WJF Update: 13 May, 2013
Greetings and Salutations. I hope all is well with you. It’s an exciting month here at the William James Foundation — the full plans have come in, and been sent out …
Meet the unflappable Harlem entrepreneurs behind ‘Peartree Preschool’, ‘Curvy Girlz Lingerie’
“I decided it would be easier to build my own school than to keep searching!” Adusei said. “And that’s exactly what I did.” Simone is now a student at Peartree, which held a ribbon-cutting on Monday at its spanking new home on W. 112th St.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/big-dreams-well-drafted-blueprints-fueled-entrepreneurs-success-article-1.1339973
Five questions with Sam Dargan
Sam Dargan founded a music production company to promote the solar LEDs and other devices that he sells in Rwanda. His company, Great Lakes Energy, Ltd, sells low-cost technologies that improve the quality of life in off-grid and under-served communities.
https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/five-questions-with-sam-dargan/
WJF Update: 22 April, 2013
It’s that time of year again. Time for the WJF to bring together the sharpest minds in social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and mission-focused accelerators to learn from each other at …
WJF Update: Our 10th Anniversary
Greetings and Salutations. I hope all is well with you. This year marks the William James Foundation’s 10th anniversary. In ten years, we have worked with more than 750 for-profit social impact start-up ideas. More …
WJF Update 25th March, 2013
I’m always blown away at the number of people who jump to support us when we ask for their help whether it be judging our competition, offering an in-kind prize, …
MCN Update: 11 March 2013
Greetings and Salutations from Boston. I’ve been here since Thursday, participating in the wrap-up of the Village Capital Boston cohort, and SOCAP-Soul. It’s been exciting watching those of us who support impact …
WJF Update: 27 February 2013
I have returned, once again, from Central America, where I had the opportunity to work with the Latin American Impact Investment Forum to set up the Latin American version of the Impact …
Acuity Brands Acquires Adura Technologies, Inc., a Leading Developer of Wireless Controls and Energy Management Solutions
Acuity Brands, a market leader in innovative energy-efficient lighting and control solutions, announced it has acquired the assets of Adura Technologies, a leading developer of wireless controls and energy management solutions.
http://www.abl-internationalsales.com/2013/01/acuity-brands-acquires-adura-technologies-inc-a-leading-developer-of-wireless-controls-and-energy-management-solutions/
Interview: Tonle
“This time around it was very beneficial to enter with our plan because we had completely changed it. I also found it valuable to get outside perspective on our work …
Eccolizer
Eccolizer received 2nd place in 2013 Richard Heinberg Sustainable Prizes, sponsored by the Foundation for a Sustainable Future. Eccolizer worked to solve the food crisis in Bangladesh by providing low-cost bio-fertilizer …
YELI proposes eco friendly paper bags from recycled paper
I was born in the rural area of Mbale, Uganda, I moved to Kampala on a half bursary to study at an advanced level. It later became a hurdle to cater for my needs while at school after my parents became unemployed. In 2008, at the age of 16, I saw a market opportunity in creating paper bags. As the Ugandan government leaned towards a ban on use of polythene plastic bags, I decided to venture into an environmentally friendly project of paper bag production.
https://startup.info/yeli/
Om Boys create peanut butter for the 21st century with Yumbutter
“One revolutionary thing that’s been our core since the beginning is our responsibility to make the most nutritious food for the customer,” Reif says. “It’s not a right to be a food manufacturer; it’s a privilege. We have to look out for other people, and we don’t want to give them unhealthy foods.” He’d like to help people “take back control of what they’re eating.”
http://isthmus.com/food-drink/om-boys-create-peanut-butter-for-the-21st-century-with-yumbutter/
A Visit to Schaduf Urban Micro Farms: Cairo, Egypt
Hosny named the business, Schaduf, after a simple traditional Egyptian tool for raising water to higher ground for crop irrigation.
http://greenandprosperousmiddleeast.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-visit-to-schaduf-urban-micro-farms.html
Interview: Mozambikes (2012)
“WJF was so amazing is that it was broad enough and yet specific enough to allow Mozambikes to shine…Presenting one’s business in front of some of the world’s prominent social …
Interview: iNotForProfit
“iNotForProfit is innovating the way non-profit organizations and social enterprises connect with their constituency. Philanthropy 2.0 is here – and every organization should be able to leverage the mobile channel!” …
Interview: Maendeleo
Conrad Cheeks talked with Abraham Kamarck, founder and CEO of Maendeleo Agric, to ask him about his business. Mr. Abraham Kamarck founded Maendeleo Ventures, LLC in 2009. This interview was …
Interview: Back to the Roots
Erin Jones caught up with Jared about Back to the Roots, and their success in reconnecting people to the food they’re eating. When did you meet WJF? Back to the …
Interview: AyaFarms
“The judges’ feedback helped me to think through the next iteration of my business plan, it helped me find the answers to the questions that I had, and most importantly, …
Farming Goes High-Tech in the Amazon
Eco Ola has nine hectares of land, on which they are using sustainable farming techniques like polycultures (using more than one plant species in the same area), alley cropping (growing an agricultural crop simultaneously with a long-term tree crop to provide annual income while the tree crop matures), and rotating crops.
http://www.eco-ola.com/media/press/
Interview: Day One Response (2012)
“For social enterprises that are in that early stage prior to taking on investment, I really think that all companies should be involved with the WJF competition because it provides …
Permaculture: a path toward a more sustainable Amazon?
Eco Ola, a Peru-based organization founded by William Park and Carla Noain, has developed a community training center in the Peruvian Amazon to train people to learn how to improve soil in a polyculture/agroforestry system. Permaculture essentially mimics the form and structure of a natural forest, with a diverse array of species including a canopy of timber and fruit trees; an understory of cacao, bananas and species; and a shrub layer of herbs, legumes, and peppers.
https://news.mongabay.com/2012/05/permaculture-a-path-toward-a-more-sustainable-amazon/
Interview: MALÔ
The [MCN] feedback by far is the most comprehensive, detailed feedback we’ve had, and we have participated in a lot of competitions. And the fact that judges are willing to have …
Interview: LaborVoices
“LaborVoices is a scalable, crowdsourced alternative to conventional inspection-based certification models. We source actionable, real-time intelligence on employers around the world from the real experts—the workers, themselves.” – Kohl Gill, …
Interview: Komaza
“The whole reason we do it though is not to grow wood for contracts, but to serve our clients and producers, the really poor farmers” Interview with Tevis Howard from …
Interview: Chaka Marketbridge
“We got into this because we were working in microfinance and saw people taking out microloans to invest in their production capacity…we found a demand side marketplace to help them …
Interview: Brooklyn Victory Garden
“I’m trying to solve the problem of underserved markets for sustainable and ethical foods in the New York City region, in my neighborhood in Brooklyn in particular.” Brooklyn Victory Garden …
Interview: Bennu
“We believe strategic business sustainability is THE competitive advantage for the 21st century.” — Ashok Kamal, Co-Founder, Bennu LLC This interview was published in 2012. Bennu – founded by three business …
Interview: BALANCE Edutainment
“We aim to move kids from screens to real world action that has positive impact on their communities.” – Dave Room, BALANCE Edutainment BALANCE Edutainment joined the MCN in 2012. …
Interview: Atayne (2012)
Atayne, based in Brunswick, Maine, produces outdoor and athletic apparel. All of their products are made using the maximum amount of recycled polyester and are certified to be free of …
Interview: SnackPackers (2012)
WJF’s Sarah Wester recently sat down to talk snacks with Ali at the Affinity Lab. Snack Packers was a finalist in the 2012 WJF Competition for both the DC Prize and the Idea-Phase Prize.
Interview: SouperGirl (2012)
Sara Polon launched Soupergirl in December 2008. Soupergirl prepares and distributes vegan soups made with locally sourced ingredients in the DC area via their Takoma storefront and booming soup delivery business. Sara …
Interview: New American Tavern (2012)
“Many Americans feel disconnected and unfulfilled. They’re hungry for community and yearn for more meaningful recreation and relationships. The New American Tavern provides people like this with a vibrant third …
Interview: People Towels (2012)
Interview with Linda Lannon (2012)
Interview: Verde (2012)
2012 Interview with Jamie Johnson, Verde Sustainable Solutions
Interview: Tandem (2012)
2012 Interview with Seisei Tatebe-Goddu, Tandem Consulting
The company participated in the program in 2010.
Interview: Wello (2012)
2012 Interview with Cynthia Koenig, Founder of Wello
Interview: WeBike (2012)
2012 Interview with Allie Armitage and Brad Eisenberg, weBike
Interview: Vari (2012)
Interview with Vari Founder Sai Krishna Dandamudi
Interview: UnaBellaVita (2012)
2012 Interview with Sean Mills from UnaBellaVita (now known as Vitamend L3C)