[The weekly wrap] The top social entrepreneurship stories from the week that went by:
Every week we bring you the best social entrepreneurship stories from around the world. This week we have stories Sakena Yacoobi wins the 2013 Opus Prize, Why Varun Sheth quit his corporate job and started Ketto and Jeff Cherry, founder and executive director, of Conscious Venture Lab talks about redefining capitalism.
1) Sakena Yacoobi of the Afghan Institute of Learning’s wins million dollar Opus prize:
Sakena Yacoobi, founder and president of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), an Afghan women – led NGO dedicated to promoting education, health and culture among women and families in Afghanistan is the recipient of the 2013 Opus Prize. The announcement was made at a ceremony hosted by Georgetown University.
2) Varun Sheth: Why I quit my corporate job and started crowdfunding site Ketto:
Varun Sheth quit his cushy corporate job to start crowd-funding site Ketto. This is his story of transition from corporate job to social entrepreneurship.
3) Acumen India announces Rs.43 million equity investement in Asian Health Alliance:
Acumen India announced a Rs. 43 Million ($750,000) equity investment in Asian Health Alliance, a company that owns and operates affordable and quality medical diagnostic facilities in low income semi-urban areas and rural areas across Karnataka under the brand name Asian Health Meter (AHM) at prices which are significantly lower than large, metro centric diagnostic chains. This is Acumen India’s 6th investment in healthcare sector. They have already invested in Ziqitza Health Care Limited, Vision Spring, PVRI, LifeSpring and Drishtee.
Jeff Cherry, founder and executive director, of Conscious Venture Lab talks about redefining capitalism and what the new definition should be. He quotes Peter Drucker, the well-known management consultant and father of modern management who said, “The major incentive to productivity and efficiency are social and moral rather than financial.”
5) Corporate Social Responsibility: The Key To Attracting & Retaining Top Talent:
Filipe Santos, INSEAD Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, with Jane Williams, Editor, Knowledge Arabia writes as corporations recognize the link between CSR and sustainability, opportunities arise for socially conscious leaders to change the world from the inside out.
6) 5 Tips From Social Intrapreneurs On How To Navigate Complex Corporate Politics:
Office politics can be hard to deal with for anyone, but if you’re trying to get your company to change from within, you really need to know how to play the game.
7) Chetna Vijay Sinha emerges winner of the 2013 India Social Entrepreneur of the Year awards:
Chetna Vijay Sinha, founder of Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, has been announced as the winner of the 2013 India Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY) awards organized by The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum. The Indian awards are in partnership with the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation.The awards were conferred in New Delhi by the Finance Minister of India, Palaniappan Chidambaram.