Entrepreneurship is a critical tool for solving the world’s biggest problems. But the innovation economy is still broken. A handful of people in a handful of cities are deciding which entrepreneurs get a chance to succeed.

Philanthropy alone cannot solve global problems. At Village Capital, we have been working to support and invest in startups that are solving some of the world’s toughest problems - and doing so by developing profitable businesses.

Village Capital created Finance Forward with global partners MetLife Foundation and PayPal to support tech-driven financial health startups on five continents.

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha empujado a la economía Latinoamericana al borde y ha afectado con mayor intensidad a los dueños de los pequeños negocios y a los individuos de las comunidades de bajos ingresos.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Latin America’s economy to the brink. And those who have been hit the hardest are small business owners and people from low-income communities.

U.S. businesses, farms and consumers spend an estimated $218 billion a year growing, processing, transporting and disposing food that is never eaten. That equals 52 million tons of food waste sent to landfill annually, plus another 10 million tons that is discarded or left unharvested on farms. Meanwhile, over 50 million Americans struggle with hunger.

What is justice tech? Ask three investors and you might get three different answers.

It all started with an experiment. In 2009 a small team ran an accelerator program in New Orleans, just as the city was recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Twelve local entrepreneurs gathered to share their ideas for helping the city recover – and then collectively decide which of their peers should receive startup capital.

Can fintech help mitigate the effects of systemic racism in the United States? This report highlights fintech innovation that is designed explicitly to build the financial health of low- and-middle-income communities, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and small businesses.

Historically, innovation and private sector investment has centered on framing older adults as a problem and selling the solution to the government, healthcare system, service providers, and adult children. The market’s priorities are misaligned with what older adults want for themselves.

Fintech is reshaping the financial landscape in the Middle East and North Africa – but will it help decrease inequality in the region?

There is so much exciting innovation around financial health coming out of Europe — but virtually none of it is serving the refugee population living inside Europe’s borders.