Sankalp Forum - Samridhi Social Enterprise Recognition & Regional Summit 16 Oct, 2012, Tuesday , Patna October 15, 2012

The forum announces cash grant of 7 lacs for social enterprises

Mumbai-based impact investing advisory firm Intellecap has teamed up with the Department for International Development (DFID), UK, to launch a regional forum that will address sustainable and scalable business ventures in the country's eight low-income states. German developmental services organization GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) is also a part of the initiative, named ‘Sankalp Forum-Samridhi Social Enterprise Recognition.’



The initiative aims to support businesses focused on the bottom-of-the-pyramid in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Says Aparajita Agarwal, Director Initiatives at Intellecap, “As part of the initiative, we have invited nominations and shortlisted enterprises in the sectors of

a. Clean energy

b. Agriculture and food

c. Provision of basic services.

The enterprises are undergoing a training camp in Delhi at the Birla Institute of Management Technology that focuses on pitching to investors, marketing and capacity building.

The shortlisted enterprises are:

Sector: Agriculture, Food and Rural Business: Bhushan Agro Technologies, Eco Tasar Silk Pvt Ltd, Kautilya Phytoextracts Pvt Ltd.
Sector: Basic Services, provision and delivery (Health, Education, Water, Sanitation): G.V. Meditech Ltd., Gram Tarang Inclusive Development Services Pvt. Ltd., Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialities
Sector: Clean Energy/Technology: Claro Energy Pvt Ltd, Greenway Grameen Infra, Greenlight Planet India Pvt Limited
Category: Women Empowerment and Impact: Eco Tasar Silk Pvt Ltd, Frontier Markets, Greenway Grameen Infra

There's a cash grant of Rs 5 lakh for an enterprise that showcases social impact and a strong business model and an additional cash grant of Rs 2 lakh to an enterprise that produces maximum positive impact for women. The enterprises will be recognized at a regional summit scheduled on 17th October 2012 in Patna, Bihar.”

The Samridhi forum is an extension of the Sankalp Forum, which has since 2009 created a community of over 10,000 stakeholders comprising social entrepreneurs, impact investors, corporations, academics and policymakers to catalyze the flow of capital to sustainable and scalable enterprises in India. Participating enterprises will have the opportunity to get capacity-building inputs, strategic advice and mentoring from industry experts as well as get exclusive access to key impact investors.

The initiative is supported by DFID through its Samridhi Fund/ Poorest States Inclusive Growth Programme (PSIG). “The eight low income states face a shortage of infrastructure and their economies have yet to generate sufficient jobs to lift millions out of poverty," says Meenakshi Nath, deputy head DFID. Manfred Heibig, head of GIZs private sector program adds, "GIZ together with SIDBI and other partners works towards strengthening the support infrastructure for these small businesses by improving access to capital and incubation services."

http://sankalpforum.com/sankalpregionalsummit/