Bangalore's social enterprises – 2020 redux

Bangalore's social enterprises – 2020 redux

January 04, 20204 mins

This 2012 piece where I catalogued Bangalore’s social enterprises (30 of them) continues to be a popular destination for Google searchers. This is a redux post – essentially a 2020 update just by…

Dropping the social in social entrepreneur

Dropping the social in social entrepreneur

September 07, 20161 mins

About 9 months into my TechSangam blogging journey (that would be circa 2012), I was one of the guest bloggers at the Villgro Unconvention 2011. I recall a discussion where panelists were asked to…

Why doing good with tech is hard

Why doing good with tech is hard

August 17, 20162 mins

The blog comes alive.. or should I say “starting to flicker” after years. Thanks to my morning Twitter timeline, I read this beautiful piece by Jonathan Stray (computer scientist and investigative…

World Bank India Development Marketplace: Finalist Review Part 1

World Bank India Development Marketplace: Finalist Review Part 1

May 29, 20133 mins

[Editor’s Note: The World Bank’s Development Marketplace (DM) is a competitive grants program that surfaces and funds innovative projects with high potential for development impact that are scalable…

Artha Platform, closed social enterprise version of Angel List, announces Challenge

Artha Platform, closed social enterprise version of Angel List, announces Challenge

May 28, 20132 mins

Pic courtesy arthaventurechallenge.com This post was supposed to be about Artha Venture Challenge (AVC) – a call for applications from social ventures across India operating in the sectors of…

Why you should attend Sankalp Forum 2013

Why you should attend Sankalp Forum 2013

April 15, 20133 mins

By now they should have changed the venue of Sankalp Forum from Mumbai to Bangalore. I attended the third edition of Sankalp in 2011. The only reason I missed it last year (and will sadly be missing…

Poor leap-frogging the rich?

Poor leap-frogging the rich?

April 04, 20132 mins

The 1600 INR Pollinate lamp (Pic courtesy theatlanticcities.com) Just read an intriguing Mother Jones article on the adoption of solar power in India’s slums. The two solar startups profiled in the…

Mentor or advisor? What do you need for your enterprise?

Mentor or advisor? What do you need for your enterprise?

February 22, 20134 mins

Pic courtesy cartoonstock.com [Editor’s Note: Ennovent, an early stage social investor fund which morphed into an accelerator of innovations for sustainability in low-income markets, recently hosted a…