Since arriving in Bangalore almost four weeks ago, I have attended two events at the offices of The Indus Entrepreneurs, or TiE. The first was three weeks ago, a panel discussion on scaling social enterprises. Neelam, my host, was one of two panelists, speaking about her Mother Earth success story. The other panelist was from Vaatsalya, one […]
This past weekend, I took the 10-hour train Friday night from Bangalore to Pondicherry, to visit the coastal town with its French colonial past, and also to visit some pioneering social entrepreneurs from Unlimited Tamil Nadu, in the universal alternative-living enclave of Auroville. Saturday and Sunday I spent touring Pondicherry. I strolled along the Bay of […]
Along with another FMScout, Hannah, and my host’s son, we have formed a group to complete the IDEO Human Centered Design course. Week one was full of insights, as we were tasked to design safer, more pleasant commutes for our teammates. Our team, the Jagganauts, met at a trendy co-working space, Jaaga, in the center Bangalore […]
Harnessing the power of design and design thinking in crafting business models and scaling social enterprises is foundation of Impact Edge, the incubator/accelerator program being launched by my host and summer boss, Jacob. Jacob founded Idiom Design, the premier design and consulting firm in India, which works with diverse clients across sectors. Some notable projects […]
My host, Neelam Chibber, is the founder and director of Industree Crafts, and its retail brand, Mother Earth. Industree Crafts organizes and trains groups of artisans into producer SHGs (or Self Help Groups). Traditionally, SHGs across India bring women together for group saving, banking, and lending purposes. Industree Crafts recognizes the enormous value of these […]
On the way to Bangalore, I stopped in Dubai for a quick 20 hours. This diversion was beneficial for two reasons: it shaved about a thousand dollars off my fare, and it also gave me the opportunity to meet with a HUB Dubai co-founder, Habib, over a sweet tea at the Shakespeare Café, and check […]
Author: Natalie Cox