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SPBD SPBD

Greg Casagrande in Tonga

in Samoa. Today we work throughout Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, the
INDEPTH Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

WITH GREG over this period?
IB: As founder, what has given you most satisfaction
GC: I always find tremendous joy meeting in the villages
CASAGRANDE with our many successful women micro-entrepreneurs. I
love hearing their stories about how they have taken charge
of their lives and are working hard and making the living and
South Pacific Business Development founder, Greg Casa- educational environment better for their families and espe-
grande is a “serial social entrepreneur”, founding not only cially their children. So many of our members have become
the SPBD microfinance network 20 years ago, but also Micro- fantastic leaders in their communities. They are especially
Dreams, a microfinance acceleration fund, and Transforma- inspiring.
tive Ventures LLC, a microfinance advisory company. Casa-
grande’s storied career has also seen him promote hi-tech IB: What is the biggest lesson you have learned?
entrepreneurship, and act as founding director of the Ice GC: I read a good quote many years ago that said, “if
Angels, Australasia’s largest angel investor group. Here he you want to go fast, travel alone, if you want to go far, go
reflects on SPBD’s 20 years, and the challenges and opportu- together.” My vision is for SPBD to be a permanent impact
nities 2020 brought the network.
organisation that is spread across the region. To achieve that
has required building excellent local teams in each one of
Islands Business: The SPBD network has just celebrated our markets. Building a great team is critical to achieving
its 20th anniversary. How has your vision evolved over sustained significant success. I am enormously proud of our
that time? excellent team throughout the region.
Greg Casagrande: SPBD began simply in the year 2000
with the vision of providing under-privileged Samoan women IB: Has anything surprised you about the way the net-
with the opportunity to obtain small unsecured loans to help work has developed?
them start and grow tiny income generating businesses so GC: Building a financially self-sufficient, sustainable and
that they could work their way up and out of poverty. Since highly impactful organisation that serves the grass roots com-
then, we have learned that there are several other impor- munities in nearly 2,000 villages across dozens of islands in
tant needs that we can also address. Today we provide a full five different Pacific Island nations has not been easy. There
range of financial and business development services includ- were many times, especially early on, that we could have
ing: affordable savings accounts, a variety of death benefits, failed. I understand clearly why so many well-intentioned
significant financial literacy education, heaps of micro, small similar, well-funded efforts have in fact failed. I think SPBD
and medium business training including our much lauded has great tenacity in its DNA. When I started, I would never
BLOOM programme, childhood education and higher educa- have imagined how difficult it would be. But the effort has
tion financing, basic housing improvement financing, several clearly been worth it.
different asset purchase financing programmes, solar pow-
ered equipment financing and distribution, regional seasonal IB: 2020 has been a difficult year for Pacific island
employee financing, remittance facilitation, mobile money economies, and many families have turned to micro and
transfers and more. Over the past twenty years we have also small enterprises for their economic survival. How has the
dramatically expanded our vision beyond the shores of Upolu

Islands Business, December 2020 33