Markaaz partner – The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs – Markaaz

Markaaz wants to change the world by helping small businesses reach their full potential through research, education, and resources built on 3 pillars:  Inclusion, Digital Transformation, and Access to Equal Opportunities. 

To help with our mission, Markaaz has partnered with The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE). The members of ANDE all share the common goal of helping small and growing business (SGB) owners worldwide break down barriers to success.  

ANDE is a global network of organizations that propel entrepreneurship in developing economies. ANDE members provide critical financial, educational, and business support services to SGBs based on the conviction that SGBs will create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth, and produce environmental and social benefits. Ultimately, ANDE believes that SGBs can help lift countries out of poverty. 

ANDE’S Strategy 

ANDE serves as a catalyst in the SGB space, driving the conversation and pushing for the importance of SGBs in contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or global goals). While SGBs are relevant to all global goals, ANDE believes that SGBs can significantly contribute to addressing three specific issues: gender equality, climate and environmental action, and decent work and economic growth.  

Under their strategy, ANDE serves as the leading champion for the SGB sector and helps its members develop and implement high-quality programs. ANDE embraces an ecosystem approach through its central pillars — making the case for SGBs, increasing the effectiveness of SGB support organizations, and cultivating entrepreneurial ecosystems — while addressing the ongoing SGB sector challenges of talent development, SGB financing and impact investing, and impact management. 

Now, more than ever, small businesses need the support of organizations like Markaaz and ANDE. According to ANDE and Dalberg’s report The Small and Growing Business Sector and the COVID-19 Crisis, “COVID-19 is an existential threat to an enormous number of SGBs worldwide. ANDE members estimate that 42% of the SGBs they support globally are at risk of failing in the next six months — a number that is in line with emerging research from other organizations. These risk estimates are also remarkably consistent across geographies so far. ANDE members, for example, estimate the highest failure rate in the Andean region at 50% and the lowest in East Africa at 40%.”  

“We’re proud to call Markaaz our partner in supporting small businesses,” says Richenda Van Leeuwen, Executive Director of ANDE. “ANDE is in our second decade of supporting the small and growing business sector in developing countries. We value the work of dedicated partners like Markaaz to help deliver benefits to small businesses in communities worldwide.”    

“An equitable future begins with equal access to high-quality education and resources for small businesses. By partnering with ANDE, we seek to provide all small businesses with the resources and tools they need to realize their potential,” co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Fabi Hubschmid.     

To learn more about Markaaz and its partners, visit Markaaz.com. To learn more about the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, visit Andeglobal.org.