Remote Blogging: Skoll World Forum 2008 - Replication and Scale

At the recent Skoll World Forum, the Berkeley Bottom Line bloggers covered Dr. Paul Farmer’s speech following the Replication and Scale session. Diverging from discussions of business models and financial feasibility, Farmer offered a human touch to the idea of social entrepreneurship and scale. They quote from his speech:

BITS Pilani’s rural cooperative

In response to my previous post on the role of academic institutions in building entrepreneurs, Rachit pointed me out the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at BITS Pilani (yes, we do read your comments!)
The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) at BITS Pilani, was set up for that very purpose, to create entrepreneurial leaders and have a [...]

Tata Group’s foray into Social Entrepreneurship?

Business Standard reports that the Tata Group has launched a International Social Entrepreneurship Scheme in partnership with UC Berkley and University of Cambridge:
As part of the Tata International Social Entrepreneurship Scheme (TISES), the University of California, Berkeley and University of Cambridge will identify up to five students each from the undergraduate or higher study level, [...]

A New Fashion in Goodness

A refreshing op-ed, written by David Brooks in the NYTimes, focuses on the trend of social entrepreneurship. Titled “Thoroughly Modern Do-Gooders,” the article is overall positive about the field and lauds its pioneers as “some of the smartest and most creative people.” Brooks likens the field to a growing fad:

Fashions in goodness change, just like [...]

The Tech Museum Awards - March 24 Deadline

The deadline for The Tech Museum Awards is on Monday, March 24. Do you know of any worthy candidates from India?

The Tech Museum Awards is an international Awards program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity.

For example, D.R. Mehta was a 2007 Laureate who created an NGO in [...]

Change-Agent Profile: Shedding Light on Poverty

Change-Agent: Harsh Hande; Company: Selco 
From Deutsche Welle (Germany’s international broadcaster): 
   57 percent of the population in India has no electric light, and many would be unable to afford regular electricity even if it were available. But Harish Hande is working to improve the situation. He set up a company called Selco in Bangalore, which now supplies [...]

ThinkChange in NYC

Not to be confused with this blog (although all of the staff of ThinkChange India are members), a new organization called ThinkChange is a social entrepreneurship roundtable in New York City whose goal is to help ideas become real, sustainable projects. Here is an excerpt from their email invite:

CHANGE. What exactly does it [...]

ISB taking the lead in promoting Social Entrepreneurship

The Economic Times reports today that IT firm Helios and Matheson had tied up with the Indian School of Business to float a venture fund supporting social entrepreneurs:
The company will be leveraging on its association with ISB to select and study the feasibility of various entrepreneurship ideas. For instance, it is participating in [...]

Great Story: The Smartest Unknown Indian Entrepreneur

This story is inspiring on two levels: 1) that contextually specific hiring practices that are counter the norm are not only possible but scalable and efficient and 2) that caring in know way hinders the ability for this company to be a competitive and viable business.
Originally published in Forbes, ThinkChange India picked up the article [...]