Originally published on Tech Collective SEA Challenger banks – digital only, mobile first, without costly branch network or cumbersome legacy IT – are all the rage in the region: Singapore is about to grant 5 new digital bank licenses, two of which are expected to be consumer banks. Hong Kong already...

[CNBC] Most Indian gig workers faced hardship during the pandemic, expert says

Among the Indian gig workers surveyed, those that were able to receive some form of government aid were “far more likely” to be hopeful for the future compared to those who did not, says Tilman Ehrbeck, managing partner at Flourish Ventures. Watch:

[CNBC] Most Indonesian gig workers were ‘ill-equipped’ against virus’ economic shock

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities within Indonesia’s gig economy, says Smita Aggarwal of Flourish Ventures, who calls for a greater focus on building these workers’ livelihood and financial resilience. Watch:

Igniting SDG Progress Through Digital Financial Inclusion

View the full article on Better Than Cash Alliance Are you a decision-maker in government, business, or civil society? We invite you to use this compendium to make digital financial inclusion a priority, whether it is allocating financing to build digital infrastructure, digitizing your payments, or passing regulations to ensure...

[The Jakarta Post] Insight: Hard Hit by COVID-19, Gig Workers Display Grit, Resilience

Originally published on The Jakarta Post on September 10, 2020 COVID-19 has put the resilience of Indonesian gig economy workers to the test. In a new survey, some speak of selling their belongings and burning through savings. Others say they can only afford one or two meals a day –...

Indonesian Gig Workers Impacted By COVID-19, Report Finds

Jakarta, Indonesia —September 9, 2020 — Flourish Ventures today released a new report examining how gig workers in the Indonesian informal economy – ridesharing drivers, online sellers, household services, and delivery workers – are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Most have been hit hard, with 86% of respondents reporting a...

[TechCrunch] This Labor Day, spare a thought for the workers who made your doorstep delivery possible

Originally posted on TechCrunch A few weeks ago, I bought a used paperback mystery for $3 via a small online bookseller. Intrigued that the book came with free shipping, I dug in a bit and was shocked to see that my little impulse purchase traveled through seven different distribution hubs...

[Business Day] Flourish Ventures sees mixed impact of COVID-19

By Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson Arjuna Costa is a Managing Partner, Flourish Ventures, a venture firm of the Omidyar Group, that invests in fintechs and entrepreneurs whose innovations help people achieve financial health. In this interview with Jumoke Akiyode- Lawanson, he talks about the effect of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s tech sector, the...