A couple quick notes:

1. The Piramal Prize 2008 Finalist weekend is only 10 days away. We are in the final rounds of discussion to pick the 5-10 teams who we will come to Ahmedabad to compete for the prize. The ideas and plans we are dealing with are phenomenal – ranging from low cost low birth weight incubators to novel mechanisms for providing, free, sustainable group healthcare for all strata of society.
   
   Additionally, the entire finalist weekend is going to be broadcast by CNBC India in a show similar to The Apprentice. I forecast a pretty comical show where we will try (and probably fail) to add drama to the competition…but regardless it will be extremely entertaining. Who knows, I may get some airtime myself =).
   
   It is going to be exciting to see the end result of this competition and project.

   
   

2. Our website for Piramal Water is up and running thanks to Anand. Swing by and see what we have been upto. Most of the pretty pictures were shot by yours truly.
   
   

After spending the last year working on development through enterprise solutions, I thought it would be worthwhile to spend some time discussing social enterprise as a field/theory. Loosely defined, social enterprise is a business approach to solving social problems.

As a relatively new trend in development work, social enterprise is attractive for three reasons:

1. Sustainability – Unlike the classic charitable/NGO model to development work, as a business, a social enterprise generates revenue through its socially oriented product/services. Ideally, this revenue allows the social gain provided by the enterprise to continue in perpetuity. This is unlike the traditional development model which requires intermittent (sometimes constant) infusions of donor cash to stay afloat. When the cash flow dries up in the traditional model, so do the socially beneficial services. Therefore, social enterprises with their revenue streams can be more permanent solutions that create a longer lasting impact in their communities. Each project that I have come in contact with this year has stressed sustainability. To those undertaking social development there is extreme gratification knowing that projects and organizations you build will continue to run after you leave.

    

2. Scalability – It is the inherent nature of a business and enterprise to spread and expand. Social enterprise is no different. In order to survive and grow as businesses, social enterprises must develop solutions that can and will be implemented on scale, rather then just to address niche communities. Expansion is a must – every community must be seen as a potential market for both social and financial gain. At Piramal Water we’ve had countless meetings on how we can spread farther and faster. These discussions are not prompted by bravado, but rather our understanding that if we are not able to hit critical mass, our business is done. It creates a do-or-die mentality that permeates the air and really drives us forward. NGOs are not forced into this mentality and therefore sometimes do not strive for scale.

    

3. Profitability / Efficiency – A social enterprise must turn a profit at the end of the day, or at least break even. The idea of profitability is closely intertwined with the two reasons listed above, however, it has an interesting impact on the actual workings of the organization – it creates a culture of extreme efficiency. In order to make a profit at the low margins that almost all social enterprise operate on, an organization must be incredibly efficient. My personal experience so far with lasting social enterprises is that they are able to make every dollar and every minute count. People work harder and are more frugal with their funding reserves, because, unlike NGOs, a social enterprise cannot rely on donors (see above). It definitely creates an intriguing culture where individuals give up their normal work perks (A/C, Air travel, etc.) to save a buck. Knowing that opting for a ceiling fan instead of an AC might save you enough funds to expand services to an additional community adds an intriguing dimension to all decisions.

    

At the end of the day, a social enterprise is a lean business that will fight tooth and nail to expand, live, and impact communities. While social enterprises’ business nature makes survival difficult, organizations that persist and are self-sustaining, scalable, and efficient have potential on scale that no charitable model can rival.

Wow, it has been ages since I last posted and a lot has changed. My water project ended up creating quite a stir and has since been spun off into its own, venture capital supported, social enterprise named Piramal Water. There are currently four founding members, myself included, who are working for Piramal Water. Our aim is simple:

Provide pure, affordable, accessible drinking water to EVERYONE.

FYI, we plan to do this by installing community based reverse osmosis filters in villages across India and selling water for 25 paise per liter. This works out to about $2 a month for a family to drink pure, safe water. What really excites me is that the model we have developed is both sustainable and scalable – our five year plan puts us in 10,000 villages across India. We are going to change water health in India and abroad.

This shift happened in early April, and so far it has been a whirlwind learning experience. I find myself working in everything from embedded systems to business development and finances. Also, learning the ropes on how to start something new, and how to build an impactful organization is exciting. It feels great to finally get my feet wet in the world of business (and even better since we are aiming for social impact).

With these events, the focus of this blog will probably shift a bit. I’ll try throwing in as much as I can on the happenings of other social endeavors, but I will also mix in my experiences of building a social enterprise. I’ll try posting weekly.

Our previous featured changemakers have focused primarily on prevention and treatment of diseases in the developing world. However, an import and often overlooked step in the treatment equation is diagnosis. Researchers at University of Cambridge working with Diagnostics for the Real World have developed an innovative breakthrough in basic diagnosis of infectious diseases.

The Diagnostics Development Unit, together with Diagnostics for the Real World, invented technology to test for infectious diseases quickly and accurately.

In developing countries, infectious diseases go undetected because existing tests are slow, expensive, and require specialized facilities and skilled technicians. As a result, millions suffer debilitating, preventable diseases.

The two teams invented and developed the signal amplification system into a line of dipstick-style tests that are quick and easy to use and rugged enough to endure heat and high humidity. The tests are also extremely accurate at detecting serious and highly contagious diseases such as Chlamydia, hepatitis B, and Trachoma. They have helped prevent blindness among whole villages of children, reduced infertility in women, and protected people from infected blood transfusions.

This innovation has been award a 2007 Health Laureate award from the Tech Museum. To learn more, please visit their site.