How to get started with Twitter to get your message out

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Raj Melville

With the all the buzz about Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools, organizations feel pressured into incorporating these tools into their marketing arsenal. Non-profits specially are interested in leveraging social networks as cost effective sources of volunteers and supporters and are seeking ways to convert followers to funders and donors. All of them are looking for guidance in getting started. Based on my experience, I have compiled a quick list of do’s and don’ts that I hope will help get you started. Complete article at
http://blog.ambientengines.com

Filed under: Information Technology, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, non-profit | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

On CK Prahalad and his impact on social entrepreneurship

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: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Assured Labor – creating a mobile marketplace for jobs in emerging markets

Posted on April 10, 2010 by Raj Melville

In the fall of 2007, a group of young potential entrepreneurs struggled with a problem facing over half the developing world. As developing economies grew and provided new jobs, the infrastructure to communicate and broadcast the potential opportunities for employment was unable to keep up. The influx of migrant workers into urbanized centers provided a rich pool of available talent but the mechanisms for disseminating job needs were still rooted in the 19th century. The team seized on this opportunity to leverage the almost ubiquitous presence of cell phones in the developing world to provide a communications and matchmaking platform for employment. By providing an easy to use mobile platform connecting jobseekers with job opportunities, Assured Labor is providing a frictionless job placement approach that benefits employers and employees alike. Assured Labor is a prime example of the new wave of social entrepreneur bringing a for-profit business model to address some of the challenges facing the poor in developing countries. Read the complete post at
http://blog.ambientengines.com

Filed under: Information Technology, Latin America, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, mobile technology, social Innovation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Vijay Mahajan of BASIX on risks and results in microfinance

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Raj Melville

A good article that touches on some of the issues in my last post is a recent interview of Vijay Mahajan on the Credit Suisse website. In the interview Mr. Mahajan points out to some of the prerequisites for microfinance to pull people out of poverty. He also highlights the need to match investment growth in this sector to the available management capacity in order to avoid a bubble in the sector. Here are some extracts from his interview. Read the rest of the post at http://blog.ambientengines.com

Filed under: BOP, India, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, micro-finance, microfinance, social Innovation, sustainable development | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Grameen and Continuum partner to address talent gap in microfinance

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Raj Melville

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a panel discussion at Continuum, the design consultancy, on “Building Leadership in the Microfinace Sector”. The presentation and discussion centered around some very preliminary findings based on an initial field trip and set the stage for more detailed field research to be conducted later this year. I have outlined some of their observations at the meeting and my reaction to what I heard. Read the details at http://blog.ambientengines.com

Filed under: Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, micro-finance, microfinance, social Innovation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Another successful year for ForSE 2009

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

World’s largest Business plan competition looks to help social entrepreneurs

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Valuing Social Enterprises

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Using cell phones to change the world

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Raj Melville

Jhonatan Rotberg, was sent to MIT by Telmex, one of Latin America’s largest telcos, and teaches NextLab where he tries to bring cellular technology to the other 90 percent of the world. One of the labs startups, CelEdu, offers cellphone-based games and quizzes to teach basic literacy skills in India. Ranjani Saigal from the TIE Social Entrepreneurs Group helped connect CelEdu students to Tara Aakshar. Read the entire article at http://blog.ambientengines.com

Filed under: BOP, Information Technology, Poverty, Rural Development, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, bottom of the pyramid, international development, mobile technology, social Innovation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

ForSE 2009 Agenda Details

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Raj Melville

ForSE 2009: Forum for Social Entrepreneurs promises to continue the tradition of interactive and engaging forums that we have produced in the past. In-depth discussion with a panel of practitioners and experts in four parallel panels. Dissect the daily workings of a social entrepreneur and help brainstorm solutions. Refine your pitch and wow a panel of judges during the Pitching session. More agenda details at http://blog.ambientengines.com

Filed under: Conference, Philanthropy, Social Business, Social Ecosystem, Social Entrepreneur, micro-finance, non-profit, social Innovation, sustainable development, venture philanthropy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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