Request for Ideas (RFI): What will be the most effective launch promotion for a social enterprise?

Yes, we can see the light, we can see that we will actually launch majamba. So the question is - what will be the most effective launch promotion for a social enterprise, whose goal is to make social entrepreneurs super successful? Please let me know. My best regards, Rajiv

majamba logo done

And now the focus is on platform development.

Seed Capital & Core Team done!

In the past few weeks, majamba connected with over 25 people with diverse and interesting backgrounds. Thank you for listening to the vision. Some think that the idea is too ambitious. However, there is enough critical mass to move to the next phase of the project. I have scaled the business plan to fit the available seed. And the core team will be made up of freelancers. Majamba will start recruiting when the revenue starts to flow. Now the next challenge is to develop the "beta" version of the majamba service.

So in the past 3 months, I have gone from the decision to start the company, registering the company, developing the business plan, making the pitch to 25 people, securing the seed capital, securing the core start-up team in Lausanne, New York and New Delhi to starting the development.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your kindness and your support.

I pitch, therefore I am

I continue to look for two types of serious investors - the first type is made up of people who want to "do good" in Switzerland and want to be part of the start-up team. The second type of investors are people who want to invest in projects that do good.

Some of you have asked me - what is the project about? So here are the highlights - majamba is a social enterprise, focussed on bridging the "digital divide"; create about 800 new jobs; innovate continuously and help build a company that does good - good for the society, good for the employees; good for the partners; good for the investors; and good for the environment.

Ambitious, you say. I say - it's possible!

The revolutionary majamba business plan is ready!

The first presentation of the majamba business plan is scheduled for the 27th of August 2010 and then the next step is to build the start-up team, the team that will transform social entrepreneurship.

majamba business model presented to a couple of CEO's today

Today I gave the first presentation of the majamba business model. It was also the first time in several months that I presented new material (unrehearsed, fresh and malleable). The overall vision/mission of majamba to elevate people out of poverty through direct investment is seen as as worthy one. The business model is seen as revolutionary and now the challenge is to scope the different phases and sort out the numbers by end of August. I must admit, it feels like 1990 (my first job in a start-up in India).

Business Model defined!

Last night at 2 o'clock, the business model of Majamba was finally refined. From a rough sketch to detailed definition on paper - 35 days! Which industry segment? Who is the customer? What is the proposition? What is different? This mountain has been very difficult to climb because this is the first time after 17 years that I was developing a business model outside the corporate/business school world. I missed the intensive debate in meet rooms and whiteboards (My son and I did go out and buy a whiteboard to brainstorm). I am grateful to my family for challenging the silly ideas and pushing me to refine it more by rejecting the silly ones (it was painful but had to be done); grateful to my IBEAR class with whom I am connected on Facebook (it helped me remember how it felt to be at B-school during one of the most challenging time in my life in 1997 - newly married and with a mountain of debt and no job in sight - and how we overcame that phase through support and discussion); thanks to all of you who endorsed me on Linkedin (you made me to continue to believe in myself); thanks to the folks who connected Blogger/Twitter or emailed me or called me on weekends or pushed me to go to lunch with them (you know who you are and to you I am very grateful). It's a very long journey and now the next step is to get the business plan ready!

How to end world poverty?

Please consider this - the rich are rich because they have money. The poor are poor because they do not have money. So the answer to ending poverty has to include partnering with the rich and developing clever ways where the rich can contribute directly.