Themes

Social Business

A woman vegetable vendor

May 15, 2018

What happens when investments targeting women’s microbusinesses go to men?

Studies find that male-operated--but not female-operated--microenterprises benefit from access to grants or loans. But these analyses overlook that female entrepreneurs often invest in a household business that is not owned by them.

by Ideas for India | 5 min read

May 02, 2018

Charting the rise of budget private schools

With 30 percent of the country’s school going children likely to attend budget private schools over the next few years, it’s important to understand the opportunities and challenges that this segment presents.

by Debleena Majumdar | 5 min read

Stones stacked near a water body

April 25, 2018

Seven deadly mistakes to avoid as an entrepreneur

Life as a leader can be fraught with errors of judgement; here are the most common ones to avoid — so that you don’t have to learn from your own experience.

by Pooja Warier Hamilton | 4 min read

aerial roots tree forest

February 27, 2018

Unlocking CSR funds to accelerate social enterprises

Incubators that invest in social start-ups are a great opportunity for corporates looking to maximise their social investment and impact -- and the benefits go beyond just meeting mandatory CSR requirements.

by Chaarvi Badani | 3 min read

Women farmers in Karnataka

November 07, 2017

Social impact leads to financial returns

Contrary to public perception, social businesses can generate high returns. In fact, investors who ignore the impact investment space risk being left behind.

by Eric Savage | 4 min read

Scrabble letters spelling out the word money

October 19, 2017

Fundraising 101: Four steps you can take today

Everyone knows just how hard it is to raise money. There are, however, a few key essentials that one must learn and master in order to become successful at fundraising.

by Pooja Taparia | 5 min read

Deepa Karmakar

September 20, 2017

How to crack the talent test

Hiring and retaining good people continues to be a challenge for most social enterprises, but there are ways to make these organisations attractive to the talent they need.

by Paul Breloff, Shloka Nath | 3 min read

happy kids in school

August 03, 2017

The numbers don’t add up

Despite huge investments by the government and social enterprises, India’s education sector continues to be a story of poor learning outcomes and inadequate quality. What lessons can we learn from our experiments so far?

by Vikash Jha | 6 min read

Man wearing white t-shirt in a kirana store

August 02, 2017

How social businesses are bridging the last mile

Reaching the last mile remains a challenge in India. Yet, there are promising examples of social businesses making inroads by leveraging technology, local networks and working with existing, trusted distribution systems.

by Priya Shah | 4 min read

one man looking at his smartphone, another one drinking tea

August 01, 2017

Using fintech for financial inclusion

Technology can be a game changer for driving financial inclusion in India. Here's how policymakers can make it meaningful and truly inclusive for the base of the pyramid.

by Nadeem Khan, Nehal Garg, Vineet Bhandari | 4 min read

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