史蒂文 :: Release 2.0

First of all, thanks for mentions from Dave and Nelson. Nice to get my 15 hyperseconds of fame.

I read Business 2.0 "A Real Angel Investor" the other day and just remembed to check out Village Enterprise Fund. In short :

Village Enterprise Fund (VEF)is an international development organization that
provides permanent seed capital in $100 increments to business start-ups in the
developing world. We are currently active in Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania and
Uganda, where we have country offices and a talented African management team.

This is a fantastic idea. If you read the story and check their site you'll see the success they can achieve. I also wonder whether they could take it one step further. Whether they could build a community of people who not only donate a little money, but actually work in a community environment to help businesses. So you become a consultant (for free) for a set of businesses based on your experience. You get a profile of the business, regular updates and are there to help with business questions. I'm not suggesting for a minute there aren't people there who could do this - more that as a global community this would work even better - and all for a good cause.

In fact, taking the next step would allow some of these businesses to expand/partner into other countries via the network of resources that could be tapped.

I think it's a great idea and hope it accomplishes its goals!