David S. posted an article on - Aug 2, 2010, 12:08 am
This is a health clinic in rural India using an interesting combination of clean water and e-healthcare. This business is being incubated by Ashoka, here is the original press release.
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Mar 1, 2010, 8:22 pm
// < ![CDATA[//
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
I received a notice today that the MicroFranchise Toolkit, published out of BYU's Center for Economic Self-Reliance, is available again for purchase after selling out of the initial printing. I do not receive any kickbacks for promoting it but I did think the announcement was post-worthy because of...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Want to adopt a high impact social entrepreneur? Ashoka recently published a list of Fellows from their latest crop which include a few that are involved in franchising or have innovations that could be applicable to the training and financing of microfranchises. Ashoka typically provides a living...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Ashoka's North American induction ceremony in Los Angeles, December 9th.  (The pdf invite includes the full list of the new Fellows.)   One new Ashoka Fellow that caught my eye was Matt Flannery, c0-founder of Kiva, which I have argued recently should spread into microfranchising.  I find it...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Florence Cassassuce was a CNN Hero finalist and a World Bank Development Marketplace winner and according to an entry from a Changemakers competition last year, her next step is to turn her UV water purification bucket into a micro-franchise business based on the VisionSpring's model.   At the tim...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
This is another story from VisionSpring. I realize I just made a reference to them in my last post but they are simply the most active participant online in this space and they provide a level of transparency that I cannot access from other initiatives. I hope to continue to provide variety in the...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Vision Spring featured in March Entrepreneur magazine and a recent Parade Magazine. The Feb Templeton Report leads with a story about a new report about franchising in frontier markets. It deserves further review. It cites the rise of SpotCity Taxi in India as an example.
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Springwise did a year end summary of innovative business ideas, here are a few that caught my eye: Solar-powered cellphone kiosks in Uganda launched by Motorola. Internet in-a-box for rural areas by SolarNetOne.orgInflatable movie screens for rural Africa. I was slightly caught off-guard by the mov...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Ashoka's Changemakers recently launched a competition looking for "sustainable change in rural development and agriculture" sponsored by the Gates Foundation. They are asking for nominations and ongoing comments from the Changemakers community. I nominated the folks at Open Air Cinema from my last ...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
A special congratulations to VisionSpring, one of the most cited organizations on this blog (Intro, TeamwithPSI, IntheNews, OnChangemakers, NameChange, NewBlog, ), for being one of the recently announced winners of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Skoll is also to be congratulated for t...
Comment - Like

David S. posted an article on - Dec 31, 1969, 7:00 pm
Over the course of this blog I have highlighted multiple models focused on agriculture. I tend to become excited about agricultural innovations because I believe enhancing agricultural productivity is one of the most highly leveraged points of investment when tackling rural poverty and the myriad o...
Comment - Like