Notes From the Field

Grameen Foundation India (GFI) provides strategic, innovative, and technical expertise to leading social enterprises, financial services institutions and technology providers, by extending financial services to underserved communities, especially women in rural India, through new delivery channels and mobile-based services. GFI is looking to launch its first social impact venture, named Grameen Impact Venture (GIV), a technology-based platform embedding a range of financial and non-financial products and services that will be offered to the rural poor through the Grameen Mittras, a women-based network of community finance workers, trained in digital and financial skills, that provide their neighbors with digital access to financial resources needed to improve their lives.

A team of four Global Fellows was selected to develop the Marketing Strategy for Grameen Impact Venture (GIV). Through a series of virtual interactions with the GFI project team, the volunteers developed a marketing strategy, created an investor’s pitch deck, and conducted a survey for potential investors. This project provided an opportunity for the Fellows to learn about the challenges faced by the underserved population of India, especially in the areas of finance and banking. The Grameen Foundation India team imparted a wealth of knowledge that enabled the Fellows to put together the strategy. This helped align the collaborative efforts in supporting the GIV to create opportunities to expand knowledge, information, and accessibility to the underserved communities in India.

The volunteers have expressed that this was a unique opportunity to utilize their skills and knowledge while learning about a whole new sector. As noted by one of the volunteers: “Much of this project was learning about a part of the world that I had never experienced before. Learning about GFI’s work made me more aware of wider social issues and cultural differences.”

In the next few months, the Grameen Foundation India team will be using the recommendations made in the marketing strategy to actively reach out to potential impact investors to raise the necessary capital for the Grameen Impact Venture. The strategy listed key areas of focus and opportunities including the do’s and don’ts when pursuing potential investors. “The discussions were highly probing which vastly helped us reflect and analyze our hypothesis. The team of volunteers was meticulous in their background research, thinking through the logic model and bringing in innovative technology as well as their banking experience to develop a solid and comprehensive marketing plan,” shared the GFI Director of Program Strategy.