Posted on November 5, 2009 by Raj Melville
Another successful conference on Social Entrepreneurship was held on October 23rd, this time at Babson College in Boston’s Wellesley suburb. Details on the conference and photos were posted in a local e-magazine, Lokvani.com and are reproduced for those who could not attend. For details go to
http://blog.ambientengines.com
Filed under: Conference, Education, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, social Innovation, sustainable development | Tagged: Babson college, Boston, Carol Cone, Conference, ecosystem, Leonard Schlesinger, microfinance, non-profit, Pamela Hawley, Philanthropy, Pitch contest, Rural Education, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, social Innovation, Social Investment, sustainable development, venture philanthropy | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 22, 2009 by Raj Melville
To help jumpstart job growth in Massachusetts, a unique public/private partnership, Masschallenge.org, was launched earlier this year that hopes to attract hundreds if not thousands of interested entrepreneurs to Massachusetts by unveiling what it claims is the world’s largest business plan competition. It hopes to change the way business plans are run by providing the winning teams with $1 million in seed funding in six different categories. With these incentives from MassChallenge and the support of the Massachusetts Government, the many entries the “Social Development and Non-profit” category will attract could help create the next new growth cluster in the state. Read my comments on this at http://blog.ambientengines.com
Filed under: Investment, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, Venture Capital, non-profit, social Innovation, sustainable development, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Boston, business plan competition, ecosystem, Massachusetts, MassChallenge, Masschallenge.org, non-profit, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, social Innovation, Social Investment, Sustainable ventures, venture philanthropy | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 16, 2009 by Raj Melville
As a number of young entrepreneurs launch their social enterprises, one of the areas they all struggle with is attracting socially conscious investors. A challenge for all is how to evaluate a social focused business on metrics other than strict return on investment. More details at http://blog.ambientengines.com
Filed under: Conference, Investment, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, creative capitalism, non-profit, social Innovation, sustainable development, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Babson college, Conference, ForSE, New Profit, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, social Innovation, social Innovation forum, Social Investment, Sustainable ventures, venture philanthropy | Leave a Comment »
Posted on August 10, 2009 by Raj Melville
I do believe there is an appropriate role for government to play in encouraging growth in social innovation. The single most critical issue for a young, startup social entrepreneur is the lack of a well structured ecosystem to encourage social innovation. The government can be a transparent facilitator and address these issues and then get out of the way and let the market work its way.
Filed under: Investment, Philanthropy, Politics, Service, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, Venture Capital, non-profit, social Innovation, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Clayton Christensen, non-profit, Obama, Office of Social Innovation, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, social Innovation, Social Investment, venture philanthropy, White House | Leave a Comment »
Posted on August 3, 2009 by Raj Melville
Clayton Christensen recently opined in The Huffington Post about the role the White House Office of Social Innovation could play. He suggests “Bottom up ” initiatives are needed. However I think the real issue is not “bottom up” initiatives but a complete lack of a supporting social ecosystem to encourage radical innovation and nurture young social entrepreneurs.
Filed under: Investment, Philanthropy, Politics, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, Venture Capital, social Innovation, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Clayton Christensen, Echoing Green, New Profit, non-profit, Office of Social Innovation, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, social Innovation, Social Investment, Vanessa Kirsch, venture philanthropy, White House, yunus | 10 Comments »
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 11, 2009 by Raj Melville
I had gotten a copy of Acumen Fund founder, Jacqueline Novogratz’s, book “The Blue Sweater” a couple of months ago and had kept promising myself that I would read it. Once I started reading I was hooked. Before I knew it I had plowed through the entire volume. This is an extraordinary and powerful book.
Filed under: BOP, Health, Information Technology, Investment, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, international development, micro-finance, social Innovation, sustainable development, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Acumen Fund, BOP, Health, Information Technology, international development, micro-finance, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, social entrepreneurship, Social Impact, social Innovation, Social Investment, Sustainable ventures, venture philanthropy | 2 Comments »
Posted on April 22, 2009 by Raj Melville
Speaking at the Legatum Center’s Lecture series at MIT, Jacqueline Novogratz described the innovative work of Acumen fund and how it helps build social solutions through its venture philanthropy.
Filed under: Health, India, Investment, Micro-enterprises, Poverty, Sanitation, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, Water, international development, micro-finance, social Innovation, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Social Entrepreneur, Social Ecosystem, social Innovation, Health, microfinance, micro-finance, Water, international development, Social Business, Acumen Fund, Social Impact, Philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, Sustainable ventures | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 3, 2009 by Raj Melville
Interview on Social Entrepreneurship at Lokvani.com
Filed under: Micro-enterprises, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, micro-finance, microfinance, social Innovation, sustainable development, venture philanthropy | Tagged: Social Entrepreneur, Social Ecosystem, social Innovation, micro-finance, sustainable development, Social Business, sustainability, Social Impact, Philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, non-profit, Sustainable ventures, Service | Leave a Comment »
