Sankalp 2012 Winners Announced

April 16, 2012 - PRLog -- The Sankalp Social Enterprise Summit was bursting at the seams on day two. There were over a thousand people in attendance; at least 600 of whom attended on both days, and a 30% expatriate opinion leader crowd that was engaged in understanding grassroots social enterprises in India.

Sankalp authoritatively stamped India as the unarguable leader in the impact investing space.

There was a message from the Hon.Minister for Communication and IT, Shri Milind Deora, a message from the Hon. CM of Maharashtra, Shri Prithviraj Chavan to the audience at Sankalp, congratulating them and inviting them to partner with the Government and take the work forward.

The keynote address at the Sankalp Awards was delivered by Mr. Sanjay Sethi the Secretary (Small & Medium Industries) & Development Commissioner (Industries), Government of Maharashtra.

The winners of Sankalp Awards 2012 in the six categories were as follows:

Health, Water and Sanitation

Eram Scientific

Eram Scientific aims to develop innovative and utility solutions by combining cross platform technologies and domains. Eram scientific created 'Delight', the automatic public Toilet Unit developed by ESS is intended to improve the sanitation facilities in urban geographies especially in developing nations. The unit has a unique structure that facilitates the display of advertisement boards on its outer surface. This can act as a source for additional income. This can also be a source of income for the people who are given charge of operating a unit. 
Another major project is a 'Connected Home Security Project.' Their focus is on combining platform technologies to solve social problems.

Technology for Development

Invention Labs/Avaz

Avaz: Avaz is an Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) Device from Invention Labs, India. It enables people with cerebral palsy to communicate by converting their muscle movements into speech. Avaz's unique feature is the availability in multiple Indian languages, so essential in a country like India that has multiple regional languages. Avaz is portable, highly customizable and has been strategically priced right for the Indian market through appropriate use of technology. The cost is just 1/6th of similar devices available internationally.

Education and Vocational Training

Edusports

Edusports: Edusports is India's first & leading sports enterprise working with nursery -12 schools for providing world-class sporting experience to millions of school going children. Edusports through its pioneering SOAR(TM) platform offers Learning through physical Activity and sports to the school children. Edusports programmes help create "physically educated" children while ensuring that all stakeholders (schools, parents & policymakers) are involved in the process. Edusports programmes are designed around the core principles of inclusiveness (every child must play); age-appropriateness (right skills at the right age); and all programmes are designed specifically to work in Indian context.

Agriculture, Food and Rural Business

Kisan Raja/ Vinifinet Technology;

Vinfinet Technologies mission is to "Shape the future of farming in emerging economies using sustainable technologies and make agriculture a safe and profitable occupation." It is an IT firm building Technology Solutions for Agriculture and offering Career Oriented IT Trainings.The principle objective of 'KISAN RAJA', their main product, is to provide an easy to use and economically viable motor communication and controlling system that enables a user to remotely operate a pump set through a mobile phone or landline, changing the way the farmer interacts with motors.

Clean Energy/ Clean Technology

GIBSS Free Energy

GIBSS Green India Building Systems and Services (GIBSS) is a multi-channeled diversified business that provides best value products along with operational, maintenance and energy solutions to help buildings reduce costs and raise productivity. GIBSS assists building owners in making responsible decisions, reducing the overall building life cycle expenses and helping the building occupants live more efficiently. They cite the benefits of a green building as, better health and productivity, low life cycle cost, reduced liability, enhanced building marketability, cost effective design, better environment.

South East Asia (This was the first year that Sankalp had an award in this category)

Hapinoy

Hapinoy, Philippines: The Hapinoy Store Program focuses on the sari-sari stores in the Philippines (sari-sari is the Filipino word for "many or various kinds"), small neighbourhood convenience stores that sell various things, mostly basic commodities. The Program starts with the infusion of capital (through the resources of the microfinance institution program partner) to and conversion of an existing sari-sari store in a specific town to a Lead Store or in Hapinoy terms, a Community Store. Hapinoy's ability to reach the "last mile" through its distribution network significantly impacts the lives of multiple stakeholders, including sari-sari storeowners, small producers and consumers.

There was a separate DFID Samridhi-Sankalp Recognition for Women Empowerment Enterprise Award

This was jointly awarded to Sukrut Systems and Vindhya E-Infomedia.

Intellecap, partnered with the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID) to announce the same though the recently established Sarva Samridhi Fund, a joint program byDFID-UK and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The Fund aims to promote pro-poor responsible and sustainable private investments in low-income states in India. The Fund is also focused on catalyzing women entrepreneurship in the country.

This partnership will recognize India's most promising social enterprise that is either co/founded by a women entrepreneur or has products/services targeted to benefit underserved women as consumers or improve women livelihood opportunities.

Sankalp-Artha Grand Prize Winner (US$ 40,000)

This year, the Artha Foundation also announced a grand prize of USD 40000to Eram Scientific, the enterprise that works on sanitation facilities in urban geographies.

ABOUT SANKALP

The Sankalp Forum is one of Asia's premier platforms for businesses that address challenges of inclusive growth - by providing access to affordable services and better livelihood opportunities to the underserved. We help such businesses achieve scale through funding and market linkages, by connecting them to investors, policy makers, industry experts, and other enablers. We connect over 400 social enterprises, over 400 investors and funders, and 10,000 other stakeholders from across the world. In the past three years, more than two dozen of our enterprises have received investments, and over 160 others have been made investment ready through mentoring and capacity building programs.

ABOUT INTELLECAP

Intellecap works at the intersection of the private sector and development. It provides consulting and investment banking services driven by innovative thought processes, to business and development communities globally, helping them bring entrepreneurship solutions to development challenges at the Base of the Pyramid and beyond. Intellecap's interventions are designed to catalyze initiatives for both large corporate and social entrepreneurs in pursuit of rapid global development. Our footprint extends to several locations globally, and we service a prestigious global client base including development finance institutions, private sector investors, foundations, governments, and inclusive and social businesses. More information at intellecap.com