<h1>Recapping our National Gathering Weekend Extravaganza</h1>In case you missed it, this past weekend, we held RENEW’s third Impact Angel Network&nbsp;National Gathering&nbsp;in Washington, DC.&nbsp;What a weekend!On Friday, Hussein Hirji and the team at the Canadian Embassy hosted RENEW’s <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/investing">Impact Angel Network</a> for an amazing event. What an evening it was! Sunset views of the Capitol. Amazing smoked arctic char paired with a crisp Riesling. RENEW’s own Tom Scriven facilitated a conversation with Bertrand Badré, former CFO of the World Bank, stretching our minds through discussion about the macro environment in the global investment space.&nbsp;Laura Davis and Marcus Samuelsson discussed poverty, adoption, entrepreneurship, and the desire for a new brand for Africa (and of course, his culinary talents). Girma Baker, employee of MFTC, bringing the impact our investments are having on Ethiopians closer to home. And finally, CEO Matt Davis casting a vision for Africa in 20 years. If that didn’t get you excited, we do not know what will.On Saturday morning, Solomon Kebede hosted us at the Ethiopian Embassy for the IAN portfolio meeting. We had an engaging discussion about Ethiopia, each company in the IAN portfolio, and answered a number of questions about the challenges, lessons learned and opportunities of managing companies in emerging markets.On Saturday evening, Dr. Andrew Umhau hosted us at his residence for the IAN pipeline dinner during which we had a lively discussion about the deals in our pipeline, which we will continue to work through over the coming months.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:99.22%;"><img src="/uploads/collage_2017_ng_883b31129f.jpg" alt="Highlights from the National Gathering Weekend Extravaganza, featuring speeches, cooking and networking activities."></figure>The encouragement throughout the weekend was for our members and guests to double down and be change agents related to investing in Africa’s private sector. There are many ways to get involved, here are just a few:<ul><li>Join RENEW’s Impact Angel Network. Registration is easy, free and has no strings attached. You will immediately be plugged into a global network of like-minded change agents working on deals, helping companies access global markets and prepping for trips to Africa to experience the portfolio and pipeline first hand. Our members call happens during the middle of each month, with the next one slated for November 15. Still have questions? Don’t be shy! Let me know and I am happy to jump on a call with you individually.</li><li>Follow and share. Here’s some easy ways to follow us and share about our National Gathering experience: Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RenewCapital" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Renew Capital</a>, Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Renew_Capital" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Renew_Capital</a>, LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/renew-llc">Renew Capital</a>, Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/renewcapital/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@renewcapital</a></li><li>Host an event with other change agents. The RENEW team will be making trips around the U.S. to meet with change agents in cities near you to spread the word. If you are interested in organizing or being involved in an event, let us know. We’ll help you organize a great event.</li><li>Come on an Econ-Tourism Trip. Our next trip will be February 18 – 24, 2018. You will not regret meeting with entrepreneurs first-hand and experiencing the unique culture and amazing cuisine. If you want to attend the trip let us know ASAP. Slots are limited and are filling fast.</li><li>Mark your calendar. Our next National Gathering (look for a new name, as we are increasingly a global group) is already being planned for Spring 2019. Please make a note and plan to attend.</li><li>All of the above…do it all! Your experience with us can be as hands-on as you would like it to be!</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/collage_fotor_79293f3111.jpg" alt="Highlights from the National Gathering Weekend Extravaganza, featuring speeches, cooking and networking activities."></figure>A special thank you to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/husseinhirji/">Hussein Hirji</a>, <a href="http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/united_states-etats_unis/washington.aspx?lang=eng">The Canadian Embassy</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-samuelsson-35101758/">Marcus Samuelsson</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertrand-badré-90000446/">Bertrand Badre</a>, the IAN advisory board chairs, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewumhau/">Dr. Andrew Umhau</a>, <a href="http://www.veriswp.com/">Veris Wealth Partners</a> and <a href="http://limalimolodge.com/">Limalimo Lodge</a> for helping us deliver an unforgettable event. We also thank the members of the IAN and their families for coming to D.C. for a memorable fall weekend.

In case you missed it, this past weekend, we held RENEW’s third Impact Angel Network National Gathering in Washington, DC. What a weekend!

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Recapping our National Gathering Weekend Extravaganza

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Press Release: IAN to Invest in Logistics and E-Commerce in Ethiopia &nbsp;</h1><a href="https://latest-api.renewcapital.com//uploads/RENEW_Press_Release_Road_Runner_Final_82051b5ee0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Download the Full Press Release.</a>Members of RENEW’s <a href=" https://www.renewcapital.com/investing">Impact Angel Network (IAN)</a> have committed capital to fund Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC (Roadrunner), which will partner with Universal Courier Services PLC (Deliver Addis) to expand the burgeoning logistics and e-commerce industries in Ethiopia. Deliver Addis is a technology enabled, online food delivery company based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, launched in October 2015. To date, the company’s focus has been on business-to-consumer (B2C) delivery, mainly of restaurant orders. The IAN’s investment in Roadrunner is aimed at helping its partner Deliver Addis to become Ethiopia’s leading technology-enabled, last-mile courier service for consumers and businesses. &nbsp;“RENEW and the IAN anticipate that this investment in Roadrunner will meaningfully contribute to the Ethiopian economy by creating jobs, reducing emission through the use of more fuel efficient vehicles, and increasing business for local restaurants, grocery stores and companies,” said Matt Davis, CEO of RENEW. He added, “We are grateful to our partners in Ethiopia and the Government of Canada who make, our work in Ethiopia possible.”Deliver Addis’ founder Feleg Tsegaye commented, “Since we launched Ethiopia's first online restaurant delivery service, people have quickly taken to it with virtually no marketing and have pushed us to expand in ways we hadn't expected. Our partnership with RENEW and the IAN will enable us to build the technology and scale our operations in order to support demands from existing and new customers, including individuals, businesses, organizations and more.”This is the Impact Angel Network’s ninth investment in its portfolio of eight companies in East Africa.If you have any questions, please contact: Erin O’Connor at <a href="mailto:eoconnor@renewcapital.com">eoconnor@renewcapital.com</a>

Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC joins RENEW’s portfolio

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Press Release: IAN to Invest in Logistics and E-Commerce in Ethiopia

<h1 style="text-align:center;">National Gathering: Thank you for the support!</h1>The 2017 Impact Angel Network National Gathering is taking place this weekend in Washington D.C.! The Embassy of Canada has graciously offered to host us at their beautiful venue located on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 5th street, a stone’s throw from the US Capitol.The National Gathering is a unique event. First, we believe it is the largest Africa-focused impact angel investing event in Washington, D.C. Next, it will attract some of the brightest, action-oriented minds in the impact investment space. Contrary to your typical D.C. gala event, this one will focus on results, transparency and honest dialogue about how North American investors are putting money to work in real companies, and creating tangible impact and returns. And if that doesn’t interest you, the menu curated by Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson should be enough to attract even the most seasoned D.C. socialites.We can’t wait for Friday and the mouthwatering food, great conversations and networking with like-minded individuals and industry experts.We would also like to thank several of our partners, that have helped make this event possible; true change agents – doers – people that walk the walk. With their support, we have been able to make this the largest National Gathering to date!<ul><li><a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/international/index.aspx?lang=eng">Global Affairs Canada</a> and the Embassy of Canada in Washington D.C.<ul><li><a href="http://www.veriswp.com/">Veris Wealth Partners</a><ul><li><a href="http://limalimolodge.com/">Limalimo Lodge in Ethiopia</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/sponsor_logos_0_b8333863c6.png"></figure>Much creativity went into the National Gathering menu for this year! A gracious thank you to...Marcus Samuelsson and team for curating the menu The Embassy of Canada's chefs for contributing flavours and skills Mama Fresh Injera PLC for the spices and injera for the menu Andrew Umhau, M.D. for the Impact Investor Cocktail Metad for the coffee, roasted by Qualia in D.C. &nbsp;

A thank you to those that made this event possible

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National Gathering: Thank you for the support!

Press Release: Angel Network to Showcase Impact Investing in Africa at its Third National Gathering Download the Full Press ReleaseThe 2017 Impact Angel Network National Gathering is right around the corner on October 27 at the Embassy of Canada in Washington D.C.! Join IAN members and distinguished guests while they share stories of conscious capitalism and impacting investing.This year, we welcome Chef Marcus Samuelsson, an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised celebrity chef known for his appearances on Iron Chef America, Chopped, and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Marcus has curated a special menu for the event that promises to impress.Tickets for the event are available until Monday, October 23rd and can be purchased <a href="https://2017-impact-angel-network-national-gathering.eventbrite.com/">here</a>. Additional events will be held exclusively for IAN members on October 28. The IAN membership is free and open to accredited investors. Learn more about the IAN <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/investing">here.</a>We look forward to seeing you at the 2017 National Gathering!If you have any questions about the event, please contact: Erin O’Connor at <a href="mailto:eoconnor@renewcapital.com">eoconnor@renewcapital.com</a>

Event will feature celebrity chef & stories of impact

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Press Release: Angel Network to Showcase Impact Investing in Africa at its Third National Gathering

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Sharks vs. Angels</h1>Yes, they may be angel investors, but things got heated up with some hard hitting questions when six companies stood before members of RENEW’s Impact Angel Network (IAN) to pitch investment opportunities in Ethiopia. The setting: our beautiful space, The Exchange, located above Galani Café in Jacros.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/2017_sept_ett_0_d41225dc83.jpg"></figure>Ten members of the Impact Angel Network traveled from their homes across the United States to Ethiopia from September 19-23, 2017 to decide firsthand their thoughts on investment opportunities and also visit with companies they had already invested in.The IAN is now one of the most active private equity investors in Ethiopia, and more than 75 investors have participated in the Econ-Tourism Trips in the last 5.5 years since RENEW opened an office in Addis Ababa. Each trip the companies toured and considered for investment are different and the Econ-Tourism Trip experience is unique and exciting in its own way, based on the interests and personalities of the investors and the trip’s agenda. Unique opportunities also help make the trip informative and enjoyable, such as riding on Africa’s first light rail in the heat of rush hour. This September’s trip was no different.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/2017_sept_ett1_bb175b5886.jpg"></figure>Some of our classic trip components include bumping along on back roads on the hunt for great companies; our business cocktail reception that includes no speeches, only connections with investors and other members of the business community; and good, local Ethiopian cuisine at some of Addis’ finest restaurants.Stay tuned in the next few months for more information on the investments the IAN and RENEW have decided to move forward with.

Ten members of the Impact Angel Network traveled from their homes across the United States to Ethiopia

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Sharks vs. Angels

<h1 style="text-align:center;">The Impact Angel Network Grows in Europe</h1>The partners had an amazing week traveling around Europe speaking with investors, connectors, entrepreneurs and advocates about investing in Africa for both social impact and financial returns. Here’s what we learned and observed from our trip:<ul><li>First, we were hosted by Anne-Mieke and Nick Howle, champions of impact investing and members of the Impact Angel Network. This family is not only passionate about what they are doing, they are exceptional entrepreneurs, and great hosts. But they also have a great family. You may remember that their son Bas was RENEW’s first in-country intern. Read about his time with us <a href="../2016/research-due-diligence-and-football.html">here</a>. The Howles hosted three events, at their home in Stratford, in London and in Amsterdam. Each event attracted a great mix of like-minded people who asked amazing questions.</li><li>We had three events with an average of 25 people per event</li><li>The London event was co-hosted with the <a href="http://thebaobabnetwork.com/">Baobab Network</a>. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-fairburn-89957842/">Tom Fairburn</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-hanington-44990035/">Toby Hanington</a> are two young visionaries that have a passion to help link talent in the West with tech talent in Africa. Baobob is creating opportunities for employees working at multinational companies to share their skills and abilities with business owners in Africa. They are also exploring investments into companies on the continent.</li><li>In Amsterdam we were co-hosted by <a href="https://vc4a.com/">VC4Africa</a>, which is providing an online platform to connect companies and investors. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertilvanvugt/">Bertil van Vugt </a>shared about the vision and mission of the organization along with the group’s connection to <a href="https://abanangels.org/">African Business Angel Network (ABAN)</a>. We also had the pleasure of meeting the team at <a href="http://www.bidnetwork.org/">BidNetwork</a>; a group helping local companies prepare and pitch to investors in Europe.</li><li>Most in the audience were well-informed about investing in Africa and the potential the continent holds for growth and impact investing.</li><li>A number were actively investing in companies already. We counted at least 10.</li><li>The questions were well-informed and focused on the tactics of investing. The top questions were related to political stability, foreign currency issues, tax issues and exit strategies.</li><li>Many were planning trips to the continent. At least 7 were planning investment and business trips to the continent in the coming weeks.</li><li>The Ethiopian Embassy made a cameo appearance at the Amsterdam event and offered to support anyone exploring investments in the country.</li><li>The Amsterdam event was hosted at <a href="https://www.bocca.nl/">Bocca Coffee</a>– which Matt and Laura went back to everyday while they relaxed for the weekend in Amsterdam with visionary food entrepreneurs Xavier and Eliza, the founders of <a href="http://goaddistours.com/">Go Addis</a> and <a href="http://gokigalitours.com/">Go Kigali tours</a>.</li></ul>The key takeaway from the trip: Europe is primed and ready for impact investing to take hold and become the major connection between sources of capital and opportunities in Africa. We expect big things for the two countries visited and for the Impact Angel Network’s increasing presence in Europe in the coming years.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/2017_0_e67b85d746.jpg"></figure>

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The Impact Angel Network Grows in Europe

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Our Favorite Resources This Month</h1>This month, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite, most thought-provoking articles. They range from Swedish startups, to the effect daughters have on hiring, to key tactics from Amazon, and lastly, assertiveness in the workplace. We hope you enjoy reading through these articles as much as we did.1. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/09/sweden-startups/541413/ target=">Why Does Sweden Have So Many Start-Ups?</a>: How a tiny country with high government spending bred a large number of vibrant young businesses.&nbsp;Stockholm produces the second-highest number of billion-dollar tech companies per capita after Silicon Valley.2. <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21729801-daughters-have-effect-hiring-policies-which-leads-greater-success-venture target=">Venture capitalists with daughters are more successful</a>: Daughters have an effect on hiring policies, which leads to greater success by avoiding consensus-driven groupthink. Gender diversity in business increases the diversity of thought, which leads to better decision-making.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:97.38%;"><img src="/uploads/knowledge_resources_1ec9bf8b72.jpg"><figcaption>Source: <a href="https://empower.eadtu.eu/fields-of-expertise/the-management-and-use-of-knowledge-resources/introduction/53-the-management-and-use-of-knowledge-resources">Empower: Higher Education</a></figcaption></figure>3. <a href="http://firstround.com/review/amazons-friction-killing-tactics-to-make-products-more-seamless/ target=">Amazon’s Friction-Killing Tactics To Make Products More Seamless</a>:&nbsp;Friction is an obstacle that prevents a user from trying or using a product or service. Although the lessons are for online products, there are insights for small businesses in the offline retail.4. <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40474378/how-to-be-more-assertive-at-work-when-thats-just-not-your-personality target=">How To Be More Assertive At Work When That’s Just Not Your Personality</a>: It’s your job to ask for things. Here’s how to be more comfortable with getting what you want.

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Our Favorite Resources This Month

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Mindset</h1>We recently finished our first <a href="">Executive's Program.</a> This article is a sneak peak at some of the content we cover during the program. If you are interested in participating in a future cohort, please <a href="">email</a> us.&nbsp;Let’s get right into it: Your mindset – specifically how you think and speak – is the most important habit to master and the defining characteristic of successful people. If your mind and words are consistently focused on success, you will succeed. Think it, speak it, and it happens.This month, I continued my study of top performers and their habits. Here is what I learned they all share in common about the mindset habit.<ul><li>They have a great morning routine: In my last email I give 10 steps to have a great morning (see below). A quality, morning routine is something almost all top performers do. Why? The morning impacts the rest of their day. If it starts bad, it’s hard to correct. So top performers engineer success into their mornings, creating a flywheel that carries them throughout the day. Their meditation, journaling, exercise and diet get their mind focused on success. So, engineer your mornings for success.<ul><li>They carefully manage their thoughts: I know too many negative people; which means I know too many people that will struggle for success. The unsuccessful complain – about their work, their feelings, their energy, their staff, other people. They get into and stay in a state of negative thinking and negative speaking. Top performers interrupt that pattern. When a negative thought comes into their mind they head it off, quick. They: 1) turn on a positive song; 2) step out into the fresh air; 3) write in their journal; 4) close their eyes and connect with a larger purpose; 5) go for a mid-day run; 6) meditate; 7) read their vision and mission statement (the purpose of a good vision is to inspire you when things are tough – remember?), or any combination of these. Top performers know they cannot stop the negative world around them. Rather, they master controlling negativity as it flies at them. What I have read is that, within 6 weeks of focused thought training, people can rewire their thought patterns to stay in the positive.</li></ul></li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/michael_jordan_0_393de17072.jpg"><figcaption>Source: <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/us-sports/nba-dunk-contest-dr-js-slam-still-soars-above-all-others/news-story/bd61fdd669be8ea56586694d60f61218">The Daily Telegraph: Feb. 11, 2016</a></figcaption></figure><ul><li>They mind their words: Closely related to prior point, your mind and mouth create a feedback loop – they reinforce each other in the positive and negative directions. Top performers say far fewer negative words. They choose to consciously not say negative things because they know the damage it creates in their mind and in the minds of others. One trick they use: Replace the word BUT with AND. For example, “Matt, that idea is interesting, BUT I don’t think it will work because not sharing your thoughts seems fake.” Here is an alternative: “Matt, that idea is interesting, AND…I see how my words can reinforce my thoughts and impact others around me.” Notice how AND forces you to be open. BUT shuts off conversation and innovation.<ul><li>They recharge: The successful know that to play hard they must recharge, frequently. They know 5 hours of rock star performance is better than 10 hours of OK performance. Here are some recharge habits I have found that the successful do: 1) cooking with their spouse, 2) exercise, 3) reading, 4) and playing with their kids (dogs in my case). If their energy is low, they happily recharge.</li></ul></li></ul>

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Mindset

<h1 style="text-align:center;">From Brazil to Ethiopia</h1>When you move to a country like Ethiopia, one of the first questions people ask is “where are you from?” and when I reply that I am from Brazil, I usually get a mixture of positive and curious reactions which allows me to engage with people and to start a conversation.In my pursuit to work closer to impact investments since I finished my master’s degree, I decided, together with my boyfriend, to look for opportunities in East Africa, in which both of us hoped to find experiences that would change our lives.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/renata_0_bbafde9618.jpg"></figure>Before we decided to move to Ethiopia, my boyfriend was already in country working for a mission, and on a short trip to Lalibela, he met with a young man named <a href="../2016/research-due-diligence-and-football.html">Sebastiaan Howle</a> who was finishing a summer internship at an impact investing firm based in Addis Ababa: RENEW.A few minutes later, my boyfriend sent me an e-mail to look into RENEW. That’s when it all started. I was back in Brazil, working for an accelerator for social impact businesses but I wanted to know more about this part of the world, experience the challenges and learn about doing business here. I found a lot on RENEW’s website, blog posts, podcasts, and the impact report, to understand more about the company, but mostly to learn about Ethiopia’s business environment.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/img_20170716_131928705_1_b91cbfa9e7.jpg"></figure>I was fascinated with the type of businesses that made up the portfolio companies. This was when I first read about a company exporting fresh injera to the U.S., for example. For most people in Brazil, and I would say even South America in general, this part of the world seems so distant, so different, but what I discovered is that there are a lot of lessons and experiences to be shared. Like Ethiopia, Brazil is also a country majorly focused on agribusiness, exporting coffee, a country of creative and entrepreneurial people, of family businesses developing into larger companies. In fact, I believe there are many lessons to be learned, and I recognize how my professional background coming from an emerging market helped me to navigate in the ecosystem here. But I’ve also learned so much with the entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, with their passion and persistence to achieve their vision, the commitment with employees and the community.&nbsp;I am glad that I pursued my goal to work with impact investing in Africa and I am lucky that a random encounter in Lalibela made me aware of RENEW.I will continue to follow my goals persistently and endure in the journey of achieving them and I hope to get a little bit of luck along the way too.