1. business and industrial

GLOBAL BUSINESS CENTER
UW Global Social
Entrepreneurship Competition
February 24 - February 28, 2014
GSEC is an international student social
business plan competition that challenges
university-level students worldwide to use
business principles to create sustainable,
positive solutions to some of the world’s most
challenging problems of poverty, health and
development.
Think globally.
Make a difference.
It’s the Washington Way.
foster.washington.edu/gsec
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
The Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) is
an international student social business plan competition that
challenges university-level students worldwide to use business
principles to create sustainable, innovative solutions to some
of the world’s most challenging problems of poverty, health
and development.
Now in its 10th year, GSEC brings students, academics and
practitioners together across disciplines to build the skills of
social entrepreneurs worldwide.
GSEC is organized by the UW Global Business Center and made possible through the
generous support of sponsors, mentors, judges, and community and student volunteers.
Thank you!
To get involved with the Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition, please email
[email protected] or call 206-685-3432. foster.washington.edu/gsec/
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Table of Contents
About GSEC
Sponsors
Schedule
Coaching Round Schedule
Preliminary Round Schedule
Final Round Schedule
About the Teams
Advisory Committee
Screening Round Committee
Selection Committee
Coaches
Trade Show Judges
Mentors
Preliminary Round Judges
Final Round Judges
Banquet Keynote Speaker
Student Ambassadors
Homestay Families
Campus Map
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
About GSEC
The Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) is an international business plan
competition in which students from around the world find creative, commercially sustainable ways
to address problems of poverty in the developing world. GSEC brings together a wide range of
expertise in the community and academic sectors to learn about innovative solutions to global
poverty through business development. Student competitors increase their global awareness and
develop their knowledge and understanding of how to take a business plan from inception to
implementation with the advice and involvement of a wide base of knowledgeable contributors.
GSEC also:
 Furthers collaborative and interdisciplinary partnerships within and among university
campuses;
 Builds the skills of future global business leaders;
 Contributes to the understanding of cross-cultural business practices;
 Unites the business, non-profit and academic sectors in learning about and supporting
innovative and financially feasible solutions to global poverty.
2014 marks the 10th anniversary of GSEC. Since its inception, students from 63 countries have
submitted proposals for sustainable business solutions to problems of poverty. This year we received
160 submissions from students in 35 countries.
GSEC also encourages multi-disciplinary collaboration: GSEC teams at the UW alone have had
students from the schools of business, computer science, engineering, health sciences, international
studies, law, and public administration.
Follow all the GSEC events on Twitter at @UWglobalbiz. Are you tweeting about GSEC? Tag your
tweets with #gsec2014. Join us on the GSEC Facebook page and remember to tag us in your GSEC
photos!
“GSEC demonstrates the power of a few individuals to change the world. As a reflection of
the Microsoft mission to enable people and businesses to realize their full potential, we are
proud to be a sponsor of GSEC.”
-Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director, Community Affairs, Microsoft Corporation
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Grand Prize
Microsoft Corporation
Seattle International Foundation
UW Global Business Center
Global Health Prize
UW Department of Global Health
Information & Communication Technology Prize
Microsoft
Rotary Prize
Seattle Rotary and University District Rotary
NCIIA Prize
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
Trade Show
Gray Ghost Ventures
Travel Scholarships
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Additional Sponsors:
Hans Aarhus
Howard Behar
The Boeing Company
Norm & Lisa Bontje
The Center Family
Linda Cheever
Bernadene & Denny Dochnahl
David Parker
Russell Investments
UW Center for Global Studies
Peg & Rick Young Foundation
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
GSEC 2014 Events Schedule
The following events are open to the public to attend:
Coaching Round
Monday, February 24, 3:25 – 5:35 p.m., Dempsey Hall Room 333, Paccar Hall Room 456, BAEEC
Seminar Room (4th Floor) and BAEEC 310
Teams practice their presentation for coaches and get feedback. See schedule on page 6.
GSEC Trade Show
Tuesday, February 25, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., Anthony’s Forum, Dempsey Hall
Teams present their business plans and posters in a trade show format to judges and community members,
followed by a reception from 7:30 – 8:30pm.
Preliminary Competition Round
Wednesday, February 26, 3:15 – 5:30 p.m., Dempsey Hall Room 333, Paccar Hall 456, and
BAEEC 310 & 320
All 19 semi-finalist teams present to judges to determine who moves on to finals, followed by a short
reception where finalists are announced. See schedule on page 8.
Final Competition Round
Thursday, February 27, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., Anthony’s Forum, Dempsey Hall
Six Finalist teams present to judges to determine who wins prizes. See schedule on page 10.
Celebration Dinner
Thursday, February 27, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Leonesa Ballroom, Grand Hyatt Hotel,
721 Pine Street, Seattle
Teams, coaches, mentors, ambassadors and community members celebrate GSEC, with awards
presentation and keynote address from Arun Gore, President & CEO of Gray Ghost Ventures. Cocktail
reception from 5:30 – 6:30 pm, followed by dinner and presentations from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Coaching Round Schedule
Monday, February 24: The Coaching Round will take place in four separate rooms in Dempsey
Hall, Paccar Hall and Bank of America Executive Education Center (BAEEC) (map on page 56). All
19 teams will present their one-minute pitch followed by 4 minutes of feedback by volunteer
coaches. After the feedback, teams will deliver their 10-minute PowerPoint presentation, followed by
8 minutes of feedback. Teams may incorporate the feedback to refine their Trade Show and
Preliminary Round presentations.
BAEEC SEMINAR ROOM (4th Floor)
MIT, University of California Berkeley,
University of Colorado, USA
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University
of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh
3:25 pm
Nanoly Bioscience
3:50 pm
Easy Ramp
4:15 pm
SafeSIPP
4:40 pm
5 MINUTE BREAK
4:45 pm
Gas for Tomorrow (G4T)
University of Rwanda, Rwanda
5:10 pm
Cottaids
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Arizona State University, USA
BAEEC EXECUTIVE CLASSROOM 310
Days for Girls Bridges
3:25 pm
University of Washington, USA
3:50 pm
WaterPurifier
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:15 pm
AYUDA Food Aid
Ataneo de Manila University, Philippines
4:40 pm
5 MINUTE BREAK
4:45 pm
LifeSaver
University of Dhaka & National University,
Bangladesh
DEMPSEY HALL 333
3:25 pm
PAK- Energy Solution
Virtual University of Pakistan, Pakistan
3:50 pm
Teletest Technologies
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:15 pm
Gunawave
University of Washington, USA
4:40 pm
5 MINUTE BREAK
4:45 pm
Agro-Youth Achievers
Makerere University, Uganda
5:10 pm
SmartSchool
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
PACCAR HALL 456
3:25 pm
Fargreen
Colorado State University, USA
3:50 pm
PowerCane
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:15 pm
Recoplastic
MIT, Tufts University, USA
4:40 pm
5 MINUTE BREAK
4:45 pm
Bhitti
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
5:10 pm
Green World Enterprise
Kyambogo University and Makerere
University, Uganda
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Preliminary Round Schedule
Wednesday February 26: The Preliminary Round will take place in four rooms in Dempsey Hall,
Paccar Hall, and the Bank of America Executive Education Center (BAEEC) (map on page 56).
Teams will have 10 minutes to present and 10 minutes for Q&A. There will be a 5-minute
transition time between teams. Final round competitors will be announced at the reception
following the preliminary rounds in Anthony’s Forum, Dempsey Hall.
BAEEC EXECUTIVE CLASSROOM 310
MIT, University of California Berkeley,
University of Colorado, USA
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University
of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh
3:15 pm
Nanoly Bioscience
3:40 pm
Easy Ramp
4:05 pm
SafeSIPP
4:30 pm
10 MINUTE BREAK
4:40 pm
Gas for Tomorrow (G4T)
University of Rwanda, Rwanda
5:05 pm
Cottaids
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Arizona State University, USA
BAEEC EXECUTIVE CLASSROOM 320
3:15 pm
Days for Girls Bridges
University of Washington, USA
3:40 pm
WaterPurifier
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:05 pm
AYUDA Food Aid
Ataneo de Manila University, Philippines
4:30 pm
10 MINUTE BREAK
4:40 pm
LifeSaver
University of Dhaka & National University,
Bangladesh
DEMPSEY HALL 333
3:15 pm
PAK- Energy Solution
Virtual University of Pakistan, Pakistan
3:40 pm
Teletest Technologies
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:05 pm
Gunawave
University of Washington, USA
4:30 pm
10 MINUTE BREAK
4:40 pm
Agro-Youth Achievers
Makerere University, Uganda
5:05 pm
SmartSchool
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
PACCAR HALL 456
3:15 pm
Fargreen
Colorado State University, USA
3:40 pm
PowerCane
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
4:05 pm
Recoplastic
MIT, Tufts University, USA
4:30 pm
10 MINUTE BREAK
4:40 pm
Bhitti
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
5:05 pm
Green World Enterprise
Kyambogo University and Makerere
University, Uganda
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Final Round Schedule
Thursday, February 27: The Final Round will be held in Anthony’s Forum in Dempsey Hall at the
Foster School (map on page 56).
Teams will have 10 minutes to present, and 10 minutes for Q&A. There will be a 5-minute
transition time between teams.
Time
Agenda
12:45 p.m.
Doors open
1:00 p.m.
Welcome & Introductions
1:10 p.m.
Team One
1:35 p.m.
Team Two
2:00 p.m.
Team Three
2:25 – 2:35 p.m.
BREAK
2:35 p.m.
Team Four
3:00 p.m.
Team Five
3:25 p.m.
Team Six
3:50 p.m.
End/Judges Deliberation
“GSEC was a wonderful introduction to the vibrant community of social entrepreneurs in
Seattle. The GSEC staff connected my team with an outstanding mentor that provided
excellent support and insight throughout our business plan writing process…Overall, I value
my experience at GSEC in that it challenged me and my team to think about how business
concepts can be applied effectively in the context of a developing country.”
nd
- 2 Place Team Member, GSEC 2008
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
About the Teams
Agro Youth Achievers
Makerere University, Uganda
Team
The Agro Youth Achievers team is composed of 5 students at Makerere University in Kampala, the premier
university of Uganda with a regionally renowned Agriculture Faculty
The mission of Agro Youth Achievers is to form a farmers’ cooperative to grow both delicious mushrooms and
prosperous communities in south-western Uganda and northern Rwanda.
Our goal is to create a self-sustaining business which: employs farmers, women, and youth; makes a
nutritious contribution to food security in our market; and educates the population about the health benefits
of mushrooms
Vision
Community is thriving, prosperous and healthy. Agro-Youth has made Kabale District healthier and
more food secure, promoted trade relations with Rwanda.
Poverty
The Kabale district is located in the impoverished region on the southern border of Uganda
Of its population of 590000:
-Sixty-per cent (60%) are malnourished -eighty per cent (80%) are unemployed
Virtually the entire population lives on less than $1 per day
The Blight of 2010
Until 2010 bananas were both an export and the staple food in Kabale District and the neighbouring of
northern Rwanda. Northern Rwanda is also an impoverished region.
In 2010 a banana blight decimated over 10,000 hectares of banana plantations.
Uganda desperately needs a new crop to replace the important export and internal food source.
Market
Location
Kabale district
Population
Est.5900000 as of 2013
Square miles
1827
Current mushroom growers
Est.140
Kigali
Mbarara
Kampala
Est.608,097 as of 2013
Est.100,000 as of 2013
Est.2.31m as of 2013
730
142
189
Est.110
Est. 40
Est.300
Marketing is done collectively in a farmers’ cooperative to have a competitive advantage and strong bargaining
power in the market.
SROI (Social return on investment)
Income generating business for farmers, employing more than 300farmers earning over $50 a month
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Increasing Food security in Uganda and beyond, producing over 20tons per annum
Raise awareness of health nutrition benefits, reducing malnutrition
Reduce pollution by using residues around sugar factories and breweries by 3 %per annum.
Spent growing substrate will provide manure for farmers and other crops
Bridging the digital divide. By providing training to individuals through Agro youth IT hub
Funding requirements
We seek to raise an initial investment of $39,500 to start with in constructing the temporary mushroom
shelter and other initial costs.
Estimated year of break-even profitability
We breakeven in the first year, and after the second year (in the third year) of production we shall have earned
sufficient capital to pay back to investors and build our own facility. (Previously we will have been renting
land and building space.)
Financial summary
Revenues $
Costs $
Net income$
Team Members:
Muhangi Sidney
2014
71819
57410
14409
2015
174865
126396
65391
2016
224533
142478
82075
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Ayuda Food Aid
Ataneo de Manila University, Philippines
AYUDA—help for the Filipinos, by the Filipinos.
The Philippines is a country perennially affected by hundreds of calamities annually. When these calamities
strike, there arises a need to provide relief to its victims. One of the most immediate needs is food.
AYUDA (which means “help” in Spanish) will produce food bars optimized for use in the early stages of
disaster relief operations. These meals will address a persistent and expensive problem in most disaster relief
programs:
● Most food aid require electricity, gas, clean water, and food preparation facilities—utilities that are
not typically available after major typhoons or earthquakes.
● Most food aid do not accommodate the packaging and last-mile distribution requirements of disaster
relief programs.
● Most food aid do not satisfy daily nutritional requirements, (i.e., canned goods, instant noodles).
● Finally, most food aid represent surplus supplies of donor nations, resulting in costly transportation
and forgo the opportunity to stimulate local economies.
AYUDA will design food bars in direct cooperation with major disaster relief organizations for immediate
distribution into disaster zones. With this, AYUDA shall be marketed to have the triple benefit of
convenience, affordability, and nutrition.
We believe that these benefits will be of impact to all of AYUDA Food Aid Co.’s stakeholders, ranging from
the victims of calamities, partners in our supply chain, our employees, and government and non-government
sector organizations that provide humanitarian relief and public services.
AYUDA Food Aid will focus on sustainable development by sourcing raw materials directly from local
growers while compensating them at fair trade prices—transaction fees and profits that middlemen would
have captured in the past. For our product manufacturing process, we shall employ Filipinos, compensating
them with higher-than-average wages and benefits—expenses that corporate and governmental grants and
subsidies will offset.
Our social ROI calculation is estimated at $ 3.21. Based on third-year gross receipts (revenues and subsidies)
of $ 1, 137, 733.33 USD, AYUDA will breakeven by the third year of operations and achieve a net profit of
$143, 904.29 USD in three years. The total investment required for the first year of operations (i.e. assets,
including equipment and improvements, and raw materials) is projected to be at $675,000.
Each of the co-founders of AYUDA Food Aid Co. have experienced the traumatic consequence of one drastic
calamity after another. As entrepreneurs, we have found a large-scale problem that we can solve, using our
unique strengths and ambitions. As such, AYUDA Food Aid Co. will promote a culture of interconnectedness
and sustainability among Filipinos, applying the principle of bayanihan 1 to large-scale natural disasters and
the elimination of hunger which arises from these situations.
Team Members:
Ann Danzel Patino Albana
Feona Ila Noel Dizon Castro
Joben Mariz Jiongco Odulio
1
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Bayanihan- a Filipino term which connotes brotherhood and unity
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Bhitti
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Problems to opportunity
Bangladesh is one of the largest deltas in the world which makes it vulnerable to natural disasters. Till now,
over 25 million have been affected by such hazards and most miserably lost their shelter. The worst victims
are from bottom of pyramid and they can’t afford new or renovated house for expensive housing materials. So
they rely on non-durable and cheap products which put their life and home at risk. On the other side, the
existing construction industry is expanding due to urbanization and growth of population. But it is causing
environmental pollution for energy consumption, carbon emission and deforestation. Therefore, traditional
process needs to shift to greener technology.
Solution: Bhitti Products
Bhitti introduces adobe bricks and ready mixed cement which will be durable and affordable at the same time.
These products will be made of sugarcane bagasse, an agricultural by product, which is considered as waste in
sugar mills. Bhitti products require less energy consumption and leave zero carbon footprint.
Moreover, our company creates employment opportunity to local people to alleviate poverty.
Business Model
Bhitti™ will be the first company in Bangladesh to use sugarcane bagasse as reinforcement; it is likely that the
products by Bhitti ™ will come across some skepticism from the rural people initially. However, the company
will tackle this problem by undertaking a vigorous marketing campaign that will emphasize the benefits of
Bhitti ™ over conventional methodology of bricks and cements as well as dissolve the doubts on the ability of
sugarcane bagasse to act as reinforcements.
Bhitti Company will be located in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Recently, earth constructed houses has gained
popularity there. Moreover all the raw materials especially sugarcane bagasse will be collected from the sugar
mills of neighboring districts of Dinajpur.The other sources of raw materials are also available either in
Dinajpur or in neighbor districts.
Conventional housing materials are cheap but non-durable or durable yet expensive. Bhitti products are not
only eco-friendly but also durable yet affordable at the same time. Cost per unit is 25% to 53% less than
conventional fired bricks and cement. But strength is almost same as fired construction materials.
Currently our target market is 18.9 million rural houses which indicates Bhitti as a blooming business in
future especially with such project analysis. NPV: $115,232, IRR: 21%, Payback Period: 2.15 years,
Investment: $123,292
Socially, Bhitti will bring a sense of security in the mind of poor and vulnerable people who are scared of
losing their valuable houses in face of disaster. Thus, rural people will be able to afford green and sturdier
housing options to protect themselves. On the other side, Bhitti also gives opportunity to unemployed local
people to get trained and contribute to this business by manufacturing products. This is how our company
aims to alleviate poverty along with improving standard of living. Our focus doesn’t limit to society only. We
assure that our environment gets healthier and better for a sustainable future.
This is ensured with a social return on investment value of 78.75.
Team Members:
Parashar Saha
Aiman Absar
Sabira Mehrin Saba
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Cottaids
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
“Unutilised Labor + Unutilised Material + Unutilised Voluntary Forces = Sustainable Business”
Cottaids - Weaving our future is a social enterprise in Henan, China. Our mission is to ‘alleviate the poverty
of AIDS villagers by promoting self-reliance and fostering social inclusion’. Compared to the Chi Heng
Foundation, the only private foundation focusing on helping AIDS orphans in Henan by providing education
funds, Cottaids does not provide direct financial assistance as it is not sustainable. Cottaids sells cotton textile
products produced by AIDS villagers and reinvests profits into village improvements.
In Henan province, there are approximately 170,000 AIDS victims living in 38 so-called AIDS villages. They
are victims of unhygienic commercial blood selling activities and gynaecological procedures. Poverty
alleviation is arduous as (i) they are discriminated in job market, (ii) they lack incentives to work, (iii) children
lack education to climb up the social ladder, and (iv) charity is unpopular in Chinese culture.
Cottaids will be incorporated as limited company. We aim to obtain a total of ¥180,000 (~30000USD) from
charitable organisations such as Narada Foundation, and competition sponsorships for social entrepreneurs. A
large portion of the start-up capital will be used to purchase fixed assets: plant and machineries (including 10
weaving, carding and yarning machines) and fixtures and fittings. The management will be comprised of
Chinese university students and an advisory board with experts from legal, manufacturing, operations,
marketing, accounting, information technology and tax fields.
Cottaids will first target Wenlou Village, the most seriously affected area. Cotton textile products are
manufactured as there are abundant cotton farms operated by Henan AIDS villagers. Their cotton is
considered ‘dangerous’ and left unsold. Unused cotton is dumped into landfills and hence increases solid
waste disposal. Although cotton does decompose over time, it produces methane gas, which contributes to
global warming. At start-up, 40 AIDS villagers will be hired as production workers. Cottaids will engage
expertise and volunteers from schools and companies to teach them the necessary production skills.
Cottaids will target secondary and university students’ order for cotton jackets as school uniforms. In China,
students are required to wear uniform. This forms a stable revenue source. Other distribution channels
include online platforms and corporate customer contracts. This ensures a large customer base with minimal
cost. Through product-selling to students, Cottaids aims to achieve a promotional effect of ‘antidiscrimination of AIDS patients’ starting from our younger generation.
After paying wages (partly based on individual performance) and overhead, profits will be reinvested in (i)
recruiting more workers and volunteers, (ii) improvement in village hygiene, and (iii) building village
educational and medical infrastructures.
Sales of cotton products is the only revenue source of Cottaids. We expect to sell 7500, 11750 and 17000
pieces of cotton garments in the first three years, earning ¥720,000, ¥1,140,000 and ¥1,680,000 revenue
respectively. We may receive donations yet it is not included in the financial statements to be prudent.
Cottaids expects to have ¥135,721 net profit in Year 2 and ¥379,521 net profit in Year 3. Financial break15
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
even is expected in Year 2. As the government has pledged to create a more favourable tax environment to
social enterprises following the 12th Five-Year Plan, Cottaids will be benefited.
In the long run, Cottaids will expand by franchising out its business model. Due to the large number of AIDS
villagers, it is impossible for Cottaids to achieve huge social impacts in one day. By franchising out the
business model to other Chinese universities we are currently in negotiation with, each university will target
one AIDS village and we speed up the social impacts creation and the ease of management.
Cottaids will bring two main benefits in the long-term. Firstly, Cottaids provides AIDS villagers satisfaction
and self-confidence. Since their work directly contributes to profits, in turn raising the amount available for
redevelopment, this incentivises them. This framework stresses self-reliance and sustainability.
Secondly, Cottaids promotes social inclusion by engaging AIDS patients, students and corporate employees.
The goal is to change people’s mindset on AIDS villagers’ abilities. Success can be measured by the number of
AIDS production workers joining the ordinary workforce in the marketplace.
Team Members:
Chun Kit Chan
Ho Ching Lee
Lok Hei Tong
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Days for Girls Bridges
University of Washington, USA
Lack of sanitary feminine hygiene options remains a pressing problem throughout the developing world.
Women and girls often resort to using newspaper, old cloths, and banana leaves, among other materials.
Without hygiene options, girls miss school, and women have difficulty leaving the home. A culture of
disempowerment surrounds this issue. Women are reminded every month by their communities that
menstruation is a curse and a taboo. Days for Girls Bridges breaks the taboo barrier through products that
help women and girls remember that they are beautiful, important, and worthy of dignity.
Days for Girls Bridges (DfGB) is a for-profit subsidiary of an established 501(c)(3), Days for Girls
International (DfGI), which was established in 2008. The vision for DfG Bridges is to ensure every woman in
the world has access to sustainable hygiene solutions by 2022. The need for DfG Bridges became clear when
DfGI received requests for large kit orders of 10,000, 25,000, and 30,000 kits that it was unable to meet, due
to the lack of a factory. These instances demonstrated not only a high need, but a willingness to pay among
our target demographic.
DfG Bridges meets menstrual hygiene needs through two avenues: (1) establishing a factory in Kenya and
selling kits at affordable prices, (2) producing crafts in Uganda, to be sold in the US. Proceeds from both
enterprises will support DfGI’s education and training programs. Kenya has been selected due to the
government’s support for menstrual hygiene, as well as Kenya’s port access and connection to the East African
Trade Bloc. The market opportunity for sustainable hygiene solutions in East Africa is enormous. It is
estimated that 65% of Kenyan girls and women do not have access to hygiene solutions. 2 Kenya’s female
population is 20 million.
The market demand for consciously-produced crafts is also high. In 2003, 60% of US respondents in one
survey replied that purchasing from socially conscious companies was important to them, and that number is
only increasing. 3 Crafts increase awareness about menstrual hygiene needs, as well as facilitate market access
for Kenyan craftswomen.
Break-even profitability is estimated within the fourth year. Our estimated revenues and net incomes at the
end of the fourth year are $1.6 million and $48,000, respectfully. DfG Bridges is currently negotiating
potential investment with the African Chamber of Commerce, Kenyan expatriate community in Seattle, and
the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
The social return on investment is great. In the first five years, 767,500 girls and women will receive
sustainable feminine hygiene solutions. This amounts to 230 million days of school and economic activity
earned back. Additionally, both the factory and craft enterprise will spur local job growth, especially for
women.
Tanya Talaga, “Affordable sanitary pads improve the lives of Kenyan girls, women and the economy,”
thestar.com, last modified September 9, 2013, http://thestar.blogs.com/worlddaily/2013/09/affordablesanitary-pads-improve-the-lives-of-kenyan-girls-women-and-the-economy.html
3
Ariel Schwartz, “Consumers Care About Buying From Socially Responsible Brands Now More Than Ever”,
Co.Exist, last modified April 3, 2013, http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681734/consumers-care-about-buyingfrom-socially-responsible-brands-now-more-than-ever
2
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Competitors include: Huru International, which is a 501(c)(3), and cannot scale to the level possible under
this plan; AfriPADS, which is located in Uganda, and employs a kit design which does not adequately meet
all cultural and environmental needs; and Zana Africa and Maka Pads, which both offer disposable solutions.
Our funding requirements for the first three years are $198,000.
Team Members:
Lilliane Ballesteros
Katherine Marie Faoro
Leah Allyn Spelman
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Easy Ramp
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh
Easy Ramp is a green ramp that helps to reduce the commuting problems of people with movement disability.
It is adjustable to buses/trains and a wheelchair-bound can effortlessly self-drive into a bus deck through it
and travel to his desired destination. Besides, the ramp can be used in homes and small offices as wheelchair
ramps or ramps for bringing bicycles and motorcycles inside homes.
There are a number of ramps available in Bangladesh but none of the ramps are designed for this specific
niche. It is a complete blue ocean market. Easy Ramp has leverage over other ramps as it is cheap, foldable
and hardly requires any maintenance. The absence of gears, electric manoeuvring is rather a blessing for the
product.
The product has a simple and effective design that makes it more than capable of doing its functions and also
allows it to be moderately priced at just $32. The focus is also on energy conservation and minimization of
carbon emission during production which is fulfilled by the usage of jute polymer in base plate and scrap steel
for other parts. It is approved by the Mechanical Engineering Department of BUET and the department has
offered to build prototypes for the pilot project which is to be undertaken by mid-2014.
The value chain of Easy Ramp relies greatly on strong partnerships with NGOS. In addition to NGOs,
government support is required to convince the bus owners to adopt it or approve short term increment in
fares to sponsor Easy Ramp from extra tolls on each tickets (virtually by crowd funding). The lean-on
production model enables it have a start-up expense of just $7,500 with breakeven on 2.5 years. Furthermore,
the innovation can be spread in the neighbouring countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan) allowing more
and more people the opportunity that would change their life.
Revenue and Income Projection
$60,000.0
$40,000.0
$20,000.0
$0.0
($20,000.0)
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
Revenue
$3,248.0
$17,000.0
$22,500.0
$38,250.0
$46,500.0
Net Profit
($1,048.0)
$5,236.0
$5,260.5
$10,347.5
$13,527.5
Revenue
2018/19
Net Profit
Team Members:
Imran Khan
Ahmed Shoumik
[email protected]
[email protected]
19
2019/20
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Fargreen
Colorado State University, USA
Business overview: Fargreen is a social enterprise in Vietnam which sells premium branded edible
mushrooms that are locally grown from rice straw – a medium which is currently considered waste and
burned openly. We offer consumers locally produced and branded mushroom products that also make a
difference in the environment and lives of poor rural rice farmers.
As the world’s second biggest rice exporter, Vietnam produces about 40 million tons of rice annually and
generates over 20 million tons of rice straw. Rice straw is perceived as useless and farmers often burn it openly
to dispose of it cheaply. This releases more than 20 million tons of toxic green house gases in the air,
damaging the air and health quality of people living in the communities. Fargreen was formed with the
mission of using business as a tool to eliminate this burning practice in a way that is sustainable and beneficial
to the environment and local rural community. The central idea of Fargreen is to employ a closed loop
business model – a unique technique that uses rice straw to produce edible mushrooms in a closed-loop
model so that no net waste is left at the end of the production process.
Market and competitive analysis: Mushrooms have been consumed in Vietnam for centuries. However, the
need of a local, branded, high quality mushroom product hasn’t been fulfilled. This is because local
mushroom farmers can’t compete in the market against Chinese products which are currently dominating 8090% of the market, due to lack of access to capital, technology and market understanding.
The current market value of the domestic mushroom market in Vietnam is estimated to be at 90 million
dollars. As the country is moving up the poverty ladder, there is a growing demand for premium products
coming from the 30 million middle-to-higher income population. Our pilot in summer 2013 confirmed this
demand for the premium products as people were willing to pay 20-30% more to get our products. There are
currently five restaurants in Hai Duong, Vietnam who are willing to buy Fargreen’s products once we are
ready to sell.
Financials: Fargreen estimates to breakeven in year 2 (FY 2016). Our five year projected revenues and net
incomes are as follows:
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018
FY 2019
Revenue
$ 72,300
$ 298,635
$ 764,913
$ 2,447,617
$ 6,262,207
Net income
$ (36,071)
$ 1,216
$ 189,285
$ 965,732
$ 2,992,248
Impact: By the end of year 5 (FY 2019), apart from making a financial profit of 3 million dollars, Fargreen
will prevent 4,000 tons of toxic Green House Gases from being released, helping 1,000 farmers move out of
poverty and saving farmers a total of $329,400 by replacing chemical fertilizer with our natural byproduct.
Funding required: $150,000, out of which $ 90,000 is needed to build the processing plant before the start
of Year 1 (FY 2015)’s operations and $60,000 to fund Year 1 (FY2015)’s operational expenses.
Team Members:
Tran Thi Khanh Trang
Tanmay Milind Telang
[email protected]
[email protected]
20
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Gas for Tomorrow (G4T)
University of Rwanda, Rwanda
GAS FOR TOMORROW (G4T) is a project which will be run by HABONA Ltd, a Kitabi based company
dedicated to providing a cost effective renewable energy source "Biogas" in the form of different products,
categorized according to different consumption patterns that will be extremely beneficial for our target
customers in the face of this severe energy crisis in the Rwanda. The product offerings of the company include
Biogas for cooking and lighting for households, Bio-fertilizer for farmers and Electricity for industry. The
company is also aimed at providing consultancy and maintenance services regarding the integrated energy
solutions by pursuing the strategy of continued Research and Development.
Kitabi is highly vulnerable due to lack of a reliable source of energy, just like other remote areas in Rwanda;
hence leading them to cut trees for charcoal and firewood and to spend much money on imported gas. In
addition, Kitabi has a big tea processing company generating tons of tea waste. These wastes add up to
people’s cow dung and other biodegradable soft materials from restaurants and nearby cities which are all
landfilled; hence emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to the effect of global warming. Again, these
wastes bring problems of sanitation and people are attacked by severe diseases like cholera, diarrhea and
respiratory harm due to CO2 release and germ’s spread. As natives of the village, we are eager to address these
problems by collecting those wastes to feed them in bio-digester to produce biogas. This technology, will
allow us to capture methane and CO2, and to use those gases in a more profitable way, instead of letting them
go to pollute our atmosphere. The G4T project was therefore brought with a name that truly reflects the
nature of the business, which is to provide the energy source that is never ending. The main reasons for the
initiative taken by the company are to capitalize on the opportunity of providing alternative energy sources to
the consumers, the recognition of the fact that biogas technology is progressive and the demographic changes
in the consumer demands to use more cost effective energy intensive products. By pursuing this business the
G4T project is aimed at introducing the solutions for reducing deforestation and dependence on the energy
imports thus contributing to the economy in a very positive way, while at the same time to further our efforts
for making environment friendly products and having a very beneficial output from the waste. So, G4T is
pursuing the project which is not only socially acceptable but at the same quite profitable as shown by its
economic feasibility (See appendix). The initial capital required for the establishment and operations of the
company is USD 40,500. In the first full year of operation, the company has estimated to reach USD
291,756 of sales. The analysts project that the sales will grow to 20% a year within the next 3 years, with the
gross profit margin of 75.44%. The payback period of the project is 2 years. The G4T management team
consists of the students having specializations in the fields of Engineering, Human Resource Management,
Finance and Management Information System. Another crew with ample technical skills will also be added to
the team to maintain the plant. G4T values include quality, trust, respect for teammates and betterment of
environment. The company intends to become a pioneer, for producing biogas on a commercial level in
Rwanda, by introducing and expanding its diversified products and geographical coverage with the passage of
time.
Team Members:
Nshimiyimana Deogratias
Jean Bosco Nzeyimana
Daniel Turikumwe
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
21
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Green World Enterprise
Kyambogo University and Makerere University, Uganda
Business Overview & social mission
Green World Enterprise is a company that will be producing briquettes (carbonized and non carbonized)
using biodegradable garbage. The strength our proposed project lies in the successful experience and findings
from a production plant operated by a group of youths in Katanga that collapsed mostly because of poor
planning, unrealistic expectations in results and failure to target production towards appropriate markets.
Many of the lessons learnt now appear simple and obvious but at the time, unrealistic expectations to achieve
national impacts often enticed these youths to neglect the basic commercialization parameters including;
Price, Performance, People, Product and Place considered as the 5 Business Planning ‘Ps’.Our mission is “To
provide a sustainable solution to make the slums of Kampala cleaner, the lives of its residents better, and the
world greener.”
Market opportunity, solution, and market analysis
As a team, we recognized the market opportunity as the general price level of charcoal persistently increased
since 2011 and yet briquettes could be a perfect substitute for charcoal as rational consumers go for the
cheapest substitute. This price advantage would thus give us higher operating profits. The company is
targeting schools, hotels, government, supermarkets and households to provide market for the briquettes.
Competitive Analysis, Breakeven profitability and income after three years
The briquette production in Uganda is currently relatively small but presents a big opportunity. There is only
one big company in Uganda which produces briquettes, called Kampala Jellitone Suppliers (KJS), but these
are all of the non carbonated variation and for international exports. There also other 141 micro-scale
producers who use primitive equipment and are largely engaged in incoming supplementing ventures.We
shall require producing 36011 Kg of briquettes to breakeven. This has been obtained by calculating the
quotient between total fixed costs and the difference between the selling price per Kg and the variable costs
and overheads per unit. The income after three years will be $159240.
Financial social and environmental impact summary
Green World Enterprise will create jobs mostly for youths collecting and sorting garbage, machine operators,
women weaving mats from soft plastics like straws and promote proper sanitation through promoting proper
waste disposal, reduce on diseases in Katanga slum and in the long run reduce on global warming.
Funding requirements
At this point in time, we require funding of up to $20000 in order to start producing our briquettes. All
machinery to be used is going to be bought by OxMak.
Team Members:
Ivan Nuwagaba
[email protected]
22
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Gunawave
University of Washington, USA
Business Overview & Social Mission: Gunawave is an Impact Sourcing provider that offers high-quality
information-based services to companies around the world by harnessing the untapped potential of young,
disadvantaged women. We aim to change the role of women in the global economy.
Market Opportunity and Competitive Analysis: Industry trends show that a growing number of
companies are searching for socially responsible services while still achieving efficiency and cost advantage.
Enter Impact Sourcing, a social-driven outsourcing approach to Business Process Outsourcing 4 (BPO) that
focuses on employing the poor and vulnerable. While still relatively new, with approximately 144,000
workers and a market size of about $4.5 billion, Impact Sourcing is an exciting, emerging space expected to
reach $20 billion by 2016 and employ 1.4 million underprivileged workers worldwide. Unfortunately, Latin
America has been left out, with the focus placed on Africa, India and South East Asia.
Mexico is the most important Spanish-speaking region in which to prioritize Impact Sourcing
efforts. -Rockefeller Foundation report, 2013.
Today, Spanish-related industries, such as Technology, Media, Telecommunications, are fast growing and are
driving demand for information services in native language and business convenient time zones. Moreover,
U.S. based tech corporations have an increasing need for sustainable, quality-driven, and cost-effective
outsourcing data and localization services. Gunawave intends to seize this market opportunity and implement
Impact Sourcing in Mexico.
The Solution: Gunawave’s first center will be located in Oaxaca City, an urban location with solid
infrastructure, connectivity and a wide population of poor women. Using the Gunawave ProgramTM, we will
recruit, train, and educate young women to gain valuable skills and a STEM education leading to
greater employability and a sustainable life. In 2014, we will pilot the program with 20 women working
on basic Spanish data-entry and localization services for targeted U.S. and Mexican technology companies.
By 2017 we will expand operations to four more centers in Mexico and work with companies throughout
North America.
Social Impact: According to the Rockefeller Foundation impact sourcing employees benefit with income
increases of 40 to 200 percent, and it serves as an initial entry point into the formal economy which leads to
valuable job experience. What is most important, the World Bank reports that when women are able to earn
an income, they typically reinvest 90 percent of it back into their families and communities.
According to the Mexican Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 22 million woman in Mexico live
in poverty and lack access to training, education, and jobs. Gunawave’s Male/Female ratio of members
will be 0:100, which is not only greater than any other Impact Sourcing organization, but unique in most of
the BPO industry. Oaxaca, where Gunawave’s first hub will be located, is the second poorest state in the
nation with the least average years of education per person. Gunawave is invested in education and will
provide scholarships to study STEM education programs to its members. The Council on Foreign
4
Refers to the outsourcing of business processes to other companies, called service providers.
23
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Relations finds that one additional year of secondary education can increase a women’s future wages by
25 percent, and women holding STEM careers make an additional 33 percent.
Funding Requirements: Gunawave’s first center will need an initial investment of $50,000; potential
investors are The Rockefeller Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank, which have either
invested or are interested in investing in the Impact Sourcing industry, and the Carlos Slim Helu Foundation,
which focuses on social development in Mexico. Winning the GSEC competition will pay for the training of
the first 20 members at the hub.
Financial Impact: Gunawave expects to finish 2014 with an income revenue of $67,000+, net income of
$64,000+, and a cash balance of $5,500+. By the end of 2017 Gunawave will open 4 hubs, and have a total of
80 members in the program, an income revenue of $1,011,000, net income of $116,000, and a cash balance
of $56,000.
We believe in women - their motivation, ingenuity, passion, and unwavering dedication to family. With the
skills, experiences, and technical education comes confidence, employability, and fundamental strength in
community. Lifting 80 Gunawave women and their families out of poverty is just a first step in reimaging a
new glob
Team Members:
Alan Nudelstejer
Carla Villoria
[email protected]
[email protected]
24
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
LifeSaver
University of Dhaka & National University, Bangladesh
LifeSaver is a 4-person partnership enterprise that produces an ICT powered self-enabled and comprehensive
firefighting system that saves lives and assets from fire. Using wireless technology and sprinkler system,
LifeSaver extinguishes fire and forces toxic smoke along with fire gases out of the fire affected place as soon as
fire breaks out. This system also integrates both fire brigades and relevant traffic signals simultaneously using
micro controller directed radio frequency technology. This idea stems from the tragedy of frequent fire
accidents where most of the victims are women especially in garments and industries.
LifeSaver is a lower cost and more feature incorporated alternative to the existing firefighting systems in
Bangladesh. With first mover advantage, LifeSaver’s potential market exceeds USD 3.7 billion in more than
servable 150 thousand establishments in Bangladesh. For a 40,000 square feet garment factory, LifeSaver’s
setup cost is $21000 which is very much less than competitor’s price.
Every year thousands of people have to die and billion dollar assets get gutted in fire for not having
comprehensive firefighting solution in Bangladesh. Not only availability of comprehensive solution is the only
reason, but also affordability and awareness are responsible for not implementing standard firefighting system.
LifeSaver aims to resolve these problems by increasing availability, affordability and awareness. Our strong
distribution channels will make our product available to 80% of the overall target industries within the first
few years of operation, thus resolving the problem of availability. Installment facilities and shared service will
make our solution affordable. Our marketing strategy is devised to raise safety concern and articulate business
benefits of safety practices among industry owners and workers and thus will create demands of our product.
The Social Return On Investment impact of LifeSaver is very high. A $21000 investment can give direct
financial benefit, other than saving human lives, of 307 times by saving assets (including machinery, building
and raw materials). Around 80% of garment workers in Bangladesh are women; therefore, LifeSaver will
mostly serve women community by saving their lives, jobs and thus by their dependent family members.
LifeSaver will require a capital investment of US$ 287 thousand among which $ 114 thousand (40%) will be
provided as capital and remaining $ 172 thousand will be financed by taking a 5-year loan at 15% interest
from Prime bank. NPV of the project is US$ 1,128 thousand and IRR is 70%. It will take three years to
reach at break even and PI is 4.93. Profitability ratios are as followsYear-1
Net profit Margin ( Net
Income/Sales)
Return on Assests
Return on Equity
Gross Margin
Year-2
-0.04
-0.10
-0.46
0.14
Year-3
0.04
0.12
0.44
0.15
Team Members:
Kazi Jamshed
Saimum Hossain
Munzur Morshed
Year-4
0.11
0.31
0.65
0.19
Year-5
0.18
0.43
0.67
0.23
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
25
0.24
0.48
0.65
0.28
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Nanoly Bioscience Inc.
MIT, University of California Berkeley, University of Colorado, USA
Product: Patented encapsulation linker to protect and preserve biomolecules.
Core Customer: Pharmaceutical companies with biologics manufacturing.
The Bottom Line
 Lower costs for vaccine transportation
 Increase immunization access in remote areas of the world
 Safe, biocompatible material
 Reduce vaccine spoilage
Successes
- Duke University Start-up Challenge Grand Prize Award
- Intel Global Challenge Social Innovation Award
- Dell Social Innovation Challenge Finalist and 3rd Place Award
- Bard Business Plan Competition 2nd Place
- Cornell Venture Challenge 3rd Place
- Award from National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Association
- Grant award from RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service
The Problem: Vaccines must remain refrigerated
Vaccines are sensitive to temperature and must remain refrigerated in a cold chain between 2°C to 8°C (35°F
to 45°F) during transportation and storage. If exposed to temperatures too high or too low, vaccines are easily
damaged and lose efficacy. This strict cold chain requirement contributes to vaccine wastage rates as high as
25% to 50% for small and large vials, respectively. Failures and limitations of the global vaccine cold chain
also reduce vaccine availability in the developing world where routine immunizations are not readily accessible
and close to 2 million people die from vaccine preventable diseases.
Our Solution: NanoShield
Nanoly’s core product, NanoShield, is a polymeric mesh that encapsulates and protects the vaccine. A
polymer base of polyethylene glycol (PEG) forms a safe and biocompatible mesh network surrounding the
vaccine particles and molecules. Our unique advantage is a patented photo-release formulation: illumination
dissolves the polymer network and releases the vaccine.
Market Opportunity
UNICEF estimates a delivery cost of $4.50 per dose for a diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine
(DTaP). Assuming a developed market cold chain cost of only $0.63 per dose, eliminating half of the
26
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
refrigeration requirement translates to greater than $40 million in savings for a single vaccine. In 2010,
UNICEF procured over 2.5 billion doses for a variety of immunization programs, demonstrating the reliable
demand for vaccines and the need for a better solution.
Potential market opportunities for this platform technology include new vaccines currently under
development, diagnostic and clinical reagents, antibiotics, anti-venom, as well as temperature sensitive
therapeutics. Globally, the cold chain transportation market exceeds $6.7 billion per year with an average
annual growth rate of 10% while the total vaccine market is estimated at $27 billion.
Nanoly Bioscience recognizes this significant market opportunity with a clear social cause: to enable
immunization access worldwide.
Commercialization Strategy
While our base polymer has been shown to be biocompatible and safe, a formulation with vaccines likely
requires approval. We will work closely with regulatory consulting experts in developing approval pathways.
We intend to license the technology and partner with pharmaceutical companies to assist with manufacturing
and further developing the product.
Team Members:
Balaji V. Sridhar
[email protected]
27
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
PAK – Energy solution
Virtual University of Pakistan, Pakistan
Business Overview and Problem Identification: Energy and agriculture is the major contributing
factor in raising the standard of living. Sadly, villagers in Pakistan are using wood and dung fuels for
their heating needs. It emits intensive smoke into the atmosphere and causes detrimental health
issues. The local farmers cannot afford high prices of chemical fertilizers whereas use of chemicals is
prime cause of damage to the quality of food in Pakistan. PAK-Energy Solution envisages providing in house
clean energy and income facility to poor villagers in Pakistan. Being socially responsible
business company, our mission is to eliminate the current energy crises and to improve the life style of
Pakistanis giving easy-to-use biogas plants for the current energy and fertilizer demands.
Product and Proposition: Pakistan is very rich in cattle farming culture with over 65 million cows where
even the poorest family in rural areas loves to keep cattle as tradition. In response, we are
introducing an eco-friendly Natural Gas Digester which is portable version of biogas plant. It consumes 40 kg
of cow dung and 2 kg of kitchen waste per day to generate enough clean gas for cooking, heating and lighting.
Moreover, it delivers 32 kg of by-product fertilizer each day and provides additional income opportunities to
poor villagers who can sell it to local farmers and nurseries. A total of 11.7 tons of fertilizer each year has the
worth of $6400 for one rural family while unit selling price of a biogas plant is $350.
Impact: On average, a biogas plant reduces the workload on 2 women in each family who consume
their time 2 hours a day for making dung cakes and collecting woods for their heating needs. It
generates a smokeless, odorless and non-offensive gas. So, lungs and eye diseases are prevented. On
average, a domestic biogas unit can save 570 m3 (worth $60) of natural gas, 3.1 tons of wood (worth
$240), 144 kg of LPG (worth $480) and 0.6 tons of greenhouse gases (worth $17.6 for company) in one year
which helps in saving natural resources and reduction in global warming.
Target Market and Competition: 70% of the villagers who have access to cow manure translate into an
ideal target market of 16 million rural families. Our competition is providing biogas plants with traditional
approach of pit digging and construction with bricks which takes 2-3 months to install at a cost of $550. We
are providing a portable biogas plant which takes 1-2 days to install at a cost of $350. This is time
compression management. Moreover, it is insulated with jumbolon that is 23 folds better insulator than earth
hence making our product sustainable in winters. It also out-competes expensive alternates such as LPG
($40/month), wood ($20/month), chemical fertilizer ($666/ton) and organic fertilizer ($555/ton) by not only
providing gas for free but also give an additional benefit to a rural family with 11.7 tons of bio fertilizer each
year which has the worth of $6400.
Financials: We need a total investment of 250,000 USD. 62.7% of investment will be used for working
capital. 24.4% will be used for R&D expenditure and to build infrastructure of business. Remaining amount
will be used in other operating activities such as 1st year loss and cash in hand. We expect to offer up to 49%
equity to the investor that means 122,500 shares of the company while each share is considered equal to $1.
Estimated earnings per share will start from negative but estimated to rise to 8.1 at the end of 5th year. The
breakeven will be in 15 months. Investment will be paid back in 28-30 months and company will be in profit
onwards.
Team Members:
Ali Raza
[email protected]
28
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
PowerCane
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
PowerCane is a mini power plant that uses sugarcane bagasse, a waste product from sugar production, to
provide renewable and affordable decentralized energy solution to underserved communities in rural
Bangladesh. 51% of 158 million Bangladeshis do not have access to electricity and most of them live in the
rural areas. The national grid does not extend to such areas and the available solar panels are 2-3 times more
expensive than typical electricity costs in Bangladesh. Those who do not have access to electricity live a very
different, literally darker life compared to the rest of the country. Their primary access to light is from unsafe
and inefficient kerosene lamps and candles, which are more expensive than the equivalent electric lighting.
Their enterprises are less productive because work is limited to only daylight hours; their children are unable
to study in the evenings; they have very limited access to modern information technology; and they suffer
from a significant rate of respiratory illnesses related to indoor air pollution.
Solution: PowerCane uses biomass gasifier in single fuel mode and a turbine generator to power off-grid
villages in northern areas of Bangladesh, primarily Rangpur as there is more availability of bagasse. Bagasse
offers an abundant supply of renewable energy: each tonne of sugarcane crushed produces 300kg of bagasse.
It is purchased from local sugar mills for approximately $0.004/kg. Power plants will be installed in places
where there is a reliable source of sugarcane bagasse within a distance of 10 km. Each 40kW plant serves two
villages i.e. around 400 households and 100 small businesses. The basic connection provides a household with
two 15W compact fluorescent lights and mobile phone charging each day for 8 hours in the evening for
initial installation cost of $3. User fees are typically estimated to be US $3 monthly, depending on number
and type of electrical appliances subscribers own.
Social Impact: PowerCane will extend villagers’ activities beyond daylight hours; increase the time children
can study, improving their career potential. It will also create employment opportunities for local villagers,
promoting economic development and microenterprises; reduce indoor air pollution, improving health; and
reduce emissions, protecting global and local environments. Using our top three social indicators for a single
plant operating for 5 years, the monetary value of social impact is $7,625,830 divided by $30,000
investment which gives the SROI ratio as 254:1 - for every $1 invested; $254 is created for society.
Financial Summary: Sources of income is from installation cost and sale of electricity to 400 households, sale
of bagasse ash for cement making and sale of incense sticks made from bagasse ash.
Number of plants
Total Revenue
Net Income
Net profit margin
Year 1
1
22,153
4,338
19.58%
Year 2
4
87,109
20,692
23.75%
Year 3
10
215,522
67,202
31.18%
Year 4
20
428,045
127,905
29.88%
Year 5
35
745,329
207,891
27.89%
Funding: Initial start-up capital required will be $30,000 which involves equipment cost, basic construction
cost and cost of wiring a small village. $10,000 will be invested from personal savings from the entrepreneurs
& the rest would be funded by partnering with local NGOs. Profit earned from a single plant would also be
invested to set up a new plant.
Team Members:
Shafinaz Hossain
Lamia Anwar Shama
Samiha Zaker
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
29
2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Recoplastic
MIT, Tufts University, USA
BUSINESS OVERVIEW Today, essential plastic goods such as water buckets can cost Nigerian consumers
up to $3 per retail unit and this is exorbitant for the 100 million Nigerians who survive on less than $1 per
day. The current state of the plastics industry in Nigeria is forcing people to pay unreasonable amount of
prices. Currently, manufacturers and distributors in the plastics industry are reliant upon a constant supply of
“virgin” material - high-grade, raw plastic that is limited in supply, and expensive due to evolving demand.
Recoplastic will solve this problem by becoming the first eco-friendly raw plastic producer, providing high
quality recycled plastic to the Nigerian plastic industry.
PRODUCT / SERVICE OFFERING Recoplastic will provide scalable plastic recycling services in Nigeria
while ensuring high quality products. Recoplastic’s business model yields two product categories:(1) EcoPlastic, high quality plastic material synthesis used for plastic conversion, delivered at a 20% cost reduction to
the current virgin standard and (2) Eco-Masterbatch, a chemical additive which is used in plastic conversion,
increasing output efficiency, enhancing the quality of final plastic products, and further reducing
manufacturing costs. The introduction of Recoplastic’s products will impact the entire supply chain of the
plastic industry, ultimately lowering costs for Nigerian consumers. Recoplastic’s vision is to create a positive
social impact on the daily lives of families in Nigeria by providing cheaper access to essential plastic goods.
TARGET MARKET & BUSINESS MODEL Recoplastic will provide Eco-Plastic and Eco-Masterbatch to
over 3,000 plastic manufacturing companies in Nigeria which generate $890 million worth of plastic raw
material demand per year. Recoplastic’s overall addressable market is commensurate with its segmented
product offerings: (1) Polyethylene (PE) recycling service (27,600 tons or $47 million); (2) Polypropylene
(PP) recycling service (9,200 tons or $14 million); (3) Eco-Masterbatch (79,700 tons or $108 million). In
order to capitalize on this market demand, totaling 116,500 tons or $169 million, Recoplastic’s business
model is divided into 3 stages: (1) installation of a recycling processor that synthesizes the waste material into
Eco plastic (by 2015); (2) expansion of the recycling capacity to enhance cost competitiveness of Eco-plastic
(2016-2018); (3) the building of a chemical production facility in Nigeria specialized in the production of
Eco-Masterbatch products (2017-2018).
FINANCIAL MODEL & START-UP CAPITAL Recoplastic is expected to generate a revenue of U$ 2.0
million in its first operating year, and the revenue will reach U$ 21 million by 2019 with a net profit of U$
2.7 million. Recoplastic will need U$ 2.4 million in start-up capital to cover the expenditure required to
establish its first two recycling processors in Nigeria and to commence its first Eco-masterbatch production
line by 2016. Recoplastic will reach the breakeven point in the fifth years of its operation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILTY Current recycling processors obtain water directly from
groundwater via a borehole to clean plastic waste. This energy intensive process can lead to
groundwater exploitation that can cause land subsidence or landslides. Furthermore, chemically harmful
wastewater is commonly disposed of in sewers without proper treatment, causing human health problems and
negative environmental impacts. To tackle this problem, Recoplastic proposes a cost effective and
environmentally sustainable water supply system combining rainwater harvesting with lowcost wastewater
treatment system. Recoplastic minimizes water and soil contamination and also improves energy efficiency by
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
using a renewable water source. Recoplastic will be the only recycling company in Nigeria that prioritizes
environmental responsibility.
SOCIAL IMPACT THROUGH RECO-COLLECTION Recoplastic directly engages the poor as
employees, innovators and suppliers for plastic waste collection, pre-sorting and pre-cleaning. Slums around
Nigeria are extremely polluted. One cause is due to the lack of sustainable waste management systems.
Through Recoplastic’s subsidiary business unit, Reco-Collection, Recoplastic will provide new source of
income and a cleaner environment for slum dwellers across the southern region of Nigeria. The slum dwellers
that provide waste will receive Plastic Points that can be aggregated and redeemable for finished plastic goods
rather than cash.
MANAGEMENT CAPACITY The Recoplastic team consists of specialists from four different
disciplines: business, finance, environment engineering and design. Our team is committed to
Recoplastic’s development as a whole. Most importantly, our team members’ substantial experiences in Africa
and plastic industry will be suitable for handling the project’s risk.
Team Members:
Peter Kyungchul Kang
Ajay Ramnani
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
SafeSIPP
Arizona State University, USA
SafeSIPP is social venture addressing three key issues facing rural communities in the developing world:
transportation, purification, and storage of drinking water. SafeSIPP has designed a patent-pending system
that simultaneously transports and purifies contaminated water. The system is composed of a 25-gallon barrel
with an integrated purification system. As the barrel rolls from the water source to the community, the water
being transported undergoes a purification process to remove disease-causing contaminants. The SafeSIPP
system is able to provide clean drinking water at the cost of $0.005 per liter.
At present, there are rolling devices that transport water from the source to the community; however,
the water transported still hosts a variety of harmful and potentially fatal contaminants. Other purification
devices, such as large-scale pumps and wells are expensive and require extensive maintenance. Furthermore,
current alternative solutions manufacture their products from scratch, leaving a large carbon footprint.
SafeSIPP utilizes recycled materials to reduce the effect on the environment while simultaneously decreasing
the manufacturing cost.
SafeSIPP will sell systems to organizations currently working in the developing world that need to
provide clean drinking water to their communities or need safe water to advance their individual projects.
SafeSIPP can also sell the purification system to other companies such as HippoRoller and Wello that only
have the transportation aspect. The SafeSIPP purification system can be retro-fitted into the existing
transportation systems.
SafeSIPP has secured $40K in grant funding from Arizona State University and the surrounding
community. Roughly $30K has been invested in designing the product, business development, a patent
application, and manufacturing capital. SafeSIPP was awarded 2,000 square feet of space for 18 months at the
MAC6 manufacturing facility in Tempe, Arizona. With a fully operating manufacturing space, SafeSIPP will
be able to produce up to 10,000 systems a year before requiring additional space. In year three SafeSIPP will
be profitable, breaking even after selling 20,000 systems cumulatively. Current funds allow SafeSIPP to have
positive cash flow in year two. Additional funds are requested to accelerate the impact, saving more lives
today. The funds, $200K, will allow SafeSIPP to manufacture in country, resulting in a significant cost
reduction and increased social impact.
Each trip with the SafeSIPP system will provide safe drinking water for a family of five for three days.
In three years, SafeSIPP will have improved the quality of life for 100,000 individuals. The improved method
of transportation, rolling the water opposed to carrying it, will relieve extreme physical stress on the head,
neck, and back which can lead to severe health implications. By reducing travel time by 80%, women and
children no longer have to spend their entire day collecting water and can attend school to receive a proper
education. This provides each individual with 6 extra hours a day, or nearly 40 hours a week which can now
be spent pursuing another job or an education. Ultimately manufacturing will occur in country providing
individuals in the community jobs and will help to stimulate the economy.
Team Members:
Jared Joseph Schoepf
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
SmartSchool
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
SmartSchoolTM is a 3-person partnership social enterprise that produces lower price and educational features
incorporated refurbished desktop computers for primary and secondary level schools in Bangladesh. One
tenth the price of a new desktop, one third the price of a 2nd hand counter- part and features such as operating
system ‘Edubuntu’ (an operating system designed for educational use) and pre-installed open educational
resources (tutorial videos, e-books, audio books, open educational software) improve the quality of education
and combat the digital and knowledge divide. By refurbishing and significantly increasing the lifetime of used
computers, SmartSchoolTM reduces the e-waste that goes to the landfills and carbon footprint responsible for
global warming. Additionally, SmartSchoolTM sets up SmartSchoolTM computer centers, a room with
computers available for rent by schools at district and sub-district level.
Almost 2 billion students in Bangladesh have no access to computer education. Over 85,000 schools are
unable to buy computers for their students because of the high price. With a vision to become the changemaker organization in facilitating computer education and combating digital divide SmartSchoolTM produces
$80 SmartSchoolTM desktops and provide $6 computer session in SmartSchoolTM computer centers.
SmartSchoolTM desktops are sold as SmartSchoolTM setups (minimum 5 desktops) and the company provides
installation and quarterly quality check-up of the installed system.
The company is one of its kinds. Currently there is no direct competition. SmartSchoolTM has its main
indirect competitor as the 2nd hand computer shops, over which it can gain advantage through its very low
price, almost one third of a 2nd hand computer & a very efficient supply chain. Threat from new entrants will
be overcome by creating a strong brand name, cost advantage and making long term contracts with client
schools.
The NPV of the project is USD 364,369. IRR is 82%. The initial investment of USD 83,755 will be
recovered within 2 years (1.84 years). 45% of the business will be levered. A 5 year long loan at 14% interest
p.a. will be taken. Net income (in USD) and social benefits are shown below:
Year
Net Income
1
46,837
2
60,082
3
84,542
4
246,406
5
569,152
The social benefits to cost ratio is 102:1. For every dollar invested, SmartSchoolTM creates social return worth
$102. Social returns of SmartSchoolTM are measured by 8 different indicators: (1) Income increase due to
enhanced functional skills (2) Income increase due to enhanced performance in specific subjects (3) Income
increase due to computer literacy (4) Access to information (5) Information evaluation skills (6) Long term
economic benefits (7) Savings for schools & (8) Reduced e-waste management cost.
By refurbishing and reassembling, SmartSchoolTM will reduce e-waste by 2479.53 Tons in 5 years and
promote an eco friendly environment. Manufacturing desktops by reassembling used parts SmartSchoolTM
will reduce emission of 72,000 ton CO2eq.
Team Members:
Tasmeet Iqbal
Mahibul Karim Khan
Nahian Rahman Rochi
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Teletest Technologies
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Developing countries such as Bangladesh often combat against increasing school drop-out rates. In Every 20
seconds 1 student drops out. Research shows that 5 million students enroll in primary schools every year and
barely 50% of them pass the 10th grade. Most students don’t move onto high school or remain in the same
grade because often they are not academically prepared and they fail big exams to get in. Teletest addresses the
need of two aspects. First, every year books get more expensive as costs for manufacturing and printing those
increases. Parents find it harder to buy education materials for their children than paying school fees. Second,
the ratio of teachers to students is more than 1:70 which makes disseminating teaching materials in the
orthodox ways often difficult.
Teletest is an android application integrated into cheap cost tablet and smart phone from India and China. It
is an application with an information bank of all course work, Digital version of textbook, practice questions
and mock examination tests. It will carry all courses under the national curriculum in Bangladesh. In doing
so, students will study like they play on a smart phone, by keeping tablets on scores and competing virtually,
till they appear for the actual exams. This reinvents the way students, especially the 20 million marginalized
ones, access education in Bangladesh.
Teletest is the first of its kind with the entire market to use in Bangladesh. The access to this market remains
individualistic to Teletest because it will be partnered with the government to have the greatest access and
dissemination system as well as to enjoy monopoly on public education which is prevalent in the country
already. Also, it is going to be patented and thus cannot be directly contested thereby eliminating
opportunities of private competitors. Teletest aims to partner with local NGOs such as BRAC and Grameen
bank to help distribute the product in installment basis once it is released for use. It needs around $260,000
to start the venture. Its IRR is estimated 90% and PBP is 1.59 years. In the first three years, our profit margin
is 28%, 30% and 35% respectively. The social return of the project is manifolds, as educating a few even,
helps build a more aware, progressive society. For Every dollar investment in Teletest technologies, it will
generate $213 social return.
Teletest is the new way of approaching education whereby learning will be competitive and fun. With the
recent attempts of Bangladesh government to go digital, and distribute tablet around even in the most remote
areas of the country, realization of Teletest is only a matter of time and will play its part in making the future
leaders, taxpayers and citizens as productive as possible.
Team Members:
Syed Ataullah Ibrahim
Raiha Nawal
Mohammad Rezaul Karim
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
WaterPurifier
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
WaterPurifier is an innovative & eco-friendly partnership enterprise that delivers Solar Water Pasteurizer and
Rainwater Collector to ensure safe drinking water from surface water replacing the contaminated water at
affordable rate. It collects raw materials such as Plastic foam, Black cloth, Polypropylene bag, PVC sheet and
other elements from the local suppliers. Then, it processes the raw materials to get final product. It operates
the business with head office located in Manikgonj - center of affected areas and zonal offices located in south
west, south east, and north region of Bangladesh. The mission of WaterPurifier is the social and economic
development of arsenic affected people and the people of other insecure areas lacking access to safe drinking
water in Bangladesh by reducing child mortality rate, promoting sound health, creating employment
opportunity, empowering women, reducing poverty and thus, upgrading standard of living.
There are nearly 32 million people who deprived of safe drinking water and the number of deprived people is
increasing with the growth rate of 1.22 percent. Besides the water layer is decreasing day by day that cause
more acute crisis of safe water. WaterPurifier optimizes this opportunity by supplying solar water pasteurizer
and rainwater collector to two market segments: 1) the arsenic affected areas 2) other rural areas having lack of
safe drinking water. From the market analysis, it has been found that there is no direct competitor in our
target market but there has possibility of entering new competitor since there has good market. WaterPurifier
will educate the people regarding the benefits of products as well as creating top-of-the-mind awareness
through implementation of an integrated marketing communication. The competitive advantage over the
competitor is cost leadership, unique technology, high responsiveness that propels the company to dominate
the market.
Total estimated fund needed to launch the project is $164,625 of which 63.55% will be from equity holder
and 36.45% will be borrowed as debt. The forecasted revenues and net income for 3 years are:
Particulars
Sales Revenue
Net Profit
2015
2016
2017
$360,000
$792,000
$1,029,580
$25,559
$129,144
$181,869
WaterPurifier reaches its financial break-even point at its third year( payback 1.96 years & discounted 2.32
years) of operation and shows reasonably high profitability (IRR is 40%) when discounted at a rate of
18.27%, NPV of the company stands at around $77,865.
This project will produce wide range of socio-economic benefits, such as generation of employment
opportunities, contribution to national economy, reduction of child mortality rate, sound health, reduction of
poverty, empowerment of women. Environmental impact is zero carbon emission and reservation of natural
resources.
Safe water is a global phenomenon. Therefore, the business model of WaterPurifier can be successfully
replicated in any part of the world.
Team Members:
Riyad Hassan
Mohammed Habibur Rahaman
Mohammad Minhuz Uddin
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Advisory Committee
Stan Emert, Rainmakers
Loretta Little, WRF Capital
Bob Ness, Ness Consulting
David Parker, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Sam Rosenbalm, Microsoft
Joanne Young, Peg and Rick Young Foundation
Drew Tulchin, Social Enterprise Associates
Screening Round Judges
Linda Anderson-Carnahan, US Environmental Protection Agency
Eunice Mareth Areola, San Beda College, Manila
Steven Atamian, Global Brigades Association
Bradford Baker, UW Michael G. Foster School of Business
Dyuti Baral, UW Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
Jeff Bates, UW Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
Lian Carl, Landesa
Michelle Chafee, UW Michael G. Foster School of Business
Amit Chopra, Microsoft
Randy Coutts, Banking Industry
Kathy Dewenter, UW Michael G. Foster School of Business
Tom Flookes, IBM
Jody Garcia, PATH
Brian Glaister, Cadence Biomedical
Kathy Glem, UW School of Medicine
Adib Hobeica, Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve
Cole Hoover, Global Brigades Association
Troy Hutson, Puget Sound Energy
Catherine Johnson
Justin Marlowe, UW Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
Jodi McKeeman, DO-IT Center, UW
Sreejith Naduvalappil, Tata Consultancy Services
William Nichols
Lisa Norton, UW Center for Commercialization
Dorothy Paun, UW College of the Environment
Saara Romu. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Jason Schoen, Cadence Biomedical
Windy Wilkins, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Selection Committee
Linda Anderson-Carnahan, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10
Sara Atalla, Global Washington
Norm Bontje, Fortuna Investments
Rennie Coit, Ignition Capital
Mike Collins, PATH
Matt Duncan, Duncan Consulting
George Economy, Amani Holdings LLC
Tim Elliott, PATH
Julian Fellerman, Linksbridge SPC
K C Gauldine, Gauldine Consulting
Roger Johnson, CFO Selections
Aze Malawo IBD (IC)
Derek Mathis, Projectline
Marion McGowan, Prosthetics Outreach Foundation
Jodi MkKeeman, University of Washington Information Technology
Pete Peterson, Paradox23
Zachary Rozga, VenturScale
Kirstin Sandaas, Foss Maritime
Britt Sylvester, University of Washington Evening MBA
Alan Van Boven, Supply Chain Visions
Buddy Waddington, SUM – Startup Marketing
Coaches
Maryel Duzan, University of Washington Bothell
David Gandara, Gandara Strategic Consulting
Vandra Huber, University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business
Judi Kalitzki, University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business
Michael “Luni” Libes, Fledge
Chris Loeffler, Concur Technologies
Christina Maiers, Slalom Consulting
George Mauer, University District Rotary Club
Drew Meyers, Oh Hey World
Patti Montesi, PATH
Sue Oliver, Seattle University Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center
Gail Romero, Collective Changes
Juliette Schindler Kelly, College Success Foundation
Tyler Smith, Madison Co.
Amelia Vader, University of Washington Department of Global Health
Ted Weiler, Weiler Medical Device Development
Nancy Xu, Jolkona
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Trade Show “Investor” Judges
Emily Allen, University of Washington Department of Global Health
Leigh Anderson, University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs
Lucy Atim, Colorado State University
Bruce Balick, University of Washington Astronomy Department
Jennifer Bauermeister, Consulting & Business Dev. Ctr, UW Michael G. Foster School of Business
Connie Bourassa-Shaw, Buerk Ctr. for Entrepreneurship, UW Michael G. Foster School of Business
Ashwin Budden, PATH
Paula Correa, Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Mining, Uruguay
Bernadene Dochnahl, DENBE of Renton, LLC
Denny Dochnahl, DENBE of Renton, LLC
Nicole Dormer
Mohamad Elkaramany, Ministry for International Cooperation, Egypt
Claudia Frere, University of Washington Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability
Amanda Graybill-Pennington, University of Washington School of Public Health
Rebecca Harris, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mark Horoszowski, MovingWorlds.org
Manisha Kathuria, Russell Investments
Robert Kettle, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Loretta Little, WRF Capital
Jennifer Lucero Earle, University of Washington Department of Global Health
Laura McCurry, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Irina Menn, Hopela
Aric Meyer, Hopela
Bob Ness, Ness Consulting
Bobbi Nodell, University of Washington Department of Global Health
Colleen O’Holleran, Landesa foundations in Land Tenure
Alex Roehrig, Boeing
Michael Ruffo, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Nick Rushton, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking
Martha Sanchez, MBB Architecture
Nataliya Semez, Apex Systems Inc. (Microsoft)
Hendrik Van Hemert, McKinstry
Karthik Vasudevan, Global Graynz
Melanie Wyffels, Access 2 Options
Beto Yarce, Cintli
Christie Youde, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Team Mentors
Ruksana Azuhu Valappil, mentor to Easy Ramp
Ruksana Azhu Valappil is Founder and CEO at Uchit, a social enterprise aimed at empowering
women everywhere. Uchit which means 'just' or 'fair' in Hindi is a California Benefit corporation
partnering with women entrepreneurs and artisans in developing countries. Prior to starting her own
social venture, she was a Clinical Research Scientist at the Parkinson's Institute. As a scientific
investigator, she worked to develop simple, non-invasive, and easy to administer tools for the
diagnosis of pre-motor Parkinson's disease. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from
Rutgers University and a B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Calicut University,
India.
Charles Brennick, mentor to SmartSchool
Charles Brennick is the founder and director of InterConnection.org, a social enterprise nonprofit
that provides refurbished computers and technology solutions to charities and underserved
communities around the world. Mr. Brennick has had a life-long personal and professional interest
in technology, the environment and community development. Prior to starting InterConnection he
worked as a natural resource planner for a parks department and as a web developer and ecotourism
planner in Costa Rica. He spent over two years as an environmental education teacher with the
Peace Corps in Paraguay. He received a Master's degree in Community and Regional Planning from
the University of Oregon. Mr. Brennick lives with his wife, Maria Eugenia, and his two children,
Alan and Anna, in Seattle, Washington.
Shafeen Charania, mentor to Cottaids
Shafeen Charania has over 20 years experience in the high tech industry at Microsoft, IBM and
Sybase. He ran product strategy and marketing groups, emerging market incubations, a worldwide
enterprise sales and marketing machine, and helped create new sales subsidiaries around the world.
He also incubated an advanced technologies group specializing in developing Artificial Intelligence
systems for governments, financial services, and healthcare organization. Shafeen now consults to
corporations, schools, governments and nonprofits on strategy, marketing, and business
transformation. Shafeen has a BASc in Systems Design Engineering from the University of
Waterloo, is a noted public speaker, and is the author of ~synthesis~.
Ed Church, mentor to Recoplastic
Over the past 30 years, Edward Church has had wide-ranging experience in government, nonprofits
and private business. Ed has served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Environmental
Entrepreneurship since 2007. He has won awards for innovation from the San Francisco Business
Times, and awards from the State of California, the County of Alameda and the City of Oakland.
His experience includes being Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Berkeley and directing the Livable
Communities Initiative at the East Bay Community Foundation. He was a Visiting Scholar at the
Institute for Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley. Ed was Program Director at Urban
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Strategies Council, an anti-poverty think-tank, and was the Founding Executive Director of Brighter
Beginnings, a maternal and child health organization. Ed has served as a judge and mentor for the
Stanford Social Entrepreneurship Competition and as a mentor for the U.C. Berkeley Global Social
Venture Competition. Ed Church received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California
at Berkeley in 1977.
Matt Duncan, mentor to Gunawave
For the past twenty years, Matt has been a marketing strategist pursuing solutions at the intersection
of brand, technology and social purpose. Traveling the world, he links corporations, non-profits,
governments and consumers to deliver new social business approaches and outcomes. Matt’s
experience includes two social ventures, two IPO technology companies, four acquisitions and the
founding and sale of his own business strategy company. Matt is active in Seattle’s social
entrepreneurship community currently as a Seattle University mentor and an active member with
several non-profit organizations.
Duane Dunk, mentor to SafeSIPP
Duane has been involved for 20 years in fighting waterborne disease through innovative technology
startups in point of use water purification; as well as involvement in surface disinfection in healthcare
and other environments; and environmental clean-up and waterway protection.
K C Gauldine, mentor to Days for Girls Bridges
K C Gauldine is an accomplished social entrepreneur with 30 years of exceptional experience as a
CEO, Consultant and Executive Coach, serving Small Business, Non-Profit, Social Enterprise and
Entrepreneurs. K C is a strong and inspirational professional with a talen for innovation, translating
business objectives into sound operating plans, building valuable relationships, and modeling
productivity and goal accomplishment. She is dedicated to developing sustainable leaders,
organizations and communities.
Kohl Gill, mentor to LifeSaver
Kohl Gill, a quantum physicist turned social entrepreneur, founded LaborVoices in 2010 after
observing local labor conditions while working in several South Asian countries as an International
Labor Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer with the U.S. Department of State. Prior
to that, he was a Senior Policy Analyst with the U.S. Department of Energy. Before that, he was a
Transparency and Anti-Corruption Fellow with Indicorps in the slum areas of Delhi, India. Dr. Gill
has a BS in Physics from Caltech and an MS and a PhD in Physics from the University of
California, Santa Barbara. He has led LaborVoices to many honors and awards including an
invitation to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012 and the Echoing Green Fellowship
in 2013.
Stephanie Holthaus, mentor to Bhitti
Stephanie Holthaus has had a twenty six year career in the transportation industry, most recently
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
serving as Vice President of Operations for Totem Ocean Trailer Express. She holds an MBA in
Information and Communication Technology from Alaska Pacific University and is a mentor for
UW's Making Connections program. Stephanie lives with her husband in Anchorage, Alaska.
Tom Jensen, mentor to All Teams
Tom Jensen co-founded Enterprise Futures Network in 2003, an international non-profit that
provides volunteer mentors to university based ventures worldwide. Over his 25 year career, Tom
also founded public-private partnerships, start-ups and consulting practices that use technology to
address important problems in energy, environment, and manufacturing and supply chain. Tom
served as a consulting director at SAIC, a Fortune 500 company that is an international leader in
technology innovation, development and applications. Tom has taught venture design at the
University of California at Berkeley, lectured to Columbia and UC Berkeley's Business Schools, and
lectured in engineering and environmental management at Stanford University. He earned a BA in
economics from University of California at Los Angeles and an MA from the Claremont Graduate
University. Tom has mentored dozens of social ventures and had the privilege of mentoring the
grand prize winner of GSEC in 2013, and finalists in the Global Social Venture Competition
(GSVC), the Rice Business Plan Competition and the Stanford Social Venture Competition. He has
also served as judge for the GSVC and the Stanford Social Venture Competition.
Roger Johnson, mentor to WaterPurifier
Roger Johnson is a finance and accounting executive with primary experience in Manufacturing,
International and start-ups. Roger is currently an interim CFO consulting for both domestic and
international operations of small to medium size manufacturing companies. He also has extensive
international experience in Asia/Pacific Region.
John Locher, co-mentor to Teletest Technologies
John Locher, RRP, is founder of Locher & Associates, a project services firm specializing in online
customer acquisition and efficiencies, lifecycle email marketing, and business development. He has
headed up the Washington D.C. based American Resort Development Association’s Technology
Group for the meetings committee since 2006 and has actively served the vacation ownership
industry with integrity since 2002. John is a founder of RedWeek.com and formerly Vice President
of Marketing. There he was instrumental in growing the vacation ownership rental and resale
marketplace. John was Vice President of Marketing for Classmates.com and since the mid-90s has
worked building online content and membership conversion communities. He is passionate about
the Olympic Games, China and growing his client’s projects from ideas to launch to category
leadership. John served as a mentor to GSEC in 2012.
Marion McGowan, mentor to Gunawave
Marion McGowan joined Mobility Outreach International in 2012 from an international
humanitarian agency where she served as a Country Director. For the past 6 years, Marion worked
in international development with organizations primarily focused on global health, and assisted
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
programs in Indonesia, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. While in Washington D.C., she supported
programs in East Africa including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Prior
to her career in international development, Marion worked in the medical equipment field and also
served in the US Army. Marion has a BA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins
University and a MBA from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia.
Ravi Mistry, mentor to PowerCane
Ravi Mistry currently serves as President of EPPICGlobal, a Bay Area life sciences nonprofit, allvolunteer professional organization founded 15 years ago. Ravi has over 30 years of business
operations, finance, legal, marketing, program/project management, and corporate administration
experience. His professional career spans several industries that include nuclear, technology, and life
sciences. He is Founder of Silicon Valley based The Mistry Group that mentors entrepreneurs. Ravi
is a member of the Founding Team of Virident Systems, a technology company that was acquired by
Western Digital Corporation in late 2013 for $685M. As Director of Business Operations, Ravi has
managed several functions for its US headquarters and India operations, including closing of Series A
and B funding of over $25M. He was Vice President of Operations and Finance for BioImagene, a
global startup headquartered in San Jose, California, and involved in digital pathology imaging
analysis and management. BioImagene was acquired by Roche for over $100M. He served as Sr.
Director of Business Operations at DiscoveRx Corporation, a biotech company located in Fremont,
California, where he managed multiple business/corporate functions, including managing its NIH
Research Grants program. Prior to this, he spent over 15 years in nuclear industry as Project
Manager. Ravi is Adjunct Professor, DeVry University/Keller Graduate School of Management and
teaches MBA courses. For the past ten years, he has been Adjunct Faculty at Ohlone College,
Fremont teaching a course, “Biotechnology Careers”. Ravi has authored 30+ technical reports,
business plans, and publications. He has served as: Mentor/Coach for Astia companies participating
in the Astia Annual Venture Conference; Mentor/Advisor to BASES (Business Association of
Stanford Entrepreneurial Students) at Stanford; Director and Vice President on CSUEB Alumni
Board; Founding Chairman of BayBioNEST, an entrepreneurial forum started by BayBio to bring
biotech scientists from bench to boardroom; and President of the American Marketing Association,
Silicon Valley chapter. Ravi is Gold Medalist from Gujarat University, India, with a BS degree in
Engineering. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA in
Finance from CSUEB.
Mike Moon, mentor to AYUDA Food Aid
Michael Moon serves currently as the President and CEO of GISTICS Inc., an innovation thinktank based in Silicon Valley dedicated to the profession and craft of innovation, entrepreneurship,
and transmedia storytelling. Michael coaches entrepreneurs in bootstrapping and enterprise startups,
specializing in the crucial systems and processes for customer, product, and organizational
development. Michael also provides executive programs for developing high-performance
entrepreneurial cultures, using a combination of action-based learning and peer coaching in smallgroup settings. Earlier in his career, he has advised 75-plus global firms on system design for the
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
management of global brands, customer engagement, and digital assets, and tacit knowledge
networks. Michael has delivered more than 400 keynotes presentations and seminars around the
world and published more than 75 white papers, long-form interviews, and market reports. He has
lectured at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, San Francisco State University, California State
University East Bay, Fielding Institute, and St. Pölten University (AT). McGraw-Hill and its
international affiliates offer Mr. Moon's book, Firebrands: Building Brand Loyalty in the Internet
Age in 13 languages. He and his co-authors are now heads-down developing Startup Ready,
microlearning service for helping millions of people around the world make the scary shift from
being employees to an autonomous. self-directed solo-preneurs.
Jill Naas, mentor to Gas For Tomorrow (G4T)
Jill is responsible for the implementation and management of the contracting and account set-up
process to bring derivatives into Russell portfolios. This role involves compliance, regulatory, legal
and contract management. Jill also is a program manager responsible for IT and Operations projects
to be implemented into the Investment Division. Jill has been in the financial services / investment
industry for 22+ years, and has been a certified project manager (PMP) since 2004. She graduated
from UW Foster School of Business in 1992 and from Seattle University with a Master’s of Science
in Finance in 1995.
Joan Osa Oviawe, mentor to Green World Enterprise
Joan Osa Oviawe is a Policy and Development specialist with over twelve years of community
development, social activism and cross-cultural collaborative experience. She has a strong
background in designing and monitoring programs that help facilitate healthy and vibrant
communities with a focus on building transferable life-long learning strategies and skills to
encourage individual and community growth. Dr. Oviawe is a versatile, visionary and creative
professional with a strong legislative advocacy background in community and International
development. She is a Principal Consultant at Camak Global Consulting Group, as well as the cofounder of Grace Foundation, an International non-profit organization that provides women and
youth empowerment programming as well as access to quality education to kids from low income
families in Nigeria. Dr. joan.Osa Oviawe is the founder of the Africa Special Interest Group (ASIG)
of the Comparative and International Education Society. The ASIG aims to develop an active and
vibrant scholarly community that encourages and supports critical inquiries into African Educational
issues.
Pete Peterson, mentor to PAK-Energy Solutions
Peter Peterson is an Information Technology professional with 25 years’ experience delivering
solutions for both small and large client around the world. Effective leader, building teams to create
and grow both consulting and cloud-based businesses. (BIO NOT CONFIRMED)
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
John Raabo Neilsen, mentor to Nanoly Bioscience
John Raabo has 19 years of leadership experience within health care in roles covering sales,
marketing, business development, R&D and manufacturing at companies ranging from venture
backed start-ups, family owned companies to listed global organizations. He currently works for one
of the most successful medical device companies in the world, Coloplast, as Senior Vice President
and Country Manager, Sweden. Previous to that, John was Senior Vice President, Global Research
& Development. Coloplast A/S is the global market leader in the fields of ostomy, continence and
wound care appliances. John has a Master of Business Administration from Oxford Brookes
University, England. John has been a past EFN mentor for Duke, Rice, and Stanford University.
Kirstin Sandaas, mentor to Gunawave
Ms. Sandaas is the CFO of Foss Maritime, a 125 year old Seattle-based marine services business,
specializing in tug and barge services. Ms. Sandaas is responsible for all accounting, financial, billing
and procurement activities for this $400M business. As CFO Ms. Sandaas lead both ERP and
Payroll systems implementations and also centralized the Foss accounting and finance group into a
shared services function. She has also been a key team member in several mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Foss Ms. Sandaas served as Finance Manager at Optiva, makers of the Sonicare
toothbrush, where she lead the finance support in opening several international offices and working
as an integral part of the team that helped to sell the company to Philips Electronics. Previously, she
worked for various accounting firms, including Arthur Andersen and Ernst and Young as a Tax
Manager. Ms. Sandaas has an undergraduate in Business Administration and a master in Professional
Accounting, both from the University of Washington.
Mike Siemion, co-mentor to Teletest Technologies
Mike has been the director of Business Development for the SBA in Anchorage Alaska for the past
ten years. He was the youngest winner of the SBA’s national gold medal for excellence in service to
the Nations small business owners. Mike developed innovative educational programs that helped
take the Anchorage office of the SBA to the number one office in the country three years in a row.
While in Anchorage, he was staff small business writer for the Alaska Business Monthly and founded
the Alaska SBDC. He was Founder of the National Association of Internet professionals, and
turnaround CEO for Com Vista consulting. Founder, writer and on camera talent for Beat the Odds
Video’s: Strategies for Small Business Success. Mike served as marketing VP for the founding team
of ClassMates.com (50 million plus members) the first successful social network. ClassMates.com
was successfully sold to United Technologies in 2005. He is Co-founder of RedWeek.com (2.0
million plus members) THE internet marketplace for the timeshare industry. Mike has senior level
marketing and financial and turn around experience in a number of small (to 15 million gross)
closely held family owned businesses. President of FirstandLastHomes in 2013, a construction
company that refurbishes older homes for first time home buyers. He has entrepreneurship teaching
experience at the university and community college level. Past mentor for Washington CASH a nonprofit group helping low income women become self sufficient thru micro loans and
entrepreneurship training. He was also a mentor, judge and speaker for DECA in Washington State,
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
and is a regular speaker at the summer Washington Business week series. He is third in the country
for SCORE online counseling activity and was a speaker at the University of Washington and Seattle
University entrepreneurship centers. Mike has a BS in marketing from Seattle University, graduate
work in finance and communications, and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Boston College
and the SBA.
Mike Snyder, mentor to Fargreen
Mike Snyder, President and co-founder of the International Foundation for Entrepreneurship,
Science, and Technology (IFEST), is a Silicon Valley based economist who has advised several web,
telecom, e-commerce, chemical, and biotechnology startups active in the US and overseas. During
17 years of service in Washington DC, Mike was the chief staff person responsible for science and
math education reform at the US Department of Education under Secretary Rod Paige. He also
worked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the congressional Office of Technology
Assessment (OTA). Mike also worked on international programs at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
James Thompson, mentor to Drinkwell (team withdrew)
Mr. Thompson joined HaloSource in August 2004 as Chief Financial Officer. James also serves as
Senior Vice President Business Development. Prior to joining HaloSource, Mr. Thompson was a
principal with Alexander Hutton Venture Partners, LP, a regional venture capital firm investing in
emerging growth companies, and formerly an associate with Alexander Hutton Capital, LLC where
he raised capital for technology start-ups in the Pacific Northwest of the US. Mr. Thompson has a
BA from Gonzaga University and an MBA from the University of Washington.
Joanne Young, mentor to Agro-Youth Achievers
Joanne Young is director of the Peg & Rick Young Foundation, a Seattle-based charitable
foundation. The foundation supports programs in the Puget Sound region that work to improve
quality of life and enhance individual potential. The foundation funds primarily in education, the
arts, youth development, leadership training, and appreciation of the natural world, though in recent
years, social service has taken increased funding. In the 1980s and 90's Joanne was an entrepreneur
and business owner whose company provided a specialized trade service to the graphic arts and
printing industry. Her interest in the arts, natural history, and citizen diplomacy led to her
involvement with numerous nonprofit organizations. She has served as president or vice president of
Pottery Northwest, Seattle-Tashkent Sister City Association, Puget Sound Mycological Society and
Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation. Being involved with GSEC as a mentor or trade show judge
since 2006 has made Joanne a confirmed GSEC fan. She sees social enterprise as a beneficial model
for both business and non-profits, and hopes that GSEC continues to thrive and encourage
interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Judges: Preliminary Round
Rnukka Ahhuja, Senior Finance Manager, Microsoft
Renukka has experience in supply chain finance (logistics and distribution services), as well as
consulting (international tax and setting up operations around the world).
John Beale, Director, Strategic Development & Lead, Social Business Group, VillageReach
As Director of Strategic Development, John is responsible for creating opportunities for
VillageReach’s social business development capability in support of the organization’s health system
strengthening field programs. He also oversees VillageReach’s marketing and fundraising strategy.
John has worked for more than 20 years in business development, marketing, and communications
both in the US, Europe and throughout Asia. Prior to joining VillageReach, John worked for eight
years in the wireless industry, first at the wireless technology company, QUALCOMM, as vice
president of marketing for its semiconductor division, and then as head of marketing with the
venture capital-backed wireless software company, Volantis Systems, based in the UK. In these roles
he has developed extensive experience in defining market opportunities for businesses and their
products and services, designing and executing go-to-market programs to capture the opportunities,
and soliciting investor support for these ventures.
Susan Bolton, Faculty, University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest
Sciences
Dr. Susan Bolton, Ph.D., P.E. has graduate degrees in ecology and civil engineering and is a
registered professional engineer. She is a Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest
Sciences. She has adjunct appointments in the Departments of Global Health and Civil and
Environmental Engineering. She has worked for many years on international sustainable
development in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia with projects on drinking water, irrigation,
composting toilets, improved cookstoves and the role of gardens and green-space on human
wellbeing. The team she works with in Peru on gardens projects has won multiple design awards for
their work in slum improvements. She has been a faculty adviser and national board member of
Engineers without Borders. Recently she completed a literature review of interactions between
HIV/AIDS and the Environment for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the
International Planned Parenthood Federation in Kenya.
Lian Carl, Deputy director, Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights
Lian Carl provides business management and operations oversight to Landesa's Center for Women's
Land Rights including strategy development and implementation, work plan development,
budgeting and financial analysis, streamlining processes, and acting as a liaison with the Landesa
development and communications teams. Before joining Landesa, she worked for Grameen
Foundation where she served as a business manager for Programs and Regions. Prior to Grameen,
Ms. Carl was in the Peace Corps in Panama where she focused on economic development programs
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
including small business development, agriculture cooperatives, and microfinance. She graduated
with her MBA from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.
Kate Cochran, Senior Adviser, Global Philanthropy Group
Kate Cochran is a senior executive with 10 years of experience investing and building capacity in
microfinance organizations to broaden outreach and diversify products. Board chair of seed stage
investment company with a mission to build employers of the Ultra Poor in North India. She has an
MBA with a focus on human resources and nonprofit management. Currently Kate is a consultant
to foundations and nonprofits performing grants due diligence and program evaluation.
Dean DeCrease, Principle, Festivore Design Works
Mr. DeCrease is a founder, investor and coach focusing on consumer products and enterprise
innovation. Prior to Festivore, he co-founded ReVision Labs, Kila Ventures, and The Elmira. Until
2008, he was an executive of Weyerhaeuser Company, leading their $300 million food packaging
materials business. He received a BS in Applied Science from Pennsylvania State University and an
MS in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University. Mr. DeCrease is a member of the
University of Washington's Global Business Advisory Board at the Foster School, past-chair of the
World Affairs Council and an advisor at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. He has lived and worked in
Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Emer Dooley, Faculty, University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business
Emer Dooley is a faculty member at the University of Washington. She specializes in technology
strategy, entrepreneurship and venture capital and teaches in both the Business School and the
Department of Computer Science and Engineering . She works with the Center for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (CIE), where her primary goal is to involve students in all aspects of company
creation, technology commercialization, and investment. She was awarded the University’s
Distinguished Teaching Award in 1997. Emer has a B.Sc .and M.Eng. from the University of
Limerick in Ireland, and an MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Prior to joining
the university, Emer worked as a senior design engineer with Digital Equipment Corporation in
Ireland and in the US, and as marketing manager with Mosaix, a Seattle computer-telephony start
up.
Dave Gandara, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, DB Squared, Inc.
Gandara brings over twenty years of related experience in business development. He has a proven
history of creating lasting business relationships. Gandara has been involved with various northwest
startup companies in many capacities from Director of International Business Development to
President and CEO. He has also managed mid-market and Fortune 1000 clients including Atriva
Technologies, Photodisc, Dow Jones, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft.
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Tom Garland, Senior Advisor, Baldwin M&A Partners
Tom Garland has industry experience that includes software, consumer products, health care and
insurance. Tom started his career in accounting and finance followed by transitions to I.T.,
operations management, logistics management, corporate development and roles as president and
CEO. In the course of his career he was associated with quality companies such as, PACCAR, Inc.,
K2 Ski Company, Washington Dental Service and European Soaps, Ltd.
Chris Gingerich, Deputy Director – Data and Analytis, The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation
Chris Gingerich, PhD – Deputy Director for Data & Analytics at The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. Chris works to promote and enable the use of data-driven analysis to inform decision
making, with the ultimate goal of accelerating progress towards development goals. His focus areas
include improving capacity for data-driven decision making within the Gates Foundation, donor
coordination of data & statistics investments, and exploring opportunities for increased coordination
within national statistics production systems. Chris has a PhD in Health Economics from The
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MS in Applied Economics with a
concentration in Statistics and Econometrics from Iowa State University.
Anita Grover, Scientist, Amgen
Dr. Anita Grover is a Scientist at Amgen in Seattle, Washington. Her interests lie in quantitative
methods in medical product development and in global medical access, use, and regulation. She
received her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences & Pharmacogenomics from the Department of
Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and her BS
in Computational & Systems Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
David Keogh, Program Director, Global Good, Intellectual Ventures
David currently serves as Program Director for Global Good, a collaborative effort between Bill
Gates and Intellectual Ventures to tackle some of humanity’s toughest problems through invention.
Previously, David served as COO for Landesa, working to secure land rights for the world’s poorest.
David has been Principal Consultant for Juvo Solutions providing outsourced expertise in crafting
sustainable solutions for social business and development projects. David also co-founded and served
as the CEO and President of Concero Connect, L3C, a Grameen Social Business which seeks to
deliver broadband infrastructure and associated value-added services to positively impact the lives
and livelihoods of the impoverished and underserved. David previously served as Director of New
Initiatives and also as Deputy Director of Grameen Foundation’s Grameen Technology Center
(GTC) where he served since its inception in 2001. David was the co-founder and founding board
member of the MTN-Village Phone, the first public-private partnership to extend
telecommunications access to the rural poor in Uganda. David went on to co-found Village Phone
Rwanda SARL which brings the benefits of telecommunications access to rural communities in
Rwanda.
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Karishma Kiri, Entrepreneur & Real Estat Professional, Windermere Real Estate
Karishma has been involved with GSEC for 3 years between judging, and pre-screening applicants.
She has extensive business and marketing experience across the fields of technology, digital
advertising, and emerging markets. Karishma led several global emerging market initiatives for
Microsoft, including spearheading a program that was launched by Bill Gates. After Microsoft,
Karishma joined a couple of other partners and built a digital advertising agency that was recently
sold to Publicis Groupe, the largest communications company globally. Karishma is also very active
in the real estate market and helps families with their real estate needs. Karishma is very active in the
social-entrepreneurship space and serves on the board of several organizations focused on sustainable,
socio-economic change.
Megan Le, Project Manager, PATH
Megan Le is honored to participate in GSEC 2014. She is the project manager of the first PATH
initiative in Yangon: Introduction for Fortified Rice in Myanmar under the Maternal and Child
Health/Nutrition program. Megan joined PATH in 2010 and her work has spanned a variety of
teams including: project management/business analysis for a World Health Organization web-based
immunization data repository; commercialization work with Safe Water; and strategic
communication consulting with the International Development team. Before PATH, she worked in
the private sector as a client manager for IT start-ups and also served as a marketing consultant for
various social enterprises. Megan holds a B.A in Latin American Studies and a B.S in Marketing
from North Carolina State University, and an International MBA from ESADE in Spain, with a
concentration in corporate strategy and sustainability.
Adnan Mahmud, CEO, Geoko, Inc.
Adnan Mahmud is passionate about using technology to tackle the biggest social challenges. He is
the founder & CEO of LiveStories - a startup which builds tools to help organizations and small
businesses simplify data analysis, visualization, and sharing on the web. Before LiveStories, Adnan
co-founded Jolkona.org 5 years ago to inspire more philanthropy amongst the millennials and he
continues to lead its strategic initiatives. In addition, Adnan is an envoy for the US State
Department on social entrepreneurship and youth leadership, speaking regularly at universities
around the world. Adnan also has over eight years of experience managing data related products and
incubation projects at Microsoft.
Andrew Parcel, Private Wealth Advisor, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Andrew is a Private Wealth Advisor with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Seattle. Prior to joining
Goldman Sachs, Andrew was a Senior Consultant in new technology commercialization with
Accenture Technology Labs, followed by a role as Director of Client Services for a private equitybacked human resources outsourcing firm. Andrew holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from
Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of
Business where he continues to participate as a member of the Employer Advisory Board. Andrew is
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
an active participant in the community, where he formerly served as Board Fellow with Encompass
Northwest and currently serves as President of the Young Professionals International Network, as
Trustee of the World Affairs Council of Seattle, and as an Associate with ArtsFund.
David Parker, Senior Program Officer, US Education Program, The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation
David has been at the The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since 2009 as a Senior Program Officer
in the US College Ready Education group; prior to that he spent 16 years at Microsoft in various
Sales & Marketing, Finance and Strategy positions. His final role there was as General Manager of
Business Strategy & Operations in the Unlimited Potential Group. As a founding member of this
team, he helped create the mission and plans for Microsoft to develop new solutions, partnerships
and business models to provide relevant, accessible and affordable technology to underserved
communities around the world. David holds a B.S in Economics from the Wharton School of
Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ed Pepin, Owner, Pepin & Associates
Edward Pepin has a comprehensive background in startup and emerging companies, turnarounds,
and complex company assignments. In addition, he has extensive experience in analyzing potential
breakthrough companies. Over the past 42 years, he has created strategic alliances both regionally
and nationwide. He also has an outstanding record of results in planning and proposal preparation
and is a catalyst adept at developing effective professional teams for engineering, technology, finance,
and medical firms. Ed has had ownership interest in and operated over twenty successful companies,
across a wide range of industry sectors.
Ed holds a BA and an MBA from the University of Washington.
Cliff Schmidt, Executive director, Literacy Bridge
Cliff Schmidt started Literacy Bridge in 2007 to address global poverty and disease by making
practical agriculture and health knowledge accessible to those who need it most. He led the
development of an audio-based mobile device called the “Talking Book” for people with minimal
literacy skills living in rural areas without electricity or Internet access. Cliff received the Microsoft
Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow Award by Bill and Melinda Gates and was awarded a Clinton
Global Initiative membership by President Bill Clinton. Most recently, he received top prizes at the
Tech Awards and Computerworld Honors, and was selected by the PBS Newshour as one of five
Agents for Social Change in 2013. Prior to starting Literacy Bridge, Cliff was a software developer
for Microsoft and a nuclear engineering officer for the US Navy Submarine Force. He received his
B.S. in Cognitive Science from MIT and his M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from
University of Washington.
Lizette Tucker, Organizational Effectiveness Consultant, Slalom Consulting
Before joining Slalom Consulting’s Organizational Effectiveness team in 2012, Lizette Tucker, spent
13+ years facilitating national and international teams in driving innovation and change for Fortune
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500 companies. Supporting companies within financial services, auto manufacturing,
telecommunications, insurance, pharmaceuticals, and personal services, Ms. Tucker brought a special
focus to mitigating the impact of change on workplace productivity. At Slalom, she has continued
to play a key consultative role advising leaders as they re-organize teams and back office structures,
implement technology solutions, conduct process re-engineering initiatives, and make HR policy
and cultural changes. Originally from Tennessee, in 1994, she launched one of the first AmeriCorps
programs in the U.S., now known as the Vanderbilt Coalition on Healthy Aging, which today still
provides support for health, safety and quality of life issues faced by underserved or disenfranchised
senior citizens in rural and urban areas of Tennessee. Ms. Tucker holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt
University and an M.A. in Organizational Management from Trevecca University.
Windy Wilkins, Program Officer, The Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation
Windy is a Program Officer for the Livestock Team within the Agricultural Development initiative
at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to this, Windy worked at Unitus , an international
nonprofit devoted to accelerating the growth of microfinance, where she served as East Africa
Operations Manager and built the Unitus Network offering, an integrated program of tools and
services to drive peer-to-peer learning across 24 microfinance organizations. Windy also worked at
the RAND Corporation and spent a year in Peru as a Fulbright scholar. She holds an M.A. in
International Policy Studies from Stanford University, and a B.A. in International Relations from
Pomona College."
Tiffany Wong, Sr. Proposal Development Analyst, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Strategy Proposal
Operations
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the
space and missile defense areas in support of domestic and international markets. Tiffany Wong
started off as their MBA intern and then joined the Engineering organization, where she oversaw
continuous improvement processes. Today, Tiffany shepherds cross-functional proposal teams
through the proposal development process. She helps develop win strategies for competitive bids to
commercial and government customers. Tiffany has been a GSEC volunteer since 2010, and enjoys
working with GSEC’s high-caliber teams.
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Judges: Final Round
Linda Cheever, President, Cheever Emerging Market Consulting, LLC
Ms. Cheever currently serves as President, Cheever Emerging Market Consulting, since September,
2011. From June 2006 - September, 2011, Ms. Cheever served as President, Asia Pacific, for the
Danaher Corporation, a $16B industrial corporation based in Washington, D.C. with extensive
global operations across multiple business platforms. Those platforms included businesses in
electronic and environmental test instrumentation, life sciences, dental instrumentation and
consumables, precision motors, and high speed coding and marking. Ms. Cheever was responsible
for the performance of Danaher Asia sales companies and achievement of growth objectives in a
region generating more than $3B USD revenues. From 2003-2006, she served as President of a
newly established Danaher China Management Board. Prior to these recent roles, Ms. Cheever
served as VP for Intercontinental Operations (Asia Pac and Americas) for the Fluke Corporation, a
test and measurement company, based in Everett, Washington. Prior to joining Fluke, Ms. Cheever
was with the Hewlett Packard Company’s Intercontinental Operations in Palo Alto, California. Ms.
Cheever received her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, an MA degree in East Asia
Studies and an MBA, both from the University of Washington. She serves on the Executive Boards
of PeaceTrees Vietnam (a Washington based NGO), The Washington State China Relations
Council, and the Advisory Board of the Global Business Center at the University of Washington
Business School. Ms Cheever is a member of the Seattle Rotary and serves on the PATH/Rotary
Steering Committee for malaria eradication with active projects in East Africa.
Arun Gore, President & CEO, Gray Ghost Ventures
Arun came to social venture capital after executive leadership roles in finance and operations in the
telecommunications industry. Arun brings his general management experience to lead the
management of the organization, investment team and Fund investment activities. Over the last
seven years, he has been involved in developing the Impact Ventures portfolios under management
and promoting financial and social value creation. During his career, he has been responsible for
managing market operations, budgeting, vendor financing and special projects, as well as
streamlining operations and restructuring departments and business centers to improve financial and
operational efficiency.
Arun is a native of Chennai, India. He holds a BSc in the Sciences, a BS in Accounting and an MBA
in Finance.
Denis Hayes, President & CEO, Bullitt Foundation
A seasoned veteran of many legislative, cultural, and courtroom battles over the years, and the author
of numerous books and articles, Denis Hayes is probably still best known for having been National
Coordinator of the first Earth Day when he was 25. Internationally, Denis is recognized for having
expanded Earth Day to more than 180 nations. It is now the world’s most widely observed secular
holiday. Hayes remains the honorary chair of the Earth Day Network. Time magazine selected
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Hayes as one of its "Heroes of the Planet". He has been profiled as "Newsmaker of the week" by
ABC News and as "Today’s Person in the News" by the New York Times.
At the Bullitt Foundation, Denis leads an effort to mold the American Pacific Northwest into a
global model of sustainability. Focusing mostly on the region’s largest cities (Seattle, Portland, and
Vancouver) and its dominant industries, the foundation applies principles of the science of ecology
to the design of 'human ecosystems'. To "walk its talk", the foundation is currently designing and
intends to construct and own the world’s greenest office building.
Peter Rabinowitz, Associate Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences,
Global Health, University of Washington
Peter Rabinowitz MD MPH directs the Human Animal Medicine Project. The Project explores
linkages between human, animal, and environmental health in a "One Health" paradigm, including:
zoonotic infectious diseases at the human-animal interface, animals as "sentinels" of environmental
health hazards, and clinical collaboration between human health care providers and veterinarians in a
species-spanning approach. A goal of the Project is to serve as an incubator and organizer of research,
training, and clinical activities at the University of Washington related to the human-animalecosystem interface.Dr. Rabinowitz also directs the Canary Database, an online resource for evidence
about animals as sentinels of environmental health threats from both toxic and infectious hazards.
Dr. Rabinowitz completed a Family Medicine residency through the University of California San
Francisco (Salinas Program). He has also completed fellowships in General Preventive Medicine and
Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, where he served as
Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Director of Electives for the School
of Medicine until joining the UW faculty last September.
James Rooney, Senior Manager, Technology for Good, Microsoft
James Rooney is the senior manager for Microsoft’s Technology for Good program. As part of that
he owns the company’s relationships with strategic nonprofit partners, participates on the Microsoft
Disaster Response team, and develops technology solutions that benefit nonprofits and their
constituents. He holds an MPA from the University of Washington and has founded and served on
the board of a number of nonprofits. A 14-year veteran at Microsoft, he worked in the Microsoft
Developers Network and Office International team in Dublin, Ireland prior to joining the
Citizenship and Public Affairs team.
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Banquet Keynote Speaker
Arun Gore, President & CEO, Gray Ghost Ventures
Arun Gore is the owner of the Manager, as well as the President and CEO. As such, he is responsible
for the general management and day-to-day operations of the management company. He also serves
in a portfolio management capacity and plays a governance role as a board member for a number of
the Portfolio Companies.
Arun brings an extensive background in mobile telecommunications, finance, operations and
entrepreneurship. His 35+ years of experience in the United States, South Asia, Africa and the
Middle East, which includes serving as a member of the executive team at T-Mobile USA as the
Chief Financial Officer of Cook Inlet T-Mobile, has been valuable in underwriting investment
opportunities and working with the entrepreneurs of Portfolio Companies. Arun also brings a wealth
of entrepreneurial experience as the prior owner and manager of two Oklahoma-based organizations:
SAI, an international supply company for oilfield supplies where he was responsible for the
operations of 13 countries and Atex Oil Company, a wholesale and retail oil refining and
distribution business where he was responsible for the finance, inventory, asset protection and fleet
management of an entire division of the company.
Since 2006 Arun has been actively engaged in promoting the Impact Ventures Group within GGV.
Since 2008, he has had responsibility for overseeing the development, evaluation, governance and
operational management of the existing Funds. Arun is a native of Chennai, India. He completed
his undergraduate studies in India and holds dual degrees: a BSc in the Sciences and a BS in
Accounting. He completed post-graduate studies in the United States and holds an MBA in Finance.
As the leader of Gray Ghost®, Arun understands the markets, challenges and opportunities associated
with investing in the sector and brings an informed perspective and practical experience to the
leadership of the Manager and the fund management process.
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
Team Ambassadors and Volunteers
We would like to extend our gratitude to the volunteer co-chairs, Jonathan Bannick and Joyce
Tang, and would also like to recognize the generous support of the many volunteers who
contributed to the program's success. GSEC volunteers assist with event management, marketing,
technology, and other activities essential to the success of the program. Team Ambassadors are
assigned to GSEC teams, and their responsibilities include helping orient the teams upon arrival in
Seattle, providing sightseeing suggestions, attending GSEC week events, and assisting with oncampus outreach.
Team Ambassadors
Branden Audet
Kelly Bolander
ChengSu Chen
Amy Crossman
Sarah Gordon
Laura Grable
Jeff Halvorson
Katy Kaltenbrun
Danait Kidane
Sarah Lambert
Lorin Lee
Heather Lewis
Maya Monroe
Rebecca Ruh
Julianne Sloane
Nikolina Stoykova
Ishani Umat
Demetra Xenos
Shuman Zheng
Thank you to our student volunteers for all of your help!
Homestay Families
We would like to thank all of the families who provided homestays for the GSEC competitors
coming from other countries. The homestay experience is often one of the most memorable parts of
GSEC week for foreign students as it helps students feel comfortable during their time in Seattle and
provides an introduction to American family life. We are very grateful to everyone who hosted this
year and hope that you will continue to be a part of GSEC!
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2014 GLOBAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
UW North Central Campus Map
GSEC events are being held in Paccar Hall, Dempsey Hall, and the Bank of America Executive
Education Center, circled on the map below.
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