Boond: Micro-franchising for Achieving Scale in Social Impact

In October 2009, when I was a speaker at the Micro-Finance India Summit, I was truly humbled and awed by the entrepreneurs I met, some fresh out of college, who shared their business plans (ventures in various stages of development) with me. One thing that was common to all was that they took on great risk (financial, social, time investment) with amazing optimism and a can-do attitude. One such entrepreneur is Rustam Sengupta who has founded a for-profit social enterprise "Boond" (which in Sanskrit means a drop). I was captivated by the ambition reflected in the vision & mission: “Reach 1 million individuals with light, clean water and pest control by 2012”. But even more so by the fact that scale was integrated into the strategy and operations from the get-go. "Boond’s mission is to bring development to the poor living in remote areas of India through the specially designed Boond Development Kit. The specially designed kit consist of a Solar lamp, a water filter and a mosquito net and is sold through local villagers with 3/6/9 month financing schemes to make it affordable for the BPL household."
The unique aspect of Boond is its strategy to reach its market - the prepackaged kit is sold through the Boond Officer: Boond has put together a micro-franchising solution: a kit, a reseller and financing.

Boond development kit customers live in remote places that are hard to reach and without proper market infrastructure. So meet Boond Officer Bikash: a native of Manipur who teaches young children in the local school and earns about Rs. 2600 (US$58) a month. He is a talented singer and dancer, immensely passionate about Boond products, and has set a target for selling 30 kits in a month. The village he targets has less than 10% electricity coverage and no running water.

Boond has created a very low-cost solution: with just $20 a financier can empower a villager to deploy the kit.

I believe that the biggest development challenge for India is reaching, enabling and developing the rural market in spite of development in the metros. Boond has created a solution. "In India, nearly 300 million people still live in complete darkness while WHO statistics highlight that a million every year die from water borne diseases. Boond believes that these are the two biggest development challenges we face and can be surmounted by a collective effort of ordinary individuals. Malaria, nearly eradicated from the Western world still kills nearly 300,000 people a year and we believe that this is unacceptable since it’s easily preventable for a low cost. Boond is also trying to change the peoples mindset through its website and campaigns (www.boond.net) and encourages collective action to fight the biggest challenges faced by India today – Light, Clean Water and Pest Control" says Rustam.

Is All Entrepreneurship Social?

Carl Schramm makes the case in a Stanford Social Innovation Review article that all entrepreneurship is social. "Let’s not overlook what traditional entrepreneurs contribute to society" he worries and provides several cases (largely in a US context) to support the thesis.

This is a question I used to struggle with but in the last year I have developed a position: All entrepreneurship is not social. That is because we do not live in an ideal world. The cost of development is disproportionately born by the poor (think toxic e-waste for one), often willingly, in the name of progress. In India, despite high growth rates in the last 10 years and a burgeoning middle class, the poverty indicators as measured by opportunity (i.e. basic food, education and health-care access) have actually declined- creating social tension that rips the very fabric of the unique Indian ethos. So like quotas and affirmative action - in an ideal world we wouldn't need them; but till there is equal opportunity for all we do. Similarly ideally, all entrepreneurship is social - but only if there is equal opportunity. Till then, it is merely obfuscation to blur the line between business motivated by social impact and business.

The irony is that in India where entrepreneurs actually do social good, creating local jobs, innovation and creating a market at the bottom of the pyramid, the term social entrepreneur is relatively unknown and if known draws wonderment - because isn't all entrepreneurship social? In their case I agree. It takes a lot of guts to be an entrepreneur in a developing econnomy because the cost of failure is high while there is safety in a job or joining the family business that serves the developed economy.

Netizenship - Do and Don't

Help yourself - Be a Good Net-izen.


In a professional context, the best thing about e-communication is that distance becomes irrelevant. It is also the worst.They say that words once spoken can never be taken back. Hence think twice speak once. But spoken words only live on in the memory of the listeners and speech is accompanied with physical cues which gives us a chance to resolve miscommunication. E-words, on the other hand, live on in perpetuity; for a search engine to discover, out of context, out of date. The probability of leaving others with impressions of ourselves we never intended is greatly enhanced. Second, e-communication may be the first order contact to be followed by in-person, if all goes well. So home-grown conventions have been developed but they vary. My rule is better safe than sorry. From daily email to social media sites, blogs e-behavior that wins friends and influences people is somewhat of a mystery. There is no e-Miss Manners to save me for getting that foot into my mouth (and remember it stays there). Social entrepreneurs must communicate with a variety of people; people very different from ourselves but possibly sympathetic to our cause. So experiences can be enhanced for all parties with simple net-iquette.

e-mail: be factual, be non-judgmental. Keep it short - it is not the place to vent your feelings, opinions. Do document decisions after a meeting. Always acknowledge even if to say there will be no follow-up. If resolving an issue - do not go back and forth more than 3 times. If not resolved after 3 iterations, e-mail will not resolve it. There is no excuse for not following up on email (includes CEOs- if only to delegate - convention varies on this between India and US - but I know when I get a reply from an admin - I think the CEO is old-school - not net savvy and hence - is he/she worth my time? ).

social media sites - advantage is that such sites already impose a certain amount of discipline. Studies have shown that teenagers actually benefit from the open group interaction because they are motivated bu having as many friends as possible. But still, before posting that pic, ask yourself - how many people are interested in seeing my cross eyed drunken face captured at the last party? Not even you.

blogs: decide what the blog is about and deliver what you promise. Its not how often you write, its what you write. Simplest way to start is - as the name says - a personal log of things that interest you. Blogs are a great way to espouse your cause as long as that cause is not you.

websites- Do create a personal (or professional) website - this is the place to brag about yourself/your organization/your team. - as long as it is the truth. Easy navigation, process, policy, values clearly stated will set you apart from others and create an aura of openness, fairness. Initially you can treat a website like a resume. If you are adept, a website is a great way to communicate your mission, vision and build supporters. It grows as you grow and saves time in the long run by reducing replication of work.

Finally a word about Humor - Don't. Unless you are a professional you won't get away with it. That is because humor is context sensitive, time sensitive. However, do take a light friendly tone (free of overt status verbiage - a problem in India more than US). Save that for in-person. If you become an expert there (you can see who laughed and who didn't) you can then try it - maybe - on your blog, fb update.

Want To Design a Mobile Phone? LG Announcement

SAN DIEGO – March 16, 2010 - LG Mobile Phones, the fastest growing mobile phone brand in North America, is partnering with crowdSPRING, an online marketplace for creative services, and Autodesk, a leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, to hold an innovative competition to define the future of mobile communication. Starting on March 15th, LG Mobile Phones will give consumers the chance to design their vision of the next revolutionary LG mobile phone and compete for more than $80,000 in prizes.


The competition will award over 40 winners. The first place winner will be awarded $20,000, one Wacom Intuos4 medium tablet, and Autodesk industrial design software. The second place winner will be awarded $10,000 and Autodesk SketchBook Pro software, and the third place winner will be awarded $5,000 and Autodesk SketchBook Pro software. To reward as many people as possible in the name of creativity, LG will also be giving out a whopping 37 honorable mentions at $1,000 each.

This year’s competition marks the inaugural participation of Russell Bobbitt, a world renowned movie prop master. Bobbitt has worked on a variety of visually stunning films such as Star Trek, Iron Man and Iron Man 2™. He recently received the prestigious “Behind the Camera” prop master award for his work on the first Iron Man film. Bobbitt will serve as a guest judge to reward one contestant’s cutting-edge design with the Prop Master’s Choice award. The contestant’s design will then be created into a non-working mock-up that could wind up in Bobbitt’s next blockbuster film. The Prop Master’s Choice winner will also receive $3,000 plus Autodesk SketchBook Pro software.

“We’re very excited about this competition because it gives consumers and design enthusiasts all a chance to exercise their creative imaginations and have their ideas be heard,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of marketing and innovation for LG Mobile Phones. “You don’t have to work for LG to make an impact on the future of mobile phones.”

Autodesk will supply participants with a free 15-day trial of SketchBook Pro, a paint and drawing application for use on the Mac or PC. It offers an intuitive, streamlined user interface so even new users can be productive within minutes. The 15-day trial will give all competitors access to industry-leading professional design software and levels the playing field for professional and amateur designers alike to create the phone of their dreams.

“We’re thrilled to partner with LG and Autodesk on this innovative design challenge. The challenge represents the real power of crowdsourcing - by allowing anyone to have the opportunity to design the next generation mobile phone for a global leader,” said Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING. With a pool of over 55,000 designers and writers in more than 170 countries, crowdSPRING is one of the world’s largest creative communities and is an open platform where anyone can post projects or submit entries. Both seasoned and aspiring designers can submit their entries until April 26th at www.crowdspring.com/LG.
Competition Details
Eligibility: Any U.S. resident (citizen or green card holder) that is 18 years (or age of majority in state of residence) and older

Start and End Dates: The competition begins on March 15, 2010, at 12 a.m. PST and ends on April 26, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. PST

Winners will be announced on May 14, 2010 at www.crowdspring.com/LG/winners.

Social Good is Also a Business- MC Hammer at e-week

These words, doing social good is also a business, music to my ears, came from MC Hammer at the eweek event "The Power of Social Technology". Unfortunately they came right at the end and I didn't get to ask him specifics. But still, having him say it at an entrepreneurship event was good. The panel of experts which included Robert Scoble and Loic Le Meur, shared tips and personal experiences around social media engagement. I was there to find out "why you don’t need money or power to ignite seismic (seesmic - get it?) social change." Well, I was far from convinced, but certainly a good time was had by all and nobody was sleeping - granted - it was lunch time and all around me were scarfing sandwiches. And, it was interesting to see in real time how, even as each panelist logged into their twitter stream, attendees sent messages. So:
- Social software never sleeps: the world is moving fast - its real time -so 24/7 engagement is important - solution is to get a partner in another time zone (not wear yourself to the bone). Loic said his company has no PR department - just 2-3 people managing social media engagement.
- Always try to add value - social media are great source of information: eg. if you are interested in a VC follow him/her on twitter; or follow those who follow them etc. - find out how you add value and pitch to the right people - network in person after getting informed
- Content is king- Don't get caught up in the tools- Before you engage find out what you are passionate about, develop a voice that is personal but also amenable to being a brand

GSB dean made some good points:
- Social media - fastest communication medium today
- increases need for traditional content (else nothing to tweet about)
- is not a substitute but a complement to current tools
- finding a vice on twitter et al is hard - balance your personal voice with the institutional voice

Bottom line - work hard and smart and social media is your ally in getting eyeballs - which can lead to heart and mind.

Social Entrepreneurship During Stanford E-week Feb 21-28

The annual Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford, is February 21-28, 2010 and this year we have more events dedicated to celebrating social entrepreneurship and clean-tech than ever before. These are 2 events I am helping organise which are free and open to all:

February 26, Cordura Hall,9-6: Relief 2.0 in Haiti: Enabling Agile Crisis Response with Entrepreneurship In Relief 2.0 we'll take an inside look at an emergent phenomenon - Agile Crisis Response made possible by social ventures, social media, crowdsourced solutions and other entrepreneurial approaches. We will look at lessons learned and how we might rethink and redesign the way we approach disaster relief and rebuilding, starting with Haiti’s reconstruction effort.

February 28, Wallenberg Hall, 3-5: Structures for Social Enterprise: Panel and Showcase- this lively panel discussion features social entrepreneurs Kjerstin Erickson (FORGEnow.org), Eve Blossom (Lulan.com), and Esther Kim (REDF.org). Moderated by Kriss Deiglmeier, executive director for the Center for Social Innovation, the panel will discuss nonprofit, for-profit and hybrid models for starting and growing a social enterprise. From 4-5 p.m., mingle with entrepreneurs at a fair showcasing their intriguing early-stage social ventures. Social entrepreneurs available for interaction during the showcase are:

Lloyd Nimetz: Blitz Bazaar: Starting and Creating a Movement
Akshay Kothari, Kapeesh Saraf: Design for Extreme Affordability Workshop
Varun Jain: E4SI: Engineers for Social Impact
Anu Mahal: Development Alternatives
Carlos Miranda Levy, Margarita Quihuis: How Social Media Allows Us to Instantly Organize for Crisis Intervention
Viji Dilip: Bookshare International: Reaching Out to the Print Disabled in Developing Nations
DC Jayasundera: Rural Returns: Better Value Chains for the Rural Poor
Rodrigo Santibanez: Puentes Global: Non-Profit International Employment Agency for Low-Income Workers

Additionally the Graduate School of business has a panel discussion on social entrepreneurship on 26th afternoon as part of their annual entrepreneurship day

Newsprint: Does it Deserve to Die?

I confess. I am a newspaper subscriber. But for how long? Newspapers are more than news. These days one could argue that newspapers aren't about news at all because a print headline is by definition a day old (compared to TV, Internet, Grapevine). So what is the "more" part? It is a trust I have in print, that I do not have in the other named sources, that information is somehow more authentic, more unbiased. This is the "burden of legacy" of print media. I read stuff on the Internet and I feel compelled to triangulate fact, author credentials etc. but if I read it in a paper, it is gold. Well, no more. Pieces like David Broder's adulation of Sarah Palin "pitch perfect populist message" somehow gain weight by being op-eds. I am depressed, lose faith in my fellow Americans especially women. And then later, I read in small print, in an easy to miss place, that on the same day a nationwide poll showing that 71% of Americans say Palin is unqualified to be president. I feel betrayed; I lose trust in print. Become cynical. Its just another information source. Anything for an alliteration.

Business is built on trust and it is getting harder and harder to trust pundits who pontificate in print.

3 Tips for a successful internship

A successful salesman "sets customer expectations and then meets (or barely exceeds) them." The first time I heard this was at an HP training event and it has stuck with me ever since. The wisdom in this strategy is undeniable- oversell and the customer is disappointed (or worse, loses trust); undersell and you risk losing the sale altogether. However, setting and meeting expectations is a skill- not always easy to do. Social entrepreneurship is all about selling (your idea, your business plan, your dream, your team .... whatever) and internships are a great way to hone selling skills because an intern has the benefits of a student status, yet is exposed to real life ambiguity. If you have secured an internship, it means the employer has already made an investment (time and /or money) in you. The top 3 things an intern can do are:


Do the Research: Before your first day on the job - research the company, industry and their strengths. Examine your own background and identify skills or reasons why the company wants to invest in you. If you can, figure out a way to make a contribution that would be beyond expectations or make that a goal during internship. Read related professional journals, magazines; keep up with the latest developments

Attitude- Professional, positive, punctual, enthusiastic: Its a job and all the rules of professional conduct apply. Stay away from gossip and drama and make sure to offer to do some grunt work. However, take advantage of your student status to ask questions beyond the scope of the internship. Network with people who interest you professionally. If possible find somebody who will let you shadow them to a relevant meeting. All this of course, providing you have met your assigned internships tasks - (meet and only then exceed). If you can, find a mentor in the organisation. If things go wrong don't take it personally- help others if you can.

Followup: Closure is important. Ask for feedback; ask if you can keep in touch; prepare some written reports; give feedback professionally keeping it factual and unemotional. Above all, remember that the employer wants you to succeed just as much as you do. Make sure they know you understand that.

Go ahead - make it a win-win and convert an internship into a job offer. You can do it!

Trend-spotting and ecars

On January 18th my inbox had an email : My Alerts: NYT-ecars (5 articles) which made me sit up immediately. I know, you are wondering: why? You see, my strategy for alerts is minimalistic: I put alerts for what I think are obscure topics from a media perspective- so I am not bothered by those pesky emails. It's not just a matter of self defense (or your inbox will overtake you) - its also because I use alerts are for trend-spotting. In the long-long time that I have had an alert out for ecars, I don't think I have seen a total of 5 articles in the New York Times and here I am - 5 in one alert! Not only that - these were good stories:

Renault Pledges to Keep a French Factory Busy
By DAVID JOLLY (NYT) : Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Renault, met with French officials to address concerns that the carmaker was intent on sending jobs to Turkey.

Renault Pledges to Build New Electric Vehicle in France
By DAVID JOLLY (NYT) : Renault said it would split production of its new Clio model between France and Turkey and would produce its new electric vehicle entirely in a plant near Paris.

Finally, Some Electricity in the Air
By LAWRENCE ULRICH (NYT) : With some storied brands dead or dying, and upper-crust manufacturers as no-shows in Detroit, the show floor had room for Chinese hybrids, Korean electrics and more.

Chinese Maker Hopes to Offer Electric Car for U.S. by Year-End
By NICK BUNKLEY (NYT) : Many Chinese companies have planned. BYD Auto is better prepared.

A Future That Doesn’t Guzzle
By BILL VLASIC and NICK BUNKLEY (NYT) : Automakers unveiled many hybrid gas-electric and battery-powered cars at the Detroit auto show, a sign of how much emphasis is being placed on the electrification of vehicles.

So of course I followed up;  read that the Nano (TATA) had created a stir at the Detroit Auto show - I follow Reva, Tesla and Nano -  and of course read that Tesla is planning IPO. The San Jose Mercury News is having a week of Green Jobs. I could have almost predicted my most recent alert (and you can too right?)
On Feb 1 my inbox has an email: My Alerts: NYT-ecars (2 articles):

An Electric Boost for Bicyclists
By J. DAVID GOODMAN (NYT) : The booming Chinese electric-bike industry is spurring impressive sales in India, Europe and the U.S.

Tesla Motors Plans Public Offering to Raise $100 Million
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER (NYT) : The filing from Tesla Motors represents a landmark in the resurgence of electric car technology that most car makers until recently had dismissed as impractical.

Yup - it sure feels good to predict a headline.

E4SI - Internship Apps Available Jan 29th

E4SI internship applications available - Jan 29th, 2010. In the last two editions, the top 5% of applicants from among India's top 15 engineering schools were accepted as Engineers for Social Impact Fellows. Our Fellows participated in challenging and highly entrepreneurial immersion experiences at leading for-profit enterprises such as iDiscoveri, D.Light, SELCO, Intellecap, Ujjivan and Vaatsalya. The assignments were diverse, across the sectors of energy, education, healthcare and financial services, and with multi-functional roles spanning research, policy, design and developing technology.