Location: Delhi, India
Who: Former President, India

I had the distinct pleasure of attending an event where former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, delivered a speech on India’s prospects for a Knowledge Economy including Research, Education and Entrepreneurship. He was inspirational and down-to-earth while commenting about his Vision 2020.

Vision 2020 - Transforming the nation into a developed country, five areas in combination have been identified based on India’s core competence, natural resources and talented manpower for integrated action to double the growth rate of GDP and realize the Vision of Developed India.

In a motivating speech he also said three people play a very important role in a child’s life — the father, mother and the Primary School Teacher. It is  the responsibility of these three to instill and build confidence in a child.  

Dr. Kalam is the undisputed father of India’s missile program, an eminent scientist, a poet and a visionary for India. He holds the unique honor of receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions from all over the world. Also known as the “People’s President,” Dr. Kalam’s dedication to the betterment of the common man earned him enduring respect in India and abroad.

Dr.Kalam talked about his education and upbringing and shared a quote from his mentor which is true for anybody -

“The problem shoud not become the captain. You should be the captain and defeat the problem“.

Dr.Kalam’s next challenge is primary school education. More information can be found at his website - www.abdulkalam.com.

Location: Bangalore, India.
Company: Daily Dump

A new product-service company called Daily Dump just launched in Bangalore, India, with the goal of helping citizens achieve zero waste in their homes, offices, recreation facilities and businesses through composting.

Composting pots and vessels made of biodegradable terracotta in a variety of shapes and sizes can be purchased on the website, which features a guide to help customers choose which is right for their needs. Once clients have chosen the appropriate vessel for their needs, Daily Dump provides ongoing in-home service to help teach composting, maintain and adjust people’s piles, and deal with pests and keep the unit clean.

Like a cell phone company, they offer several different service plans depending on how self-sufficient their customers feel. They also encourage the development of micro-enterprise by training young people in compost pot design, composting and service. They even offer a gift option for gung-ho composters who want to convert skeptics and doubters and spread the zero-waste gospel.

In the meantime, they hope to inspire others to invest in composting.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Who: President, Kiva

A new breed of young social entrepreneurs is transforming the face of business around the world. In spite of all the greed and corruption being exposed even at the highest levels of government and business, a new generation of entrepreneurs is poised to sweep in with a new breed of ethics and social concern. Let us do our best to support these valiant social entrepreneurs, many of whom have sacrificed the possibility of huge fortunes to focus instead on the more meaningful and deeply satisfying work of building a better world for us       all.

I came to know about Kiva recently and was amazed by the simplicity of the idea, but the reach it can have globally. I also had a chance to meet Premal at TieCON 2007 and it was a pleasure to meet this 31 years old inspiring role model for me atleast.

Like me many of my colleagues want to do something for the under previledged but do not seem to get a start and Premal has shown what can be done if there is a will & desire to have an impact.

Hats off to you Premal!

Bio - Prior to Kiva, Premal was a Principal Product Manager at PayPal, an eBay company. During his 6 year career at PayPal, Premal drove a number of key initiatives including a year long project defining eBay’s role in economically empowering the global working poor. A number of corporate initiatives have come out of this effort, including PayPal’s support of Kiva. Prior to PayPal, Premal was a strategy consultant at Mercer Management Consulting in New York. Premal has had a long standing interest in microfinance. In 1997, he was awarded a grant from Stanford University to research microfinance in Gujarat, India. More recently Premal co-founded the Silicon Valley Microfinance Network and spent 2 months in India working to refine / validate Kiva’s model. Premal graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University.”

Please read Premal’s interview at Ramit’s blog

Click here if you would like to know more about Kiva or would like to make small loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance).

Location: Bangladesh
Who: Founder, Grameen Bank

There are many schemes out there aimed at assisting the exploited peoples of this world.

My inspiration for today is Professor Muhammad Yunus. He is a man who saw a need within his community and came up with a simple idea to meet that need. He used his time and his talent to use the resources he already had to hand for the good of many people. He started the micro-credit scheme that is now known as Grameen Bank and had no idea how many people it would reach.

Essentially it’s a simple loan service but the key ingredient here is that there is no interest – its simply a redistribution of wealth to assist others who want to start up their own businesses. There is no exploitation of the weak to keep the market competitive or strong – it’s a helping hand for the entrepreneur.

Prof Yunus and Grameen Bank is a testament to using your God-given talent to spend some time to think coherently about useful, practical ways of empowering people who feel helpless to help themselves. Inspirational? You betcha!

More information on Prof Yunus can be found here

Location - Bangalore, India
Who - Chairman & CEO, Wipro

Azim Premji had only one Vision – that was to build an organization on a foundation of Values. Under his leadership, the fledgling US$1.50 million company in hydrogenated cooking fats has grown to a US$1.3 billion organization serving customers across the globe. Today Wipro is an IT Services Company ranked among the top 100 Technology companies globally (by Business Week).

Some of his accolades are:

- Business Man of the Year 2000 by Business India.
- Time’s 100 most influential people in the world.
- Fortune’s list of 25 most powerful business leaders outside the US.
- Forbes’s list of ten people globally, who have the most “power to effect change”.
- Business Week’s “India’s Tech King”.
- Member, Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee for IT.

Premji founded the Azim Premji Foundation - working on providing elementary schooling to thousands of underprivileged children. The CSR effect has been creating a positive ripple in both society and the corporate world.

Below are some of the lessons learned as an exceprt from an address by Premji, organized by the All India Management Association (AIMA) in collaboration with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) on February 9, 2004 at NCPA in Mumbai on ” My Lessons in Life.

1. We must always begin with our strengths.
2. A rupee earned is of far more value than five found.
3. No one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some.
4. Importance of humility.
5. We must always strive for excellence.
6. Never give up in the face of adversity.
7. Do not compromise on your values.
8. Must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.

“Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.”

Thanks to introduction from Rafiq Dossani and help from Jessie Paul (CMO, Wipro) and Ayan Mukerji (VP, Wipro) I had a chance to invite Premji for a talk in Silicon Valley which was attended by well over 350+ senior executives. It is a pleasure to meet and listen to Premji live in Silicon Valley.

Location - New York, NY
Who - VP, Standard Bank & President, South African Chamber of Commerce America

Euvin Naidoo is a VP of South Africa’s Standard Bank. He’s also president of the South African Chamber of Commerce America; in this capacity, he works with leading corporations and governments to strengthen trans-Atlantic economic ties. A graduate of the Harvard Business School (MBA),Euvin was co-President of the Social Enterprise Club at HBS which examines the intersection of the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Euvin Naidoo wants to change your mind about Africa. Much of his work centers around reversing false or misleading impressions of the continent, which are widespread through the western world. Armed with facts, figures and a philosophical outlook, Naidoo helps his clients — and the wider public — see a more nuanced picture of the Africa he knows: one that’s large, diverse and full of potential. He offers persuasive reasons why the continent’s challenges should be reframed as opportunities, and why investing in Africa can make great business sense.

His talk is very inspiring and passionate and gives information about opportunities in Africa. I am sure you will love his talk.

Please visit TED2007 for Euvin’s talk.
 

Location - San Francisco, CA
Who - Founder & CEO, Room to Read

John is the Founder & CEO of Room to Read. He used to work for Microsoft before founding Room to Read.

John brings to Room to Read a vision for a scalable solution to developing world educational problems, an intense focus on results, and an ability to attract a world-class group of employees, volunteers, and investors. John focuses on long-term strategy, capital acquisition, public speaking, and media.

John was selected as the second recipient of the Draper Richards Fellowship, has twice been chosen for the Skoll Foundation award for social entrepreneurship, and has led Room to Read to three consecutive selections for the prestigious “Social Capitalist” by Fast Company magazine and the Monitor Group.

In 2004, he was named as one of Time Magazine’s “Asian Heroes” - the only non-Asian ever selected to receive this award. He is also the author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World (Harper Collins; September, 2006).

I had the pleasure of listening to the John at Software Conference. His speech was so heartfelt that he collected upwards of $25,000 during the donation round.

Then I had the pleasure of calling him to talk about his dynamic organization at the SIPA Annual Event and he was just phenomenal. Thank you John for sharing your story and founding this organization to educate the children in the developing countries.

Location: California, USA
Who: President, AIF & CFO, Shah Capital

American India Foundation, which is the largest Silicon Valley/India foundation. Founded in 2001 in response to the Gujarat earthquake, AIF now runs multiple programs. Lata Krishnan, also co-founded a billion dollar a year revenue company in technology before turning her hand to the social sector.

She was born in Kerala, moved to Kenya, came back to Jamshedpur briefly, and lived in London before finally settling down in California. She has been successful in beating the odds against cancer.

She was selected as Citizen of the Year from Rotary Club of Warm Springs for her charitable work and contributes a lot of time towards charitable causes, while taking the time to spend with her children is her priority.

She has inspired all those who’ve worked with her and gives hope to victims of cancer. She is a strong role model for women, and greatly respected.

One of her quotes is - “Children can be molded into good, caring people. They lose their way for a variety of reasons, broken homes, financial instability, etc. If I can help one child have a better future, it is meaningful. This is what I want to be remembered for. These are more notable than the sales and stock figures.“ 

I had heard about Lata Krishnan for quite sometime being in the valley, but was formally introduced to her by Bakul Joshi (President, Multiple Access CA) in 2005 for the SIPA Annual Event Keynote speech. She was just wonderful and inspirational! Thanks Bakul.

Social Entrepreneurs are people who have taken entrepreneurial initiative to give solutions to problems facing the society at large. These initiatives are not business or profit oriented but are focused towards the betterment of the society. This space is so vast that it may include areas like education, healthcare, etc. What we need today is a platform that would echo the thoughts of social entrepreneurs that would create waves to inspire many more to become one or atleast learn from the concepts shared. We plan to feature inspirational stories from Social Entrepreneurs that are creating ripples by creating sustainable businesses in the developing countries, and inspiring the new generation.

Read about inspiring people who have improved the lives of millions of people - Click Here