Argidius Foundation

Giving thanks today to the wonderful entrepreneurs and partners we work alongside. #Happythanksgiving. Pictures: on the left is a coffee farmer in Mbale, Uganda, who supplies coffee to Ubora Coffee, supported by our partner Balloon Ventures. On the right is a chocolate maker at Chocolates Sero in Guatemala City, supported by our partner Alterna. Read their wonderful stories in our annual reports: https://lnkd.in/er49KM3X https://lnkd.in/e6R7JV8q

Our partner Bpeace (Business Council for Peace) have released an insightful brief on "The Double Shift" - exploring how women entrepreneurs in Central America navigate the intense demands of leading businesses while balancing family responsibilities. The statistics are stark: 76.5% of female entrepreneurs report high stress and burnout levels. A report by Endeavor Brasil2, a global organisation that supports high-impact entrepreneurs, in March 2024 echoes this, highlighting the severe toll of the entrepreneurial lifestyle, revealing that 57% of entrepreneurs experience high stress. "These challenges aren’t met without resilience," cites the Bpeace report. "The women in our programmes have developed critical coping mechanisms that not only keep their businesses afloat but also offer insights for the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem." The report is in English and Spanish: https://lnkd.in/ezW7FWid Photo: STEPHANY DE GONZÁLEZ, Country Director, Bpeace Guatemala at Invela Construction, Guatemala City. @bpeacehq #womenentrepreneurs #leadership #Guatemala #doubleshift #centralamerica Alexandra Salas Stephany Orozco de González

The Argidius podcast continues to surprise us with its reach. As well as being listened to in regions where Argidius has a strong presence, namely central America and east Africa, it's been downloaded in places such as Vanuatu, in the South Pacific Ocean, where to our knowledge Argidius has not yet travelled! This shows the real ability of audio to connect with people globally. The podcast explores the topics that matter most for entrepreneurs in developing economies. Delve in and enjoy! #podcast #entrepreneur #audio https://lnkd.in/dFcTUbuJ

Our inaugural partner networking event was held in Nairobi this month and was attended by 50 partners. Thank you to everyone who came along. Our partner, Growth Africa, shared this feedback: "This wasn’t your typical event where conversations get drowned out by a packed agenda. Instead, it was a refreshing space to genuinely connect, have real conversations, and appreciate the diversity of our ecosystem partners. The room was filled with energy and the right mix of people, all there to talk, build relationships, and explore ways we can move the entrepreneur support ecosystem forward. These moments matter. It's not just about the event but the ongoing collaboration and trust that follow, helping us all leap into new opportunities together. Big shoutout to Argidius for not just organising, but curating a space where real conversations and connections can happen."

In our report, "Ten Years of Impact", we profile our partner the African Management Institute, interviewing their founder and CEO, Rebecca Harrison. Read all about the highs and lows (there have been challenges!) of the relationship here: https://lnkd.in/e4dCFUnT  #partnership #AMI Rebecca Harrison

When we sat down with Javier Luna, the director of Guatemalan construction company, Invela, we jokingly asked him if he had previously worked in the movie industry due to his film-star looks. He surprised us by saying, yes, he had! In our latest report "Ten Years of Impact" we feature an interview with Javier Luna and our partner, Bpeace, about the challenges, and opportunities, of being in the Guatemalan job creation industry. You can read all about Javier here: https://lnkd.in/ecy5r_uK Bpeace (Business Council for Peace)

Delighted that our promotion of longer-term organizational relationships between funders and enterprise support organizations has been helpful in framing support for this development. It is a great encouragement to us.

In the latest edition of our podcast series, Argidius celebrates "Ten Years of Impact", showcasing the important milestones we have achieved in collaboration with our partners throughout the past decade. It features interviews with Nicholas Colloff and Harry Devonshire from the Argidius Foundation, Daniel Buchbinder from Alterna, Colin Banning at Swiss Contact, Rebecca Harrison from AMI, and Stephany de Gonzales from Bpeace. Listen to the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/ekUVjNSs Read "Ten Years of Impact" here: https://lnkd.in/eexK2_WF Porticus Daniel Buchbinder Nicholas Colloff Harry Devonshire Colin Kent Banning Bpeace (Business Council for Peace) Swisscontact Alterna

A job is not just a job. A job that offers fulfilling and paid work is an essential pathway for individuals and communities to move out of poverty. That is why we partner with business support organisations that help small and medium-sized enterprises to grow and generate quality employment. https://lnkd.in/dnN7atFw A special thank you to Derrick Waiswa from Transformational Business Network Africa and mi eelo - Social Business Bpeace (Business Council for Peace) Furniture Zoo Machakos Orthopaedic Clinic Swisscontact Alterna #tenyearsofimpact #smallenterprisedevelopment #businessdevelopment #enterprisesupport Porticus

Throughout these past ten years, we have been working alongside partners to develop practical knowledge to support small enterprises in Africa and Latin America. Some of this advice has reached places where Argidius does not work directly in, thanks to the knowledge sharing of partners and entrepreneurs across the globe. Read the full story here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dnN7atFw #tenyearsofimpact #smallenterprisedevelopment #businessdevelopment #enterprisesupport Harry Devonshire Nicholas Colloff Porticus