They seem like two entirely different worlds: modern-day digital technology and traditional small-scale agriculture. But in spite of their perceived contradiction, they can actually be used to strengthen each other. Indonesian company PasarMIKRO shows how technology can directly benefit underserved Indonesian farmers and boost rural communities. In this interview, PasarMIKRO CEO and co-founder Dien Wong explains how.
On Friday February 17, PlusPlus had the pleasure of welcoming a visitor: James Ododa, co-founder of Ndivisi, paid a visit to our office. A nice opportunity to meet in person! The Kenyan entrepreneur met not only the PlusPlus team, but also two people who had invested in his company. It turned out to be a pleasant, intimate meeting about how Ndivisi got started, unexpected challenges and plans for the future. Below, you can read all about it.
Written by Peter Heijen on 7 February 2023
It’s a cliché you hear often: money can’t buy you happiness. In this blog, Peter Heijen wonders if that’s really true. Scientists have also examined this issue. What they all concluded? The answer is actually quite simple...
Marielle Wiegmans knows better than anyone else what challenges an entrepreneur faces. As a corporate finance advisor, it is daily business for her to help start-ups, among other things. "To be successful, you have to have the right people around you. If someone believes in you, that really makes a difference!"
Written by Peter Heijen on 27 October 2022
Giving up a successful career in banking to make impact, PlusPlus founder Peter Heijen did it. Previously, as a banker, he made rich people even richer. Now, with PlusPlus, he is building "a community of do-gooders". Soon, this inspiring portrait will appear in Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad.
Written by Michelle Steggerda on 25 October 2022
Until now, loans at PlusPlus were always paid in euros. However, for SMEs in Latin America, that is not the most logical currency. For them, paying in euros often involves extra costs and a lot of hassle with their bank. In this continent, the U.S. dollar is the most common foreign currency. Therefore, to make things a little easier for our Latin American entrepreneurs, PlusPlus now offers a loan with repayment in dollars. We will explain here what that means.
"So many people think they have no influence, but anyone can share. You don't have to have much to do so," says Bianca de Bree. This investor shows that everyone can do something meaningful for others. Read her personal story here.
Written by Michelle Schouwenburg on 7 September 2022
Meet Lydia, a Ugandan farmer and a Commission Agent of PlusPlus entrepreneur AgriNet. Lydia has been a maize farmer for many years. But it was not until she started working with AgriNet that she became successful and was able to provide for her family. Here she shares her story.
Written by Michelle Steggerda on 25 August 2022
Last month, our colleague Michelle Steggerda traveled to Central America to visit some PlusPlus entrepreneurs. Especially for us, she put her experiences on paper. Read all about her trip to this region in her personal travel blog.
Written by Michelle Schouwenburg on 22 August 2022
Meet Musa Kiggundu Muwanga, one of the Ugandan entrepreneurs on PlusPlus. The director of Frutrac gives us an update about his company, the impact they make and new opportunities that are opening up to them. And they have the PlusPlus investors to thank for it.
Palm oil has a negative image. Large-scale plantations, for which rain forests are cut down and farmers are kicked off their land, created a bad reputation. But it does not have to be like that! Sustainably produced palm oil, with attention for biodiversity and the environment, offers enormous opportunities for poverty stricken small-scale farmers to build a better life. Michel Riemersma, Solidaridad’s Policy Advisor on Palm Oil, explains why palm oil doesn't have to be a bad thing...
