The sweet taste of victory...

The wait is finally over as we release the list of finalists for Kalpavriksha-2012. We thank all the participants for their enthusiasm, and urge them to take their ideas to fruition.

Know what it takes to win - Stabaka Consulting

The brilliant ideas you once had are now part of the winning entries of Kalpavriksha-Round 1. The journey so far has been phenomenal and Team Kalpavriksha wants to take the enthusiasm higher.
Learn what goes into making a perfect business plan from the experts in the business. Team Kalpavriksha had a talk with Stabaka Consulting.

1.       Stabaka engages with mainly non-profit and start-up enterprises. What are the major hurdles they face and how does Stabaka help them?

Stabaka prefers to engage in work which is interesting, unconventional, challenging and which relates to cutting- edge knowledge. We have worked with clients of all sizes and across borders with a slight preference for lifescience, healthcare, agriculture, food, environment management, clean technology, infrastructure and finance.

We like to work with start-up ventures and small companies who are passionate about their vision or have great scientific research capabilities. A few of our best engagements are in this space.

We have done work with a few non-profit organisations as well in the areas of education, agriculture, environment management and technology.

Major Hurdles

The Founders make the vital difference to any non-profit or start-up enterprise. More than anything, their value systems, attitude, sense of responsibility, emotional maturity, work ethic, pragmatism, domain skills & knowledge, ability to lead people and willingness to learn are what will make or break the organization. A lack of awareness of the importance of these would be the first hurdle to tackle. We feel that most of these qualities can be instilled in the people by counselling.

If we presume that the founders have a basic grooming in running an enterprise, funding, hiring good people to work and lack of an encouraging social eco-system in India are the other major hurdles.

Stabaka helps entrepreneurs in overcoming the first hurdle and collaborates with them in running the enterprise and growing it during the initial critical years and beyond. Generally the initial critical years last for about 3-5 years.

2.       What is your take on Social Entrepreneurship in India? How successful have such ventures been so far?

The social enterprise sector in India is a necessity as it identifies a social, cultural or environmental problem and then uses principles of entrepreneurship to achieve the desired change. The solution must be holistic and equitable in every sense. When the primary motive is overwhelmed with a profit or alternate motive, there is an inherent risk that the original purpose of the enterprise may not be achieved. Running a social enterprise is, we feel, far more challenging than running a for-profit enterprise, because of the necessity to marry fiduciary commitment to ensure the desired change and principles of efficiency of for-profit enterprise.

Leaders of Social Enterprise in India must adopt effective progress -monitoring processes and good governance tools that will calibrate the progress of bringing about quality change, in line with their individual vision statements.   

Stabaka has had the good fortune to see a few successful social ventures in close quarters in the country and we are certain that more such organisations will evolve in the years to come. 

3.       This is the first time Stabaka has been associated with Kalpavriksha-The Social B Plan competition. What are your expectations out of this association?

We are thankful to the organisers for have given Stabaka an opportunity to be a part of Kalpavriksha. Events like Kalpavriksha are an essential part of the eco-system that will foster entrepreneurship, in general, and encourage the setting up of social enterprises.

We hope that at the end of this association, we would have contributed positively, directly or indirectly, to the setting up of at least one successful enterprise and would have encouraged, directly or indirectly, at least half a dozen entrepreneurs to take on the challenge in the years to come.

4.       What were your expectations from the entries received?

We were sure that students would apply their academic grooming and past work experience into start-up business plans addressing a social, cultural or environmental problem. We were also looking forward to receiving entries from existing social enterprises that were looking for recognition and support in their scale up plans.

We were also looking forward to receiving some innovative ideas under the Agri-projects category, the prize money of which is sponsored by Morarka Organic Foods Ltd.

5.       Was there a general trend identifiable or a bias towards any specific sectors in the entries received?

We did not notice any unusual trend or bias towards any specific sectors.

6.       Was there something missing in most of the entries that you would like to point out?

No. The entries received were generally of a very good standard.

7.       Any advice for future applicants?

All ideas must be practical, implementable and well thought through. You must be convinced with the idea and must be prepared to live the idea, whatever it takes to do that.

8.       What are your expectations and advice for the shortlisted participants?

 Please present the business plan only if you are convinced that you will be able to implement it. It is important to be pragmatic when presenting business plans.

9.       Given the experience Team Stabaka has across functions & businesses our participants and readers would be delighted to receive any pearls of wisdom on success from you.

The world is on the lookout for top quality leaders. Practice the life of one at all times. Do not let go the opportunity.

Kamandaki, a disciple of Chanakya (BC 319) and the author of ‘Kamandakiya Nitisara’ ⁽¹⁾ or The Elements of Polity wrote (Section IV, Para 4)” A flourishing sovereignty cannot well be obtained by the worthless; he only, who has qualified himself, is fit to wield the sceptre”. 

[FootNote (1) - Though the text belongs to a past era and times, many of the principles laid out there in for a sovereign king would be apt and relevant reading for contemporary aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders. ]

So there you have it participants. It is time to pull your socks and take your ideas past the finish line. Do write in to us for any suggestions/clarifications.

We thank Stabaka Consulting for their time and effort, and the wonderful association with Kalpavriksha-2012.

One Step Closer...

The highly awaited Preliminary Results of Kalpavriksha 2012 are finally out :

Congratulations to all who made it!!

Let your ideas take flight with GSEC

The search for the most innovative social entrepreneurs and their path-breaking business plans has crossed national frontiers.

Past winners : GSEC

Kalpavriksha recognises the efforts of Foster Business School, the proponents of the 9^th annual Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC). GSEC is a widely popular platform for the budding social entrepreneurs of the world with their B-Plans, get mentored by stalwarts from reputed schools and receive seed funding for implementation of their projects.

GSEC had partnered with IIM Indore and Kalpavriksha to provide an opportunity for the winners of Kalpavriksha-2008 to receive a wildcard entry in the semi-finals of the competition. Team Ahaar eventually went on to win the GSEC, which went on to show the amazing entrepreneurial spirit that Kalpavriksha cultivates.

The GSEC application deadline is November 8, 2012. Any enrolled university student – in any field, at any level of study- is eligible to apply. GSEC business ideas may focus on any subject area and must address a problem of poverty in developing countries.

Great news for 2013 :
·         GSEC will select 15-20 teams to participate in GSEC Week ( Feb 25 – Mar 1 2012)
·     For the 2^nd year, travel scholarships will be given to international teams, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation
·      GSEC expects to award at least $30,000 in prizes, including a global health and an Information & Communications Technology (ICT) prize! 

All you need now is an idea...quite literally!!

We have been iterating the fact that social entrepreneurship goes beyond trying to make a world a better place. It is important to be revolutionary, it is equally important to be sustainable. Most social products are not repeat buys. One has to build and maintain consumer appeal and that too working on a restrictive capital. It is therefore very important to have one’s financials in place before cannon-balling into this self-fulfilling journey.

Most young entrepreneurs however may baulk at the complexity of the financials, and waste valuable time trying to crunch data to be able to digest the information it contains.

Kalpavriksha, which has always promoted the practice of a thoroughly substantiated b-plan, understands that it is often difficult for budding brains to wrap their heads around the nitty-gritty’s of finance.

It is about time we come to your rescue with Liveplan software. 50 years of technical proficiency have gone into making this one of the most intuitive, accurate, and user friendly financial helpers today.

All it takes is objective answers to a few questions to come up with error-free financials. The software also illustrates your reports with easy-to-comprehend graphs and images, creates both long-term and short-term plans, allows you to factor in best and worst case projections, and of course provide you with a globally relevant business plan.

LivePlan : By Palo Alto software

The software not only comes with a number of sample business plans for your reference, it also provides you expert advice and guidance with its “anywhere access” philosophy. It gives you the flexibility to track your progress across different stages of your planning and implementation, as well as collaborate on the same software platform as a team. Even with such flexibility of access, LivePlan ensures that your financials are safe and secure.

Palo Alto software’s LivePlan comes together with Kalpavriksha-2012 to empower our participants make smarter plans. After all, once you see the bold dream of change, the rest should necessarily fall into place.

India Inc. is booming... Are you?

An effort undertaken, a step initiated or an idea implemented always involves a trade-off. Something economists call an opportunity cost always creeps in. The efforts and resources invested in pulling off an entrepreneurial venture in a country like India, where rates of fruition are still unsatisfactory, can always be used to earn interest and be put into a more profitable business. So why do some of the most brilliant minds in the country take to social entrepreneurship?

Well, the reason is the scope India provides as a canvas. With S&P downgrading India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.5%, the unemployment figure of 3.8% looms bigger. It is a pretty big number, considering the recent hits that companies took during the infamous recession, the aversion to hiring again and of course the lack of employable labour in the country.

So what is in it for an entrepreneur you might ask! Well, there is the gap between supply of labour and demand for it which needs to be plugged. India is a country which is in a sweet spot due to its burgeoning demographic dividend which can be leveraged. A sizable population of the country is in the employable/productive range of age i.e. 20-35 years. But there is nowhere to go. What a social entrepreneur can do is; therefore, open up sunshine sectors to investment. Hire more, produce more, and concentrate on a solid triple bottom line. Or if you cannot hire, why not try training labour which can be used to increase productivity across other verticals?

 As we heard from Mr. Rajesh Mane and Mr. Rajeev Kumar, who have been associated with Kalpavriksha earlier, social entrepreneurship does not entail charity. A successful venture is always a sustainable venture, and you need profits to sustain.

It has become imperative to think outside the box now. With conglomerates entering India at a rapid pace, the economy opening up, and newer business ideas being rolled up, social entrepreneurship for the greater good has to remain agile and intelligent to be able to tap the potential in the newer sectors that India Inc. brings out.

Its much more than Passion...Mr. Rajeev Kumar tells you how..

All the budding social entrepreneurs, we bring to you the thoughts and advice of Mr. Rajeev Kumar, a serial entrepreneur, mentor, an Angel investor and the judge of Kalpavriksha 2010 and 2011.

Mr. Rajeev Kumar is globally known for his social initiatives- Project Agastya, The sixth International Ecocity Conference, The Cleaner Production initiative and the Rajeev Kumar Foundation.

Mr. Rajeev is a recipient of several awards and recognitions and was a Bangalore Finalist at the "Lead India" by 'Times Of India'-Bangalore, India - an initiative to identify Young apolitical leaders to lead India into her future (September 2007).

We asked Mr. Rajeev if passion for improvement in society was the most important thing in setting up a social enterprise and these were his pearls of wisdom:

Passion to create a change is important. But being passionate is abstract and is certainly not the most important thing. Social enterprise is a business and not a charity. One must evaluate the market like a businessman to know opportunities and challenges and then apply  one's mind to come up with unique solutions that are sustainable. It is important to collaborate, improve and learn on the way. One must be different and efficient to be a successful social entrepreneur.

He highlights the need for social entrepreneurial initiatives rather than charity by narrating an incident in Karnataka. In Karnataka, one unit of 1000 litres of water costed Rs. 6 to 7. However, it was charged at Rs. 2 for the poorer section of the society. While interacting with the poor people regarding this initiative, he found that they were more than willing to pay Rs. 6-7 for reliable and safe drinking supplies. They wanted regular dependable supply of resources and not cheaper irregular supply. Social enterprises are the answer to such problems as they are focused on creating opportunities and making available resources to those who are greatly in need for them.

And finally, what could be most useful to all those who wish to apply for Kalpavriksha or are set to march the path of social entrepreneurship, we asked him ' What makes a successful entrepreneur? On what basis does he judge the candidates?' and this is what we got from him:

He believes that a good candidate for a successful social entrepreneur should have clear understanding of the difference between a business, a social enterprise and charity. He should understand the market potential, opportunities and challenges. He should come up with innovative and feasible solutions. He should have an open mind and be willing to seek advice. He should look forward to collaborate rather than compete. Innovation, feasibility of his business idea and attitude are the most important facets of a successful social entrepreneur.