contagious passion for change

For our last full day in Mumbai, we made a site visit to the Bombay Hub. The hub is a laboratory for change that provides start up social entrepreneurs with a physical space to come together and work while discussing their ideas. The Hub provides social entrepreneurs with the opportunity to engage with others in the field that are passionate about social change. The space was incredibly welcoming not only because we walked around bare foot, but because the atmosphere in the space was filled with a contagious passion for success of the organizations.

UnLtd India is a seed fund and incubator for social entrepreneurs. They work with entrepreneurs in the start up phase by providing support to accelerate their program, develop as leaders, and prepare their organization for scaling and further investment. Within the current social entrepreneurship landscape, an individual starts with an idea, experiments with it, consolidates a model, and if all goes well the idea is fully conceptualized. The next level of support widely available is given after an entrepreneur has implemented their idea for three years. In between these two levels there isn’t much support and several ideas “die” in this phase. That is where UnLtd India comes in. Their mission is to encourage individuals to take action and not wait for the government or other non-profits to intervene. They solely work with start-ups that have a clear vision for social change by providing them with several support mechanisms within the first 0-4 years. First they provide incubation support, which includes seed funding and a package of support services. Second, they utilize a boot camp that serves as an intensive accelerator to the social entrepreneur attempting to implement their idea. The Bombay Hub serves as a third program by providing individuals with the ability to co-inhabit the same space and work towards social change. The fourth program utilized by UnLtd is the social mashup; a conference for early stage entrepreneurs to come together and discuss their ideas.

When assessing applications for selection to receive UnLtd services, there are four criteria they are looking for in each person. First, they look at the individual’s social entrepreneur skills regarding their level of motivation, what initiated their motivation to pursue their idea, and how resourceful they are. Second, UnLtd assesses the potential for the idea to create an impact. If there is no need or demand for the idea, then it is not likely to succeed. Third, they try to match the idea, or determine how it will be put together. Finally, UnLtd seeks to determine the value that they are able to bring to the individual and vice versa. If they are not able to provide added value to the individuals efforts, it is not worth investing their time and effort. Conversely, selected individuals have to sign a contract stating if they are successful, they will give back time, money, and mentorship to UnlTd.

I really enjoyed the answer that Pooja, co-founder of UnLtd India, gave to our class when asked about her definition of a social entrepreneur. The political answer would be that it’s any individual with an idea to create change in the community and their successive ability to sustain that idea. Pooja encouraged us not to take the definition of a social entrepreneur so literally because as with most concepts in the social sector, terms lose their sex appeal as time goes on. What was once called a social worker or activist may now be categorized as a social entrepreneur. These terms and definitions are not what is important but rather the individual’s ability to create a lasting impact.

The entire conversation surrounding our discussion with the UnLtd India team was fun and inspiring. There have been times on this trip where pessimism has gotten the best of me, but I realized with each of the examples of programs UnLtd is working on that something as simple as developing a program that provides a bee box to a farm can have a significant economic and social impact on a community. I think sometimes I get hung up on my ability to think of unique and fresh ideas, but creativity does not necessarily have to be abstract if you have the passion for instituting change effectively and with persistence.

Three representatives from Acumen Fund also met with us at the Hub. Acumen was founded around the idea that there is a need for a different type of support from commercial and charity, specifically for social enterprise. Their India portfolio is primarily involved with water and sanitation, agriculture, and healthcare. When looking for potential beneficiaries, Acumen assesses the ability of the program to have a social impact, their financial stability, potential for expansion capital, and the dynamics of the management team. Of all the points we discussed with Acumen, I felt this was one of the more important ones that we have not really discussed in class. Too often I have either witnessed group failure because members are unable to work together as a team, or I have been a part of a team experiencing similar challenges. Acumen, and other potential funding sources, need to really assess this component. If a team does not have the ability to execute the plan, if they do not have the ability to follow through on the intended course of action, if they have not established appropriate partnerships- the plan may never succeed. It is crucial for organizations like Acumen and UnLtd to meet with social entrepreneurs face to face and assess the management team for the sake of the ability of the group to propel the idea forward.