A woman small business owner and participant in TechnoServe's Impulsa tu Empresa program
Overview Our Work Who Benefits

Entrepreneurship & SMEs

There are more than 300 million small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries, which contribute up to 40% of national GDP. They are operated and often founded by women and men aiming to provide greater life opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities.

How Small Businesses Help Economies in Developing Countries

Led by small business owners, these SMEs promote inclusive development, serving as the main providers of jobs for many low-income individuals; the main suppliers of basic goods and services in poor or isolated communities.  Often, they serve as the best market alternative for smallholder farmers. Entrepreneurship also provides critical opportunities for women and youth to earn their own incomes.

Despite its great importance, the SME sector in the developing world faces enormous challenges to unleashing its full potential.

Lack of adequate access to:

  • Talent
  • Markets
  • Financial services
  • Challenging operating environments

have prevented these businesses from growing, from achieving optimal productivity, and from contributing strongly to their local and national economies.

 

Help struggling farmers and small business owners lift themselves out of poverty.

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Juan Carlos Thomas, TechnoServe Global Entrepreneurship Director

Juan Carlos ThomasVice President of Entrepreneurship & New Ventures

small business owners

Our Work With Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs and their enterprises come in different shapes and sizes. TechnoServe has partnered with large corporations, multilateral institutions, and governments to provide life-changing support in a variety of settings. 

Consider the following examples:

  • TechnoServe promotes youth economic opportunity by helping young entrepreneurs in rural Africa to start new businesses
  • We support established enterprises to accelerate their growth and impact in Latin America
  • We work with food processors in Africa to expand their business
  • TechnoServe helps small business owners source more products from small-scale farmers
  • Our work helps small shop owners in the micro-retail sector to improve their businesses and profits.

Our successful entrepreneurship portfolio is based on four key pillars:

Careful adaptation for Small Business Owners

We recognize that entrepreneurs face different opportunities and challenges depending on a variety of dimensions including their particular context, gender, age, stage in their growth cycle and personal appetite for growth. Therefore, TechnoServe carefully adapts our methodology to better serve each particular community of entrepreneurs. 

Market-driven approach for small business owners

We support entrepreneurs to find markets with untapped demand opportunities to build their growth strategies and encourage them to test and capture these opportunities as quickly and affordably as possible.

Effective capacity development

Recognizing that the entrepreneurs we support are busy, hardworking individuals, we aim to efficiently provide the most relevant and effective trainings. TechnoServe is a leader in reducing poverty because our programs help small business owners worldwide navigate organizational challenges by themselves in the future.

Rigorous measurement and continuous learning

We currently implement nearly 30 enterprise development programs in more than 20 countries, which provide an excellent base of data and learning. By adhering to rigorous measurement, we strive to collectively learn and improve each program to be more effective and efficient.

Featured Entrepreneurship Projects

Who Benefits

Entrepreneurs

Training entrepreneurs in business skills and connecting them to better financing and markets helps them earn reliable incomes for the long term. In 2022, TechnoServe helped increase revenue of more than 452,136 people and businesses around the world, 80% of which were women.

Local consumers

Small businesses provide important goods and services to underserved populations in the developing world. Small shops, for instance, supply the vast majority of consumer goods in many countries; and many enterprises meet critical needs like health care in remote areas. When small businesses run better and are more responsive to consumer needs, the whole community benefits.

Local workers

SMEs account for about 70% of all jobs in developing countries. TechnoServe works to boost this engine of employment, helping businesses to improve their operations and profits and to create new jobs. In particular, these businesses can offer important employment opportunities for women and youth.

Women and youth

Entrepreneurship provides women and young people in particular with opportunities to earn their own incomes. This helps women achieve greater financial independence, often improving their decision-making power within families and increasing household spending on needs like education and health. For the millions of youth in developing countries who may struggle to find formal jobs, obtaining the skills to start and expand their own business is not just critical to their own well-being but to their countries’ economic and political security.

Featured Entrepreneurship Blog Posts

New Jobs Created in 2023

Dreams Come True: Entrepreneurs Reach Their Potential in Chile

Small business owners in Chile

Learn how we help these entrepreneurs build the skills and confidence they need to grow their businesses.

Resources

FTF Premier: Food Processing Mapping

This Food Processing Mapping was carried out between October 2022 – January 2023 as part of a series of studies designed to provide background context and strategic recommendations to inform FTF Premier’s strategy and workplan development. FTF Premier is a 5-year, USAID supported agricultural markets program with a goal of…

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The “One-Click” Small Business Solution

TechnoServe is partnering with Okta to develop a bundled tech, or “one-click” platform, that will enable small business owners in low-income countries to seamlessly manage their operations and improve their enterprises.

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Short Guide to Recruiting, Retaining, and Driving Growth for Women Micro-entrepreneurs

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Survey: COVID-19 Challenges and Responses for African Food Processors, Second Edition

A survey of food processing firms in seven African countries reveals the challenges facing the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Survey Results: Impact of COVID-19 on Micro-Retail Businesses

Read the results from TechnoServe's survey of 337 micro-retail program participants about the impact COVID-19 has had on their businesses.

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COVID-19 and Entrepreneurs in the Developing World: Supporting Business Survival and Recovery

Learn how TechnoServe's entrepreneurship practice is supporting small businesses with survival and recovery in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

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TechnoServe Food Safety Approach

As the global population approaches 10 billion by 2050, food production will need to increase by 50 to 60 percent. This report details TechnoServe’s multifaceted approach to address food safety, quality and other challenges within complex food systems. World Food Safety Day 2021: Safe Food Today for…

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Survey: Africa’s Food Processors in the Face of COVID-19

TechnoServe surveyed 106 food processors, representing seven countries in Africa, on the impact of COVID-19 on their operations. This survey presents our findings.

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Challenges and Responses for Africa’s Food Processors Facing COVID-19

TechnoServe offers a guide on the challenges and responses facing food processors during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a survey of 106 food processors from seven African countries.

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The Coronavirus and Entrepreneurs in the Developing World: Learning to Support Businesses in Crisis

Drawing from TechnoServe’s past experience working with entrepreneurs in times of crisis, as well as early learnings from the response to the coronavirus pandemic, we present guidance on what development organizations can do to help micro and small businesses survive.

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Supporting Entrepreneurs with Digital Tools: How to Make Remote Learning Impactful

Drawing from a study that engaged a global cohort of entrepreneurs, TechnoServe provides four core principles for remote program design.

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Smart Duka: Lessons Learnt in Developing Kenya’s Micro Retail Sector

This case study summarizes the key learnings from the Smart Duka partnership, which has strengthened the micro-retail sector in Kenya.

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Smart Duka: The Story of Developing Kenya’s Micro Retail Sector

The Smart Duka partnership has worked to improve the livelihoods of women and men who own and operate essential micro-retail outlets. This case study highlights the progress and impact of the program.

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The Microretailers’ Roadmap

Drawing from TechnoServe's experience, the roadmap lays out four capabilities that shop owners need in order to transform their businesses and the developing world.

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Impulsa Tu Empresa Impact Audit Report from ImpactMatters

In 2017, TechnoServe engaged ImpactMatters, an impact audit firm founded with support from Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), to review several projects within our portfolio. This impact audit reviews the Impulsa Tu Empresa program implemented in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua from 2013 to 2017.

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TechnoServe Buymore Digital Pilot Case Study

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Food Processing in Sub-Saharan Africa

This final report explores five years of impact through the Solutions for African Food Enterprises (SAFE), a public-private partnership between TechnoServe, Partners in Food Solutions and the United States Agency for International Development that aimed to increase the competitiveness of the African food processing sector and expand the availability of…

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Regulatory Monitoring of National Food Fortification Programs: A Policy Guidance Document

The Global Fortification Technical Advisory Group (of which TechnoServe is a member) proposes policy recommendations and guidelines for determining food fortification compliance.

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Private Sector Guide to Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to Build Inclusive Business Models

This white paper published by TechnoServe and Concordia presents four challenges and solutions for delivering inclusive business for a sustainable food supply.

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Accelerating Impact from Entrepreneurs

Lessons learned from TechnoServe’s work with SGBs in Central America, based on research conducted by Emory University and the Impulsa Tu Empresa program.

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Accessing Clean Water and Economic Opportunity for Women

Application booklet for women entrepreneurs seeking to operate Sunlight Water Centres in Nigeria…

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Stronger Women, Stronger Business

TechnoServe’s MOVER Framework: Empowering women in supply chains to maximize business growth…

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A Guide to Working with Informal Financial Institutions

This guide explores lessons learned and best practices for increasing access to finance for smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs.

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