All Publications

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  Recent Agri Market Reforms in India – A Practitioner’s Perspective 2021: White Paper by Vivekanandhan T, Intellecap

  PUBLISHED: January, 2021

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  Gender and Microfinance in Myanmar: A Report by IFC Myanmar in collaboration with Intellecap

  PUBLISHED: December, 2020

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  The Landscape for Social Investments: Sub Saharan Africa Comparative Analysis

  PUBLISHED: November, 2020

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  The Landscape for Social Investments in East Africa : Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020

  PUBLISHED: November, 2020

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  The Landscape for Social Investments in Southern Africa: Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020

  PUBLISHED: November, 2020

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  The Landscape for Social Investments in West Africa : Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020

  PUBLISHED: November, 2020

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  Partnering to Crush the Curve: Insights from Africa’s First Responders

  PUBLISHED: October, 2020

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  Intellecap With Shakti Foundation Brings Out A Report On Climate Risk Mainstreaming – Approaches For Indian Financial Institution

  PUBLISHED: October, 2020

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  Sankalp Africa Summit 2020- Report

  PUBLISHED: September, 2020

  Tags: Sankalp Forum,Africa, Sankalp Africa Summit 2020

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  A SURVEY REPORT: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SANITATION ENTERPRISES

  PUBLISHED: July, 2020

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Recent Agri Market Reforms in India – A Practitioner’s Perspective 2021: White Paper by Vivekanandhan T, Intellecap
PUBLISHED: January, 2021
Government of India (GOI) had recently enacted three acts related to agriculture marketing in the country; these acts have come closely on the heels of other agriculture related measures from the government.
These measures together form a part of government’s larger mission to double farmers’ income by 2022-23. In this backdrop Intellecap had organized a panel discussion on the recent agriculture market reforms; the session was organized as a part of Intellecap virtual Sankalp Global Summit 2020.
The panel discussion titled “Recent Agri reforms- Shifting grounds for FPOs, Agri startups, and Philanthropic capital” was organized on 2^nd November 2020. The panel consisted of experts  from i) World bank ii)  NGOs working with small holder farmers and FPO formation iii) Agri e-market makers and iv) Agri start up working with FPOs.
The perspectives and some deep insights on topical issues are synthesized and presented under following categories: a) Small and Marginal Farmers’ perspectives; b) Production system perspectives; c) FPO perspectives; d) Agri market place perspectives; and e) Agri startup perspectives and f) Other ecosystem perspectives.  This document titled “Recent Agri reforms in India- Practitioners’ perspective” aims to take these insights to a wider audience and to take forward some of the pertinent issues for further policy deliberations.
Snapshot of the insights
Small & Marginal farmers’ perspectives: 
• Agri market reforms alone will have little effect on small and marginal farmers as many of them are in to subsistence production
• The provisions under contract farming and the infrastructure development support available under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund have the right incentives to move small & marginal farmers from subsistence cereal crop to commercial cash crop farming.
Production system perspectives:
• Agri market reforms by the Government of India have adopted a market led approach for development of production & marketing infrastructure
• Though the recent agri reforms have paved way for market players to invest in improving production & marketing infrastructure, however they cannot completely replace the deficit public investment long overdue in the agriculture sector.
FPO perspectives:
• Agri market reforms have increased FPOs’ ease of transaction with farmers and FPOs are now increasingly recognized as entities that represent the collective interests of their member farmers (in contrast to a private enterprise)
• Though the FPO formation has been taken up aggressively by the Government of India, however the sustainability of these business enterprises still remains largely unaddressed
• The role of support ecosystems become critical for sustainability of FPOs beyond government’s mission mode of FPO formation
• As market forces are ruthless and weed out players who aren’t resource efficient , any form of government support or ecosystem support are only a necessary condition but not a sufficient condition for FPOs to prosper
• Alternatively established corporates and business houses can co-opt FPOs in to their supply/distribution chain and can help them to build capacities & create efficiencies.
• There are successful working models of joint ventures between FPOs & large private players that are creating value for farmers at the same time competing successfully with other players in the market
Agri market place perspectives
• By limiting the role of APMC, the Government of India has created a policy push for “one nation one market” initiatives
• APMC mandis played a critical role in price discovery for certain essential commodities. The price discovery mechanisms that shall play out in the new age markets will require further attention.
• As the agri market reforms have now enabled direct procurement from farmers, there is an increasing need for legal provisions & legal counsel to protect farmers in the case of buyers not honoring payments.
• Though the New Farm Acts, 2020 have defined aspects of e-trade however crucial elements like e-marketing and e-market places have not been covered.
• New age agri market players in their pursuit of higher margins, may end up taking multiple position in the agri value chain, thereby creating “conflict of interest” or/and “concentration of risk”
• These forces may lead to market failures which in turn has the potential to destroy the trust in the functioning of agriculture markets
Agri start-up perspectives:
• Like in the case of FPOs the agri market reform have also enable Agri start up to deal directly with farmers, thereby reducing the transaction cost and time
• The agri market reforms have also created an opportunity for all types of private enterprises including agri startups to participate in primary agriculture production and primary agriculture marketing
• As agriculture markets are getting liberalized, there is a need for a market regulator to create level playing field and prevent creation of oligopolies and other forms of collusion
Other ecosystem perspectives:
• Among the different set of private players, corporates and large enterprises are better positioned to make investments in improving agriculture infrastructure
• Though the agri market reform have created sufficient incentives to attract private investment, there are limited use cases readily available for private investment
• It is also worthwhile to observe how the existing value chain players consolidate their positions and take advantage of the emerging new age value chains.
• In the recent past organized markets like cotton has suffered from the influence of speculative market forces, which have found their way to influence commodity prices.
• As farmers are the most vulnerable, there is a need for agencies to protect farmers’ interest from the adversities of complex market dynamics
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Gender and Microfinance in Myanmar: A Report by IFC Myanmar in collaboration with Intellecap
PUBLISHED: December, 2020
IFC’s Gender and Economic Inclusion Group and Financial Institutions Group mandated Intellecap to understand the current gender gaps in the microfinance sector in Myanmar and to suggest possible actions to increase gender equality for MFI employees and clients.
As part of this study, Intellecap analyzed gender gaps in the current landscape of the microfinance sector in Myanmar for employees and clients of MFIs.The study contains findings from a survey of over 1,600 employees from eight leading microfinance institutions in Myanmar, as well as interviews with over 450 women microfinance clients. It sought to examine the gender dynamics in the Myanmar microfinance industry, and outline the opportunity for the sector to more effectively meet the needs of women both as clients and employees.
The findings identify the opportunity for the sector to better tailor products and services to meet the needs of women clients who make up about 60 percent of microfinance borrowers in the country. It also outlines how making the microfinance sector more gender inclusive has the potential to deliver multiple benefits, including improving the safety and comfort of both women and men employees at work; establishing an equal opportunity culture which encourages more women to become part of leadership; and helping to attract and retain talent.
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The Landscape for Social Investments: Sub Saharan Africa Comparative Analysis
PUBLISHED: November, 2020
Social investment is an umbrella term that brings together diverse categories of funders aiming to achieve social and/ or environmental impact. Broadly, social investments include financial and non-financial support deployed via venture philanthropy, impact investing (with a focus on investing for impact), and socially responsible investing. Social investment methodologies have proven to be a powerful strategy to create sustainable and scalable social and environmental impact by enabling diverse social investors to collaborate for a more significant impact on the achievement of the SDGs. Collaboration across different types of capital and investment strategies is needed, referred to as the “continuum of capital”.
Established in 2018, the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) is a Pan-African network that seeks to drive a transformative social investing agenda in the continent. AVPA leverages the experience and momentum gained by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (evpa.eu.com) and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (avpn.asia) – thriving networks that together have over 800 members in more than 50 countries and are proven catalysts for mobilizing capital and helping members to deploy it more effectively to drive positive change. AVPA facilitates the flow of human, intellectual and financial capital, not only within Africa, but also with the vast network of members across the 50+ countries outside of Africa. AVPA seeks to support the sector through several key service lines offered to its members.
Please read and download our regional social investments landscape reports:
1. The Landscape for Social Investments in East Africa : Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020
2. The Landscape for Social Investments in Southern Africa: Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020
3. The Landscape for Social Investments in West Africa : Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020
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The Landscape for Social Investments in East Africa : Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020
PUBLISHED: November, 2020
The Landscape for Social Investments in Africa, maps the diverse field of social investment across East, West and Southern Africa. In each of these regions, hundreds of institutions are deploying capital to achieve ambitious social and environmental goals.
Social investors include foundations, corporates, family offices, high net worth individuals, sustainability-aligned fund managers, development finance institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, governments, diaspora, and faith-based organisations.
This report maps the landscape of social investments in East Africa with a deep dive focus on Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and a high-level assessment of Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. This report maps these providers of social capital, their investment strategies, and opportunities for collaboration amongst the various investors. Much more innovation and collaboration amongst social investors is needed if African countries are to close the enormous Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) financing gap.
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The Landscape for Social Investments in Southern Africa: Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020
PUBLISHED: November, 2020
The Landscape for Social Investments in Africa, maps the diverse field of social investment across East, West and Southern Africa. In each of these regions, hundreds of institutions are deploying capital to achieve ambitious social and environmental goals.
Social investors include foundations, corporates, family offices, high net worth individuals, sustainability-aligned fund managers, development finance institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, governments, diaspora, and faith-based organisations.
This report, maps the landscape of social investments in Southern Africa with a deep dive focus on South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique, and a high level assessment of Angola, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. This report maps these providers of social capital, their investment strategies, and opportunities for collaboration amongst the various investors. Much more innovation and collaboration amongst social investors is needed if African countries are to close the enormous Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) financing gap.
Download Pdf Here


The Landscape for Social Investments in West Africa : Intellecap Africa and AVPA Report 2020
PUBLISHED: November, 2020
The Landscape for Social Investments in Africa, maps the diverse field of social investment across East, West and Southern Africa. In each of these regions, hundreds of institutions are deploying capital to achieve ambitious social and environmental goals.
Social investors include foundations, corporates, family offices, high net worth individuals, sustainability-aligned fund managers, development finance institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, governments, diaspora, and faith-based organisations.
This report maps the landscape of social investments in West Africa with a deep dive focus on Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast, and a high-level assessment of Senegal, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It analyses strategies used by various international and domestic social investment capital providers. This report maps these providers of social capital, their investment strategies, and opportunities for collaboration amongst the various investors. Much more innovation and collaboration amongst social investors is needed if African countries are to close the enormous Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) financing gap.
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Partnering to Crush the Curve: Insights from Africa’s First Responders
PUBLISHED: October, 2020
It is no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic hi t us like a tsunami , unawares and unprepared. As the pandemic continues to overwhelm countries around the globe, it has transformed the way we live, work and even interact within our communities.
Africa was one of the last continents in the world to contract the virus, and watched the rest of the world battle the pandemic, knowing it would eventually hit and knowing that the impact would be devastating.
To begin with, most countries in Africa have precious healthcare systems in place and the vast major i ty of people have no access to health insurance. For instance, 4 out of 5 people in Kenya lack health insurance.
[ 1 ] Africa witnessed first-world countries with advanced health care systems, hospitals, and equipment get quickly over run and overwhelmed by the virus. If they couldn’t handle Covid-19, how on earth would Africa manage this disease?
Furthermore, Africa’s informal economy makes up approximately 41% of its GDP.
[2] The very nature of this informal economy has no cushioning – for those who are informal workers, not working means not getting paid. And not getting paid means you can’t feed your family for every day you can’t work. An economic slowdown in Africa means that a vast majority of people will no longer be able to feed their families on a daily basis. Stay-at-home mandates for many low-income day laborers in Africa means they will be starving. Most people would run the risk of exposure to Covid-19 by working, rather than starve because they can’t generate an income staying at home.
To address these issues, various organizations have been taking urgent actions to assist the families living in these communities, but most organizations are still testing the waters to see what works and what doesn’t . Some are adapting already existing measures to better suit the crisis, but all are piloting and pivoting as they go. With most African countries facing similar challenges, from poor and ill equipped healthcare systems to over run informal settlements and congested public transport , there is a great opportunity for these initiatives to learn from each other ,within and across borders, to lessen Covid-19’s impact on the continent .
We launched this series to facilitate learning, highlight successful examples, and promote collaboration across the African continent . The approaches for dealing with Covid-19 in Africa will – and should – look distinctly different from other parts of the World. There is no silver bullet , but we hope these learnings and insights will help not only shorten learning curves for dealing with Covid-19, but ultimately, rebuild our ecosystems to be stronger and more resilient in the future.
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Intellecap With Shakti Foundation Brings Out A Report On Climate Risk Mainstreaming – Approaches For Indian Financial Institution
PUBLISHED: October, 2020
India alone lost over USD 80 billion in economic losses over two decades (2000-2019) due to climate change. According to estimates, climate change could cost businesses and investors across the world over USD 1.2 trillion over the next 15 years.there is a growing realization that the community including businesses and investors need to be more proactive in incorporating climate risk considerations in their operations along with Government which need to include climate change resilience initiatives in its policies. This initiative aims to map the understanding of financial institutions in India on climate risk mainstreaming requirements as well as implementation strategies.
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Sankalp Africa Summit 2020- Report
PUBLISHED: September, 2020
The report of the Sankalp Africa Summit 2020 is all about our  February 2020 summit where we convened 1268 delegates from nearly 40 countries to discuss, deliberate, and collaborate on the role of entrepreneurship in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Convened in Nairobi, Kenya, the Sankalp Africa Summit 2020 celebrated some of the most promising enterprises from across the continent.
Over the two days of the Sankalp Africa Summit 2020, we hosted 50+ sessions which included main plenaries, impact lounges, panel discussions, debates, design hacks, interactive workshops, masterclasses, deal rooms, member meetings, film screenings, and a dance workshop followed by an exclusive dinner for women leaders. Sankalp and its partners curated sessions around sectors such as Agriculture, Livelihoods, Healthcare, Financial Inclusion, Clean Energy and Smart Climate, the Circular Economy, Water and Sanitation, and Frontier Economies, as well as a focus on crosscutting themes such as Technology for Good, Talent, and Gender.
Aligned to the Summit’s theme, ‘Collaborate 2030: Scaling Entrepreneurship for the Global Goals,’ the main plenary session sought to take on a holistic self-audit view on whether the Sustainable Development Goals really were achievable in the next 10 years and could create meaningful impact for those living at the bottom of the pyramid, or if they were merely symbolic to further international political agendas. The discussion was also around what more we all need to do to increase the world’s chances of realizing the SDGs in just the next 10 years.
This year at Sankalp Africa, we explored some new engagement opportunities, including not only a deal room for investors to connect with other investors, but a new deal room for entrepreneurs themselves to identify potential business partners and leads. We screened three films at Sankalp this year, highlighting film as a tool for social change. We endeavored to reduce our own carbon footprint by using upcycled lanyards, replacing all single-used water bottles with re-usable aluminum bottles and water stations, and ensuring that the event’s waste was disposed of responsibly.
With over 1,200 delegates attending the 2020 Africa Summit, Sankalp continues to celebrate the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem across diverse stakeholders who are working to resolve some world’s most pressing challenges. As we are all experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic, we are going into uncharted territory together. If nothing else, recent events have demonstrated the critical importance of community support, alliances for impact, and ecosystem building. We are committed to our role in convening the entrepreneurship community for the Global South and will continue to do so – across global, regional, and local convenings, both digitally and inperson
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A SURVEY REPORT: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SANITATION ENTERPRISES
PUBLISHED: July, 2020
Over the last few months, the spread of COVID-19 pandemic has led countries across the globe to witness an unprecedented impact on healthcare systems in particular and economies as a whole. This modern age pandemic has caused a major economic slowdown with a loss of around $8.8 trillion, which is around 9.7% of the global GDP. Studies across the globe suggest that the impact of this pandemic has been felt across industries with the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) being the worst hit.
The story is no different in India, where the increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases have caused severe health and economic crisis. As most economic activities remained halted during lockdown, a lot of businesses in the MSME category faced the risk of extinction due to decreased demand for non-essential commodities, labour shortage, credit deficit and almost no working capital. Since the SMEs contribute to 29% of the GDP, and employ more than 11 crore people, it is imperative to study, and understand how they have been impacted and design measures to support them.
At Better Sanitation Collective – an initiative by Intellecap, we recognize the role of sanitation enterprises in the current scenario and the challenges they may have faced in being operational during the pandemic. Hence, to better understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on them and the ecosystem in which they function, we conducted a survey, and reached out to 200 enterprises. The survey primarily focused on capturing the impact of the pandemic on their business operations, their response to these challenges and additional support needed to tide over the ongoing crisis.
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