At the Intersection of Profit and Purpose – Tales from Mumbai, India

Ravi Kurani

2:30-3:30pm PST. To watch this presentation live please click here.

The Frontier Market Scouts (FMS) program allows Masters Students from institutions to accelerate a new breed of business. As these masters students work around the world, one story, from a Scout in Mumbai, India will be used as an example of how profits and purpose can alleviate poverty. Basic economics state that profits drive efficiency and utility, however what is considered a true profit bearing activity is not dictated by economics. Externalities are plaguing the market economies and a new type of enterprise; the social enterprise is allowing a market system to drive purpose and profit.

Ravi Kurani worked as a Scout with First Light Ventures in Mumbai, India and defines a social enterprise. Ravi worked with Under the Mango Tree, a hybrid social enterprise, which utilizes the legal structure available and purpose to drive profits and help the poor. This new type of enterprise, the social enterprise, has many pillars, which build the infrastructure of the space. Accelerators, investors, enterprise structures, and stakeholders all participate and need to be defined.

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