Interview with Luke Filose, MBA student at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

CLICK on the player to listen to this eight minute interview, or on the link below to download the audio file to your desktop.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Download the Podcast

Luke Filose served in the Peace Corps in Mauritania from 2004 to 2005 after a career with international non-profits in the U.S. He had his first intensive overseas experience in Mauritania working with a micro-finance organization in a small town giving loans to women's groups. After Peace Corps he went to Chad to create a supply chain to distribute fuel-efficient cook stoves.

He is now an MBA student at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley and considers himself a social entrepreneur studying new skills. He defines social entrepreneurship broadly, ranging from small micro-loan businesses to big socially responsible corporations. The key is to look at poverty through the lens of entrepreneurship. He was inspired in the Peace Corps by the women's groups he was giving loans to. The women really wanted to take control of their lives and build a future. Mostly illiterate, but very entrepreneurial, they persisted and overcame very difficult obstacles.

Luke is a Board Fellow with Lenders for Community Development, a U.S. domestic microlending organization.  Lenders makes small business loans in the San Francisco Bay Area to give poor people an opportunity to get a foothold. He also worked with The Children of Uganda dance group that raises funds for HIV/AIDs orphans. He had just graduated from college when he encountered them at his job at a PR firm.  They inspired him so much that he fell in love with Africa and dedicated himself to helping others. He feels there is tremendous potential and entrepreneurship in Africa. 

His advice to fellow social entrepreneurs: “Keep an open mind and think big. Don't limit yourself to the non-profit world; big corporations and the civic sector are also part of the fight against poverty. And do not to forget your backyard – there is work that needs to be done close to home.”

CLICK on the player above to listen to her interview.

Feel free to leave a comment or a question below if you wish.