In early September, AVPN organized a small roundtable meeting for our members in Singapore to interact and to learn more about a visiting member – Leapfrog Labs & Investments. The session proved to be an insightful look into impact investing in the insurance sector for developing countries, which has been an overlooked area. By focusing on this, Leapfrog Investments allow the most vulnerable sections of society to be protected by safety-nets, provide them with a springboard to make bigger investments, and the ability to scale these projects in order to make a dent on mass poverty.
Launched with President Bill Clinton in 2008, LeapFrog Investments aim to provide protection to millions of people against life’s tragedies and ending cycles of poverty. LeapFrog Labs, on the other hand, is the not-for-profit arm, which provides technical assistance for the deals and serves as an innovation hub. It helps to identify and fund improvement projects, and allows investees to pursue game changer projects whilst limiting the financial downside and/or bring in expertise otherwise not available.
The attendees were particularly interested to find out how the model works and the details regarding the success cases in Africa and Asia, which include the Shriram Group in India, and All Life in South Africa that provides life insurance to people with HIV. At the end, they were also interested to find out if the projects and models could be applicable in other parts of Asia, how they could possibly invest in it and to promote this to other philanthropists. As a value-add to our members, AVPN regularly arranges for such targeted meetings for more intimate discussions and deeper engagements amongst our members.
LeapFrog Labs & Investments is a member of AVPN. For more information about our members, visit our member directory at: /member-directory/