Entrepreneurship

Sharing the experience and the journey social enterprise bulding, focusing on the challenges and joy of transformation.

Outline

This may be the best occasion in this century for creating thousands of new social enterprises to engage with the challenges of the society. Universal education, justice, equality, health, Energy access, WASH and other basic needs for humanity continues to attract thousands of bright minds across the world to the social sector. Irrespective of what you do in your life today, what does it take to transform you in to a Social Entrepreneur, perusing your dream of giving back to the society? The session provides an opportunity to interact and dialogue with the Social Entrepreneur about the challenges and joy of transformation from surviving only for money to living the joy of giving back to the earth.
With dozens of examples from E-Hands Energy’s work in rural India about how the access to affordable clean energy has changed the lives of thousands, this interactive session will help you think about the positive impact each one of us can make on the society; irrespective of our paradigms. And, what is the meaning of the word " success" in today’s context of social enterprise?

Requirements

All those contemplating a journey in to social entrepreneurship, now or later and all those who have been going through this journey, also all those who walked on this path in the past. The stage is for collective learning.

Speaker bio

Raghuraman C (Raghu) 56
Founder & President of E-Hands Energy (India) Pvt. Ltd, Chennai, India.
Raghu, a SOCAP2015 Social Entrepreneur: founded E-Hands Energy in 2009. This is a for- profit social enterprise and is in the business of providing simple & affordable, renewable energy solutions by combining micro wind turbines with solarPV to off-grid, off-road and off-network communities and rural businesses. E-Hands Energy is among the best 4 promising clean energy enterprises in Asia, showcased by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila during ACEF2015(ASIA CLEAN ENERGY FORUM). E-Hands Energy was also recognized as one of the 22 Global Innovation Showcasing Social Enterprises at SOCAP2015. Raghu steered the pioneering initiative to offer “Namma Urja” (Solar Home Lighting System) range of clean energy products on micro financing mode to rural homes and micro enterprises in partnership with MFIs and Banks benefitting over 2000 homes in Tamilnadu, UP, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and earthquake ravaged Nepal. With close to 300 successful solar/wind hybrid installations across India, spanning across 14 States, 260 Villages/Towns; inclusive of 5 mini-grids, E-Hands Energy is India’s leading off-grid, off-road, deep rural and pan- India clean energy enterprise. E-Hands is listed as one of the enterprises working on the forefront of energy access in UN Foundation’s Directory of Energy Access, released in COP21, Paris Dec2015.E-Hands is a portfolio ERM’s Low Carbon Enterprise Fund, (LCEF), London.
Raghu‘s 32 years’ career track includes leadership/CXO positions in leading, global organization in the space of automobiles, pharmaceuticals, electronics component, IT/ITeS and Telecom. Returning from US in 2001; his first venture was on rural wireless telecom rooted in Uttarakhand. He was the Managing Partner and Head of North America operations of India’s top software company, Polaris Financial Technology; until the launch of his first telecom enterprise in 2001. Raghu is an alumnus of IIT-Roorkee and Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta
Raghu devotes significant time to community building, enabling better livelihood for differently abled people and children with special needs. Being part of the world’s largest private charity as the member of the Board of UWC-United Way of Chennai (www.unitedwachennai.org), he additionally shoulders the responsibility as Treasurer of UWC. He is also the Managing Trustee of a US funded charity operating in UP (District Basti), the SVT Foundation; focused on vocational skills for rural youth. Raghu has facilitated grants over INR 8 Crores , transforming the lives of over 70,000 youths across India. He is a regular speaker in several National and International events on clean energy. With over a Million KM of travel around the world, covering 282 cities and 20% of the globe traversing 29 countries, Raghu is a prolific traveller and travel writer. His story of life is featured in the book “My Life, My Choice”.

Links

• www.ehandsenergy.in
• https://in.linkedin.com/in/raghuramanc