Beyond Good Intentions
Global Social Benefit Incubator
Global Social Benefit Incubator 2008
Exercise 1: Target Market Statement
GSBI 2008
Contact Us
Press Room
India
Nov 25, 2008
Bill Drayton - Ashoka - A Magical Moment
Filed Under:
Global X had a chance to interview Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka, when they were both attending the Skoll World Forum 2008 in Oxford.
In this two-minute interview (the first of a series of four videos), Bill Drayton describes the magical instant when a social entrepreneur discovers that the moment to change social structure has arrived.
Listen to him as he begins to tell a story with these words: "I was in India as an undergraduate..."
That's when all the statistics over the difference in incomes became very real and personal for him. That's also when he realized that "the most powerful force in the world is a big pattern change idea, but only if it's in the hands of a very good entrepreneur."
Sep 23, 2008
Vikram Akula - SKS Microfinance
Filed Under:
Vikram Akula, CEO of SKS Microfinance, tells Global X how he designed a microfinance institution in a way that "you never have to say no to any poor person who is simply asking for an opportunity."
After working for an NGO, he went back to the University of Chicago to get his PhD and found out that the best way to scale was to:
1- Use a for-profit approach to access capital
2- Draw from best practices from the business world to overcome the constraints of capacity
3- Leverage technology to overcome the constraints of cost
And that's how SKS Microfinance was able to scale so quickly and now serves 1.5 million clients in India.
While in Zurich, Vikram Akula also shared a piece of advice with Global X: "Think big! Think in a way that has never been done!" It is undoubtedly because his goal was initially to eradicate poverty that he was able to achieve so much.
Aug 11, 2008
Tim Brown - IDEO
Filed Under:
Global X interviews Tim Brown, the CEO of IDEO, a global design firm that helps organizations and companies innovate around their products and services.
Tim Brown remembers that when he went to India with Jacqueline Novogratz (founder and CEO of Acumen Fund), he was impressed by the systemic thinking and level of innovation that Dr.Govindappa Venkataswamy (Dr. V) had brought to the Aravind Eye Care Hospital in Madurai.
It is now believed to be the best eye care and teaching facility in the world. The lesson?
"By trying to serve those who have the most needs, you can end up being truly innovative, to a point where those innovations have relevance not only in the developing world but in the developed world also."
Feb 26, 2008
Dhattatreya Hosagrahar - IIRM
Filed Under:
In this three-minute interview with Global X, Dhattatreya Hosagrahar, CEO of the Institute of Integrated Resource Management in India explains why he is helping the indigenous tribal people of Assam: "I had an accident in 2002..."He also describes his success metrics: "Our team members, who work day and night for the organization."
Watch this short interview then read the Unitus case study.
Feb 05, 2008
CS Ghosh - Bandhan
Filed Under:
Global X was recently in the Philippines, where he attended the Unitus Leadership Summit. He sat with CS Ghosh, founder and CEO of Bandhan, the Kolkata-based microfinance institution which ranked second in the Forbes' list of the world’s Top 50 MFI’s. You may want to read the Unitus case study here to understand the challenges and the solutions.
In this short (four minutes) interview, CS Ghosh tells Global X why he launched a social venture to help the poor in India and gives advice to fellow social entrepreneurs.
Three words: “Focus, focus, focus!”
Jan 22, 2008
Satish Somepalli - India
Filed Under:
GSBI 2007
Through THRIVE, Satish Somepalli provides low-cost LED lighting systems to rural areas where electricity is scarce. LED lights replace kerosene lamps, which are so expensive to use that they need to be subsidized by the Indian Government. They are also dangerous and do not produce much light compared to the energy they use.
Thrive's lamps are safe, consume very low power, provide clean and powerful lighting, and do not emit any smoke.
So says Satish Somepalli to Global X!
Jan 15, 2008
Rahul Bartaky - India
Filed Under:
GSBI 2007
Global X interviews Rahul Barkataky, founder of the Community Friendly Movement in New Delhi. CFM creates a global market for handmade products made by artisan communities, thus creating employment opportunities for those who are dependent on handicrafts for their livelihood.
Rahul Barkataky describes a project they launched in Gujarat, an area that was devastated by earthquake in 2001. CFM was able to provide US$10,000 to a group of 375 women --a very significant impact.
Much more remains to be done, but Rahul Barkataky is optimistic: "Poverty may not be completely eradicated ten years from now, but there will be more positive stories with real impact. It will be a better place than now."
Oct 09, 2007
David Lehr - India
Filed Under:
Acumen Fund Fellow - Class of 2007
In this two-minute interview, David Lehr tells Global X what he accomplished as an Acumen Fund Fellow in rural India. He found out how much patience and determination it takes to get impact at the bottom of the economic pyramid (a lot!) and tells Global X why he is not convinced about market research.
This is David Lehr's second interview with Global X. You may want to watch the first one here.
Sep 25, 2007
Nadaa Taiyab - India
Filed Under:
Acumen Fund Fellow - Class of 2007
While in New York the other day, Global X interviewed 2007 Acumen Fund Fellow Nadaa Taiyab, who just returned from Bombay where she worked for Medicine Shop India, an international chain of pharmacies.Nadaa Taiyab tells Global X how she was able to redesign a service conceived for the elite into a product successful with the urban poor.
Listen to her advice on how to sell a service to the urban poor: do a lot of marketing research (but not too much!) before launching, so that the design, pricing and overall offering are perfectly in sync with what customers who are at the bottom of the economic pyramid.
Watch Nadaa Taiyab in this short (four minutes) interview!
Sep 18, 2007
Adrien Couton - India
Filed Under:
Acumen Fund Fellow - Class of 2007
In this three-minute interview, Adrien Couton tells Global X why he is proud of his work with International Development Enterprises (India). He helped Amitabha Sadangi write a business plan to raise money for a profit-making venture, worked on exporting IDE's drip irrigation technology to Pakistan and East Africa, and looked into creating an SMS system for resellers to place orders.Adrien Couton proudly tells the story of Ms Patel, who doubled her income thanks to IDE's irrigation device. She was able to send her son to computer science school. And her family is now reunited as her husband doesn't need to work in Bombay six months a year! This is one of 4 million small farmers IDE is serving. The potential? 260 million in India only!
Dans cet entretien de trois minutes, Adrien Couton raconte à Global X ce qu’il a fait en Inde avec International Development Enterprises (India). Il a tout d’abord aidé Amitabha Sadangi a préparer un business plan pour soulever de l’argent pour une nouvelle entreprise, puis a travaillé à l’exportation vers le Pakistan et l’Afrique de l’Est de leur technologie d’irrigation par gouttes, et enfin amélioré les opérations en créant un système de SMS/Text pour passer les commandes.
Adrien Couton raconte l’histoire de Madame Patel, qui a réussi à doubler ses revenus grâce au système d’irrigation d’IDE-India, et a donc ainsi pu envoyer son fils dans une école d’informatique. Sa famille est maintenant reconstituée car son mari n’a plus besoin de s’exiler en ville six mois par an ! IDE-India aide quatre millions de petits fermiers comme Madame Patel. Le potentiel ? Au moins 260 millions, rien qu’en Inde !
Jun 26, 2007
Joe Madiath - Gram Vikas
Filed Under:
Social entrepreneur Joe Madiath, founder and executive director of Gram Vikas, tells Global X what happened when, at age 11, he tried to unionize the workers who were employed by his very own father. Within two months, he was in boarding school!You should also watch him as he describes how he sees the world in 2017. It's all about human dignity.
Apr 24, 2007
David Lehr - Acumen Fund Fellow
Filed Under:
At the Skoll World Forum, Global X interviewed David Lehr, an Acumen Fund Fellow based in India. Watch him as he tells the story of the woman who wanted to eat ice-cream at Baskin Robbins even though she was wearing a burka. He also told Global X what to expect 10 years from now, in 2017.Mar 26, 2007
Jacqueline Novogratz - Acumen Fund
Filed Under:
Global X had a little chat this morning with Jacqueline Novogratz (see picture here). He listened, mesmerized, as she told him what happened when 10 of the wealthiest people on earth met one of the poorest families in India. And what she is hoping for in 2017.Jan 26, 2006
Chindia (2/3)
China’s economy is about twice India’s, with annual growth rates of 9% compared with 6% for China. Why has India grown so slowly in the past 20 years compared to China?
Indian officials like to claim that democracy is the culprit, especially when they talk to Western experts. The reasoning goes like this: we want to change, open up the economy, privatize state-owned companies, streamline the bureaucracy... But democracy always gets in the way. The Indian press is free, and we have multi-party elections. We must work in an environment of coalitions and constant political opposition. China doesn’t have these constraints.
This is a lame excuse, of course. India has failed (comparatively to China) because the government has never concentrated on the fundamentals, especially infrastructure and women’s education. India may have excellent business leaders and outstanding computer and telecom engineers, but the highway network is in terrible shape, trains run on an unpredictable schedule and electricity is quite simply erratic. More than half Indian women are illiterate. And corruption and red tape are pervasive.
The facts:
• India has 200,000 km of highway (125,000 miles); China has 1.4 million km (870,000 miles).
• India spends $2.5 billion a year building roads; China spends 10 times as much ($25 billion).
• Shipping freight by rail costs three times as much in India as in China.
• Goods can take 12 weeks to reach the US from India. It takes less than three weeks from China. And geography is not the main reason.
• Electricity costs twice as much in India as in China.
The result, according to a recent Fortune article, is that “firms in India pay far more than rivals in China to produce, distribute, and export their products.” This has nothing to do with democracy, does it?
Global X also keeps a wireless mobile photo blog.
Indian officials like to claim that democracy is the culprit, especially when they talk to Western experts. The reasoning goes like this: we want to change, open up the economy, privatize state-owned companies, streamline the bureaucracy... But democracy always gets in the way. The Indian press is free, and we have multi-party elections. We must work in an environment of coalitions and constant political opposition. China doesn’t have these constraints.
This is a lame excuse, of course. India has failed (comparatively to China) because the government has never concentrated on the fundamentals, especially infrastructure and women’s education. India may have excellent business leaders and outstanding computer and telecom engineers, but the highway network is in terrible shape, trains run on an unpredictable schedule and electricity is quite simply erratic. More than half Indian women are illiterate. And corruption and red tape are pervasive.
The facts:
• India has 200,000 km of highway (125,000 miles); China has 1.4 million km (870,000 miles).
• India spends $2.5 billion a year building roads; China spends 10 times as much ($25 billion).
• Shipping freight by rail costs three times as much in India as in China.
• Goods can take 12 weeks to reach the US from India. It takes less than three weeks from China. And geography is not the main reason.
• Electricity costs twice as much in India as in China.
The result, according to a recent Fortune article, is that “firms in India pay far more than rivals in China to produce, distribute, and export their products.” This has nothing to do with democracy, does it?
Global X also keeps a wireless mobile photo blog.
Jan 24, 2006
Chindia (1/3)
Is India the new China? Last year, Davos was all about the Middle Kingdom. This year India is one of summit's eight main themes. Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech, will blog live from Switzerland and will undoubtedly report on what is being said (and not said) about India.
In the meantime, Global X thought it would be helpful to compare the two largest nations in the world (by population) and try to compare their paths.
Twenty years ago, India and China were very similar. Both were large, rural countries with GDP below $1 trillion and per capita income of less than $1 a day.
Interestingly, both countries opened up their economy at the same time. As soon as Mao died in 1976, China’s Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping moved away from a centralized economy. Starting in 1992, the Chinese economy was welcoming global competition and foreign trade. India opened its economy at the same time, when the IMF bailed out the country, thus averting default.
Today, India’s economy is about half China’s, with annual growth rates of 6% compared with 9% or more for China. A third of the Indian population still lives on less than $1 a day, while only 13% of Chinese do. China exports six times as much as India ($600 billion vs. $100 billion).
Global X also keeps a wireless mobile photo blog.
In the meantime, Global X thought it would be helpful to compare the two largest nations in the world (by population) and try to compare their paths.
Twenty years ago, India and China were very similar. Both were large, rural countries with GDP below $1 trillion and per capita income of less than $1 a day.
Interestingly, both countries opened up their economy at the same time. As soon as Mao died in 1976, China’s Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping moved away from a centralized economy. Starting in 1992, the Chinese economy was welcoming global competition and foreign trade. India opened its economy at the same time, when the IMF bailed out the country, thus averting default.
Today, India’s economy is about half China’s, with annual growth rates of 6% compared with 9% or more for China. A third of the Indian population still lives on less than $1 a day, while only 13% of Chinese do. China exports six times as much as India ($600 billion vs. $100 billion).
Global X also keeps a wireless mobile photo blog.
