MyC4 is a new web platform that enables people to contribute to the eradication of poverty in Africa by investing in African businesses. The idea is simple, say the founders, Mads Kjær and Tim Vang, who run the operation from offices in Copenhagen and Kampala. The site lists Opportunities, businesses in need of capital, which have been selected through MyC4’s network of Providers in Africa. Investment works on a bidding system – what the organizers describe as a Dutch auction, which basically means that the more people that are interested in investing, the more favourable the terms become for the African business. This variable interest rate, say the organizers, helps ensure that the entrepreneurs behind the most attractive Opportunities benefit directly.Projects are intended to be investments in growth (in stock, new employees, etc) that offer a material return: each project is subject to a due diligence process which looks at the prospects for a return on investment. MyC4 also takes into consideration whether the Opportunity lives up to the UN Global Compact principles, while each entrepreneur must list two of the UN Millennium Development Goals as its main targets. Investors can invest in one or as many Opportunities as they wish, either individually or as part of a larger group. It’s free to invest on MyC4 and the minimum investment is €10 (in the interests of simplicity, the unit of currency adopted by MyC4 is MyCredit, which is equivalent to €1). To date, +230 opportunities have been funded, with +500,000 MyCredits uploaded. Moreover, none of the Opportunities have been late with their repayment.
Wednesday November 28, 2007, 6:52 pm
Very interesting concept. Sounds similar to Kiva.org, except I think on Kiva.org borrowers don't pay interest. Of course, earning interest may invite more investors. I'm sure the poverty problem is big enough for multiple approaches.
One of the users on MyC4,
Claus Lehmann from
Germany, has today on
wiseclerk publisheda lot
of extreemly useful
features to do
investments on MyC4 and
to see how the platform
progress over time - take
a look on:
http://www.wiseclerk.com/
myc4-loans/Thi...
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—
I went out to the farm
early this morning, to
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Blog: How to bet on horse racing like the pros by Max B.
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They say horse racing is
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Blog: Tips for betting on horse racing by Max B.
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Every now and again I
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