Two of XLRI Jamshedpur- School of Business & Human Resources’ projects, supported by its newly created XLRI Social Entrepreneurship Trust (XLSET), have bagged the first two slots at a social business plan contest held by IIM Indore.
According to Prof Madhukar Shukla, closely involved with social entrepreneurship projects run by XLRI, executives from Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund ranked ‘Parichay’ and ‘Swavalamban’ (the two B-school projects) first and second from 103 entries at “Kalpavriksha”, IIM Indore’s forum for self-sustainable business plans with potential to make a difference to society.
Started six months ago by six of B-school’s students, ‘Parichay’, a non-profit organization for development of local artisans, whose design & learning centre got inaugurated here recently, is a venture to connect rural / tribal craftsmen to the market.
Starting initially with Jharkhand crafts involving bamboo work, Dokra metal casting, grass mat making, Paitkar paintings and terracotta, Parichay aims at adding more crafts to its bouquet as it grows from the first design & learning centre here to more such centres across the country.
XLRI’s second initiative, ‘Swavalamban’, aims to use a patented ‘ox-driven generator’ technology to provide electricity to the villages in Jharkhand.
Swavalamban got its first order from the Jharkhand Renewable Agency Development Agency (JRADA) and has got sanction from the Jharkhand tribal minister to electrify one village as a working ‘proof of concept’.
Tata Motors’ corporate social responsibility cell and SEEDS, an NGO, have accepted to order five units each of the generator for testing in the villages they serve while NTPC has agreed to acquire 200 units at the research level.
XLSET, established to promote and support ‘entrepreneurship with a social cause’ among the B-school’s students, alumni and the community, is tapping all sources including its alumni located across the world to raise funds for itself.
According to Prof Shukla, donations have already started pouring in from the alumni across batches and located across the globe like USA, UK, UAE, Egypt, Singapore, Switzerland and India.
To support XLSET, the B-School is for the first time organizing the ‘XL Dream Run’ on November 16 which will see participation from around 300 of the B-school’s students, including its exchange students from five B-schools in France, Germany, Philippines and Sweden.
XLSET also aims at financing some bright social projects of deserving young entrepreneurs, who would be graduating from its entrepreneurship development centre (EDC) in the coming years.