12 Social Entrepreneurs In India You Should Know in 2024

Notice
The images of social entrepreneurs are not being displayed due to copyright restrictions. I will add the website links to their organizations as soon as possible for your reference. Thank you for your understanding!

Social Entrepreneurs in India: Changemakers Unveiled

What if the power to change society came from individuals, not governments or big companies? This idea is exciting.

In India, social entrepreneurship is growing fast. With 1.4 billion people, the need for new ideas is huge. These entrepreneurs tackle big problems like health, education, and energy. They create businesses that help people and the planet.

The School for Social Entrepreneurship (SSE) India has helped over 75 people since 2016. They’ve touched the lives of about 1.5 lakh people. The SEOY–India Award celebrates these innovators in its 15th year in 2024. Winners include Ashoka Fellows and Forbes 30 under 30 Asia leaders.

This article will look closer at social entrepreneurs in India. We’ll see how these changemakers help, the hurdles they face, and what the future holds.

Social entrepreneurship in India is where business meets social justice. These businesses aim to solve social problems and make money. They help in areas like healthcare, education, and the environment.

In rural India, 33% of people lacked electricity in 2012. Social business organizations have brought vital services and chances to these areas.

India’s social entrepreneurship scene has many types. These include non-profit and business ventures. They’ve helped millions of kids learn, including over 25 million people, and cut CO2 emissions.

These ventures have also set up hospitals and clinics. They provide clean energy and improve lives through education and healthcare.

Indian social entrepreneurs have put over USD 9 billion into 600 firms. This has helped 500 million people. They focus on sustainable business models to solve social issues.

Agriculture is a big sector, employing 55% of the workforce. Entrepreneurs are working to make it better. They aim to boost the economy in rural areas.

Social entrepreneurship in India is more than just jobs. It helps the poor by giving them access to services and promoting inclusion. By linking business with social goals, Indian entrepreneurs are solving big problems. Check out The Study of Social Entrepreneurship in India

Social entrepreneurs are key in solving big social problems. They use new business ideas to make a big difference. They work on issues like poverty, health care, and saving the environment.

Why India’s future depends on social entrepreneurship? Because India has over a billion people and many challenges. The wealth gap is big, making progress hard. But, social entrepreneurs are making a change. They help people get money through microfinance, like SKS Microfinance does.

They also mix business with helping others. This way, they make money and help people at the same time.

In India, social entrepreneurs are changing lives. They help people find jobs and include everyone, no matter who they are. They also fight climate change, as Poonsap Suanmuang does in Thailand.

The Indian School of Development Management teaches people to run projects well. This allows them to have a greater impact.

Young people are getting into social entrepreneurship too. They bring new ideas and want to make money and help others. Their work can bring peace and prosperity to the world. Together, they show how businesses can really help people and make a difference.

India has many successful Indian social entrepreneurs. They have changed the way we look at social issues. Their work has helped the economy and made a big difference in communities. Here is an example of a social entrepreneurs

Jeroo Bilimoria

Jeroo Bilimoria is one of the most renowned Indian social entrepreneurs who come up with ingenious ways to fight social problems. She’s founded and led a number of impactful organizations with an eye for turning business ventures into agents of social change.

Childline, which is Childline, is a 24 / 7 emergency helpline for distressed children, considered one of her most notable. Childline is a service to abandoned and vulnerable children started in 1995, providing them with healthcare, police help, and counseling. Childline has 1,000 plus volunteers and helped over 115,000 children and families over the network.

Significant positive impacts have been so easily produced because of Bilimoria’s profound steadfastness towards child welfare. Childline has done its bit to fight child exploitation, abuse, and trafficking, and also bring the children and their families closer. Jeroo Bilimoria is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and social justice, beyond Childline.

We recognize her for the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and Ashoka Fellowship among others.

Today Jeroo Bilimoria remains engaged in social entrepreneurship and is the force behind Childline as well as other projects aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable within India.

Ria Sharma

Ria Sharma is a social activist and founder of the NGO Make Love Not Scars, which works with acid attack survivors from India. She works through rehabilitating, providing legal aid, and campaigning for stiffer laws against acid attacks.

Urvashi Sahni

Study Hall Educational Foundation founder Urvashi Sahni is an education reformer. She is fighting for gender equality and quality education, particularly for underprivileged girls, and she would like to empower disadvantaged girls, through learning.

Karthik Naralasetty

Socialblood founder, Karthik Naralasetty, is a platform that brings together blood donors with people in need. He was one of the innovators who changed the way blood donations are solicited via social networks. Now this business was not continued

Hanumappa Sudarshan

He is a tribal rights activist and doctor. Karuna Trust (India) focuses on improving healthcare, education, and livelihoods for tribal communities in Karnataka.

Anshu Gupta

A founder of India’s NGO Goonj, which is working to repurpose urban waste as resources for rural communities, Anshu Gupta is one of the heroes. Moving from disaster relief to the urban-rural divide, His work through innovative reuse.

Aarushi Batra

Aarushi Batra co-founded Robin Hood Army, a volunteer-based food redistributing organization that bridges the gap left by hunger, across the urban grid.

Ajaita Shah

Founder and CEO of Frontier Markets, a social businessman with a mission of putting affordable solar energy in the hands of rural households in India while empowering women entrepreneurs, Ajaita Shah won the Social Entrepreneur Prize at the World Economic Forum Awar d’s Young Global Leader Summit last week.

Trilochan Shastry

Seemingly best known for starting the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) along with Trilochan Shastry, is the professor and activist. Along with electoral reform and political system transparency, he’s an advocate for India’s political system.

Santosh Parulekar

Pipal Tree Ventures which was founded by Santosh Parulekar is a development-focused organization that works to create jobs and skill development amongst the rural population in India, especially in construction and infrastructure space.

Shaheen Mistri

Teach For India founder Shaheen Mistri is a non-profit that trains young professionals to enter low-income schools and teach that provides education to underprivileged children.

Piyush Ghosh

Co-founder of The Optimist Citizen, a platform for positive journalism and sharing inspirational news and why it believes in spreading the news of optimism and hope in society.

Harish Hande

SELCO India is a social non-profit organization that Harish Hande, its co-founder, drinks from as CEO, providing affordable solar energy solutions to underserved communities in India. Hande is considered a pioneer in renewable energy who utilizes clean energy to improve conditions among the poor by integrating solar power with rural development. Only several years after beginning to work, he earned himself multiple accolades, winning the country’s most prized prize, the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award among others.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi.

Modern social entrepreneurs like Vikram Akula are making a big difference. They are solving big problems with new ideas. Their work will have a lasting impact.

Here’s a table of these inspiring people and their work:

Social Entrepreneur	Key Contribution
Jeroo Bilimoria	Childline India Foundation
Ria Sharma	Make Love Not Scars
Urvashi Sahni	Girls’ Education Initiatives
Karthik Naralasetty	Socialblood Platform
Hanumappa Sudarshan	Tribal Healthcare
Anshu Gupta	Goonj Organization
Aarushi Batra	Art Therapy for Trauma
Ajaita Shah	Frontier Markets and Renewable Energy
Trilochan Shastry	Electoral Transparency
Santosh Parulekar	Vocational Training for Rural Youth

India’s social entrepreneurship scene is wide and varied. It tackles social issues in many ways. Knowing the types of social entrepreneurs helps us see how to support them best for change.

More social entrepreneurs are starting in India, thanks to incubators and mentors. These groups give support to emerging social entrepreneurs. They offer the tools needed to grow their impact.

Places like Social Innovation Warehouse act as accelerators. They help entrepreneurs make big changes. Incubators also guide them in mixing business with non-profit goals.

Empowering Changemakers Across India

Shaheen Mistri is a great example of a changemaker. She works with the Akanksha Foundation and Teach for India. Her work helps kids from tough backgrounds, showing social entrepreneurs’ power.

Many social entrepreneurs focus on the environment and social issues. They need good business models to succeed. Mistri shows the big impact these entrepreneurs can have.

Here are some types of social entrepreneurs in India, each making a difference:

Type of Social Entrepreneur	Description	Example
Non-profit Social Entrepreneurs	Groups that give aid and speak up without making money.	Goodwill Industries
Transformational Social Entrepreneurs	People who inspire others to make positive changes.	Social Innovation Warehouse
Global Social Entrepreneurs	Those tackling big global problems across continents.	Certified B Corporations
Community Project Leaders	Projects that help local communities grow and thrive.	Dinabandhu Sahoo’s seaweed project

Together, these social entrepreneurs make a big difference. They show many ways to work towards growth and sustainability.

India is home to many innovative start-ups. These start-ups help social entrepreneurship grow. We will look at some top programs and awards that help make a difference.

The Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship is a big honor. It goes to groups that solve big problems in new ways. Childline, for example, helps over 115,000 kids and families in India 24/7.

Teach for India Fellowship

The Teach for India Fellowship is led by Shaheen Mistri. It puts motivated people in tough classrooms in India. Teach for India helps kids from poor backgrounds reach their education goals.

The School for Social Entrepreneurship India (SSE India) helps grow future leaders. It teaches skills and gives advice to entrepreneurs. SSE India has helped start many social businesses that change lives.

These programs and awards show how important support is for social entrepreneurs. The Skoll Award, Teach for India, and SSE India inspire and help changemakers. They make a big difference in society.

Social entrepreneurs in India face many challenges. These include money problems, rules to follow, and growing their businesses. It’s important to understand these challenges to help these innovators.

Lack of Funding and Resources

Social entrepreneurs find it challenging to raise money. They often receive small amounts from foundations or governments. However, they focus on making a difference, not just making money.

They also struggle to find good workers. They can’t pay as much as other jobs, making it hard to keep a team. The education system doesn’t teach enough about starting businesses.

Regulatory Hurdles and Bureaucratic Challenges

Dealing with rules and red tape is tough. Laws and attitudes from the government are key. But, not having the right laws is a big problem.

People often doubt their goals. They don’t get support from family, friends, media, or business.

Scaling Sustainable Business Models

It’s hard to grow a business that helps people and makes money. Goals can clash, making it tough. There are also problems with keeping quality, finding money and people, and changing plans.

Not having a good plan is another big issue.

Transformative Initiatives on a Global Scale

Getting known worldwide is a big challenge. They need to show their work is effective. But, changing things can be hard because some people like things the way they are.

Collaborative Efforts and International Recognition

Working together is key. Partnerships help with money and skills. But, finding people who want to help for social reasons is hard.

Getting known worldwide is a dream. They want to make a big difference but face many obstacles.

The world of social entrepreneurship in India is changing fast. It’s all thanks to new trends, creative ideas, and the growing energy of the youth. This new, business principles + social mission-based approach is poised to make an impact in addressing the country’s problems.

Technology-Driven Solutions

AI and Machine Learning: Using these technologies to build efficient and scalable solutions to solve problems in healthcare, education, and agriculture.
Blockchain: Toward transparency, trust, and traceability in supply chains, particularly being applied in rural areas where social enterprises operate. IoT: This is about connecting devices and systems to gather data to make decisions about resource allocation and optimize social impact.

Impact Investing and Philanthropy

Increased Funding: With financial returns and positive social change becoming more apparent to impact investors and philanthropic organizations, a growing number of them are learning about the potential of social enterprises to strike a balance between the two.
Blended Finance: Flexible funding offering social enterprises debt, equity, and grants.

Youth-Led Initiatives:

Entrepreneurial Spirit: With more and more motivated young Indians, there is a strong urge for them to set up social enterprises that try to solve problems they care about.
Innovation and Creativity: It’s the fresh perspectives and technological skills that are fueling the development of social solutions.

Collaboration and Partnerships:

Public-Private Partnerships: Social businesses are increasingly getting involved in delivering public services more efficiently and more effectively, working alongside governments.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Social enterprises are being funded by companies, not only to recruit CSR but also to create shared value.

Data-Driven Approach: Data and metrics are being used by social enterprises to measure their impact and show them to be effective to stakeholders.
Impact Bonds: They are becoming popular, as these financial instruments link social to financial returns.

Emerging Trends and Innovations

More focus is now on making things fair and green. The Mann Deshi Foundation wants to help one million women start their own businesses. They do this through things like mobile schools and banking for rural areas.

Also, social businesses are tackling big problems like health, farming, and education. They do this by making money while helping others. For example, DeHaat helps over 1.8 million farmers in India and has gotten a lot of funding.

Tapping into Youth Potential and Energy

Using the energy of young people is key to social entrepreneurship’s future. Places like RuralShores are creating jobs in rural areas for young Indians. The Akansha Foundation has taught over 3,500 kids, preparing them for a better future.

Young minds are being empowered, thanks to groups like AFI. They support new social entrepreneurs, sparking change and innovation.

Indeed, social entrepreneurship in India is set to grow. It’s all thanks to new ideas and the energy of the youth. With a focus on fairness, green living, and new solutions, the future looks bright for these businesses.

Conclusion

Social entrepreneurship in India is a key player in solving big problems. We’ve seen how it makes a big difference in people’s lives. Social entrepreneurs work hard to tackle issues like poverty and lack of jobs.

They are changing India for the better. People like Divya Rawat are making a big impact. She uses mushrooms to help people in Uttarakhand.

Also, Aadhan is turning old shipping containers into schools. This shows how creative social entrepreneurs can be. They help those who need it most.

Places like Ziveli are helping artisans by connecting them to new markets. This keeps India’s culture alive while giving people jobs. It’s all about making a difference.

India has a huge problem with poverty, affecting over 350 million people. But, social entrepreneurship is making a big change. It’s a bright spot in a tough situation.

The future looks good for social entrepreneurship in India. With so many young people, there’s a lot of potential for good. FasterCapital is helping by offering support and investment.

By working together and getting the right help, social entrepreneurship can keep making India a better place. It’s all about creating a fair and inclusive society.

Social Entrepreneurs in India: Changemakers Unveiled