… This world lesser recognizes a few ordinary men making extraordinary changes. I want to write something I read about these few weeks — stories that was never given even a press coverage, few stories which were truly inspiring and imperative reading for any startup founder going into today’s saturated market. Covered in TFER Week7 is little about Social Enterprises.

Speaking of startups, most of the focus and investments today are towards — Blockchain, Crypto, Online Security & Fraud Detection, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Driving; Image Recognition & Mapping Technologies, Augmented Reality, Smart Sensors, Drones, Digitization of Education. What about your dying planet? Had you thought about it? Have you open-sourced your bucket yet to bail the sinking ship of problems?

This weekend, I wanted to write about few under-rated real world problems, which people/startups are solving around the world. Obviously, they don’t hog any of the limelight, but they are making slow, yet gradual changes to the existing ecosystems, one step-at-a-time, and more importantly, genuinely disrupting an industry as a whole— problems like conflict, terrorism, poverty to climate change and threat to global pandemics — You name it. And, we can’t surmount these challenges without engagement and radical restructuring of business and markets.

Build that better tomorrow through remarkable social enterprises. Don’t keep worrying about how large your problem is. We can’t solve macro problems. We can perhaps understand those which are solvable in your own capacities.

There are pioneers disrupting existing industries, value chains, and business designs and thereby creating fast-growing markets in every corner of the world. Grameen Bank, The Green Belt Movement, Aravind Eye Care in India, Social Stock Exchange in Brazil, ParqueSoft in Colombia, the Marine Stewardship Council in the United Kingdom, and Institute for OneWorld Health and One Laptop per Child Programme, both in the United States, are just a few of the astonishing ventures. Apart from this small list, there are few Davids who battle against the Golaiths, which I will cover in a good bucket list.

A few startups that leveraged products for social good. Social Impact Business Model has 3 types : Non-Profit, or For-Profit Social Enterprise or Co-Operative (Like Amul). So, in this small list, we could not include many startups that fall specifically in one category. But, here are few for now…

A 19 member startup called CrowdPac — A political crowdfunding startup that makes it easier for citizens to learn about politicians, and to find and support political candidates that match their priorities and beliefs.

— A political crowdfunding startup that makes it easier for citizens to learn about politicians, and to find and support political candidates that match their priorities and beliefs. Crisis Text Line — A 50 member startup based in Manhattan, offers free, 24/7 text-message counseling for people in crisis.

— A 50 member startup based in Manhattan, offers free, 24/7 text-message counseling for people in crisis. Boston based “ Spoiler Alert ”, ~6 employees works on collaborative, online platform and value-added services that enable food businesses, farms, and nonprofits to create or recover value from surplus food and organic waste.

”, ~6 employees works on collaborative, online platform and value-added services that enable food businesses, farms, and nonprofits to create or recover value from surplus food and organic waste. Nairobi based startup “ Andela ” works on selecting and training — finds work for the top 1% of tech talent from the largest pool of untapped talent in the world — the African continent.

” works on selecting and training — finds work for the top 1% of tech talent from the largest pool of untapped talent in the world — the African continent. You have a home. So, you’ve a physical address? Did you know there are many people who exist with no physical address? Kenya based startup with ~9 employees — OkHi — Enables the 4 billion people who do not have a physical address to, “Be Included”.

— Enables the 4 billion people who do not have a physical address to, “Be Included”. Chicago based “ Triggr Health” with just 9 employees, helps drug addicts to reducing recidivism rates for those in early substance abuse recovery. Every year millions of people enter substance abuse recovery programs.

Health” with just 9 employees, helps drug addicts to reducing recidivism rates for those in early substance abuse recovery. Every year millions of people enter substance abuse recovery programs. Recyclebank — This startup rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from local and national businesses.

— This startup rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from local and national businesses. Living Goods is a non-profit organization operating in Uganda, Kenya, and Myanmar. Its goal is to build a sustainable “distribution platform” for products designed to fight poverty and disease in the developing world. It Delivers Life-Saving Products to the Doorsteps of the Poor.

is a non-profit organization operating in Uganda, Kenya, and Myanmar. Its goal is to build a sustainable “distribution platform” for products designed to fight poverty and disease in the developing world. It Delivers Life-Saving Products to the Doorsteps of the Poor. A small-but-able team at Knoclothing, allows customers to donate the same article of clothing to someone in need whenever you make a purchase. It donates clothing to the homeless as you shop.

One burning question that invariably comes up, particularly when business entrepreneurs meet “social entrepreneurs”, is “What motivates you?” The implication behind the question is “If you have been so clever in achieving what you have accomplished, why haven’t you applied your talents to making money?”

The answer is reasonably simple. Where would you be at the end of your lifetime? You would rather be thanked by many, for having made a significant contribution to improving their worlds rather having people starved, and famished when you are minting the green. Why would you love to jump a heroic act of saving the already depleted world, when it was a void left without a filling in the first place. Do what is possible to conserve. What’s different is our anger. Our passion is not blown away by the steam of Gloaiths, and we love to strike an effective balance between passion and change.