Posted on April 19, 2010 by Raj Melville
I, like many others, was saddened to hear of the untimely passing away of Prof. C. K. Prahalad. His career spanned over three decades during which time he introduced several innovative business ideas that quickly became mainstream. Perhaps his most widely influential work was his last book on “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” where he outlined his take on how corporations could profitably service the very large market that consists of the bottommost economic strata. You can read more at
http://blog.ambientengines.com
Filed under: BOP, India, Poverty, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, creative capitalism, social Innovation | Tagged: BOP, CK Prahalad, India, international development, Poverty, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, Sustainable ventures | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 23, 2010 by Raj Melville
Over 30 people from diverse backgrounds, but with a common interest in supporting organizations making significant social impact, gathered at Tantric India Bistro in Boston for the first of what will be a regular meeting on the First Monday of the Month. From the interest expressed since the launch, it is quickly becoming the “Go To” networking venue for folks interested in meeting others with a similar interest in innovative social impact. Read more about the next event on April 5 at http://blog.ambientengines.com
Filed under: India, Poverty, Social Ecosystem | Tagged: Bachpan Bachao Andolan, EDWON, Eye of the Day, Human Trafficking, India, Made by Survivors, Nepal, Networking event, Nivasa Foundation, non-profit, Peace, PeaceinFocus, Peacetones, Prosperity Candle, Social Impact, Sri Lanka, Tantric India Bistro, womens issues | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 11, 2009 by Raj Melville
In the past decade, much progress has been made in India and people have been justifiably proud of the improving economic situation. While most observers point to the top line numbers that show the number of people living below the “poverty line” has been consistently decreasing, by focusing on just these aseptic numbers, they fail to understand and capture the continuing anguish in the rural countryside.
Filed under: BOP, India, Poverty, Rural Consumer, Rural Development, Rural Education, Sanitation, Schools, bottom of the pyramid, water and sanitation | Tagged: Agricultural Development, BOP, George Foundation, India, Poverty, Rural Development, Rural Education, Shanti Bhavan, Social Impact, World Bank | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by Raj Melville
Couple of months ago we had the privilege to host Mr. N. Srinivasan in Boston. Mr. Srinivasan is the author of the ‘Microfinance in India: State of the Sector Report 2008’, was Chief General Manager of India’s National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) where he served for 25 years. Here are excerpts from an interview and Mr Srinivasan’s open letter to the Indian Government.
Filed under: Investment, Micro-enterprises, Social Ecosystem, micro-finance, microfinance, sustainable development | Tagged: microfinance, micro-finance, sustainable development, yunus, India, microcredit, savings, NABARD | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 16, 2009 by Raj Melville
For the first time TIECON EAST – TiE Boston’s annual conference on entrepreneurship and innovation – had a dedicated track on Social Enterprise. The three panels for the track were all well attended. Here are some excerpts from an article I wrote for Lokvani about the sessions.
Filed under: Agricultural Development, Conference, Food, Health, India, Information Technology, Investment, Micro-enterprises, Rural Development, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, environment, international development, micro-finance, microfinance, mobile technology, social Innovation, sustainability | Tagged: Social Entrepreneur, Social Ecosystem, Health, Conference, Rural Development, Agricultural Development, micro-finance, Boston, sustainable development, Social Business, sustainability, Social Impact, India, internet, microcredit, Information Technology, mobile technology, Sustainable ventures, Food Supply, TIECON | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 9, 2009 by Raj Melville
Bala Vishwanath, an IIT and IIM alum, saw an opportunity to multiply the social impact of every dollar, quit his job and worked to setup www.UnitedProsperity.org United Prosperity helps provide loan guarantees that enable poor entrepreneurs to borrow from Microfinance Institutions to build their enterprises in developing countries.
Filed under: India, Micro-enterprises, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, international development, micro-finance, microfinance, social Innovation, sustainable development | Tagged: Social Entrepreneur, Social Ecosystem, social Innovation, microfinance, micro-finance, sustainable development, yunus, Social Business, Social Impact, Philanthropy, Social Investment, India, microcredit, Kiva, United Prosperity | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 15, 2009 by Raj Melville
I recently visited India and was smack in the middle of the Indian elections. Wrote a short piece with my observations. Here is the entire piece from the original site www.Lokvani.com
Filed under: India, Politics | Tagged: India, Politics | 2 Comments »
Posted on May 6, 2009 by Raj Melville
I have been in India for the past week and one of the trends I have noticed is the increased focus on the rural market. Perhaps it is the ongoing elections or maybe the global recession, but companies across the board seem to have a renewed emphasis on targeting the rural consumer. Here are a few key facts that seem to stand out.
Filed under: Agricultural Development, BOP, India, Investment, Poverty, Rural Consumer, Rural Development, bottom of the pyramid, micro-finance, microfinance, mobile technology, sustainable development | Tagged: BOP, Coca Cola, eJeevika, GE, India, micro-finance, mobile technology, Poverty, rural BPO, Rural Consumer, Rural Development, Social Impact, sustainable development, Wall Street Journal, WIPRO | 3 Comments »
Posted on November 17, 2008 by Raj Melville
I have spent the last month visiting India. As always, it is an exciting and interesting experience. I have not been able to post regularly while traveling. I hope to resume in a week’s time after I return.
Filed under: Social Ecosystem | Tagged: India | 1 Comment »
Posted on September 30, 2008 by Raj Melville
I wrote an article recently on how Indian Americans can take a step towards increasing charitable giving. Equally applicable even if you are not an Indian American 
I have reproduced the entire article below.
Filed under: India, Philanthropy, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, creative capitalism, social Innovation, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Ashoka, charitable giving, charity, India, Indian Americans, NGO, non-profit, philanthropists, Philanthropy, volunteerism | Leave a Comment »
