Auroville is an international township with a mandate to experiment in all fields that lead to human unity. It is a hotbed of social and environmental innovation since it's founding as a UNESCO endorsed international community. UnLtd Tamil Nadu is a part of this experiment. We find, select and support exceptional individuals who are committed to solve some of India's biggest challenges using their passion and entrepreneurial skills. It is founded by Gijs Spoor who is an Ashoka Fellow.
Social Entrepreneurship is approaching a tipping point in India. The need for innovative solutions to crucial social issues is greater than ever. After decades of interventions there still is hunger, corruption, and illiteracy; the gap between rich and poor is widening. Social entrepreneurship has the potential to become part of the mainstream, but successful models are rarer than they should be. Reason being that start-ups do not get the support needed to raise their chances of survival.
UnLtd Tamil Nadu is uniquely placed to support rural social entrepreneurs in South India. We intervene at a crucial early stage offering a year-long intensive program including coaching, mentoring, training, peer learning and fundraising support. By increasing their chances of survival we can leverage relatively small amounts of money to achieve lasting social impact. It is this multiplier effect that makes social entrepreneurship incubation so compelling.
UnLtd Tamil Nadu was set up in 2012 with a focus on rural development and livelihoods. We have supported 15 social ventures across sectors so far and are planning to incubate 30 more by 2016. The potential of our start-ups ranges from deep local impact (Sristi village's inclusive society for people with disability) to highly scalable models (Ecofemme's cotton sanitary pads and female hygiene education) and tech ventures seeking to make global value chains more fair (TipforChange's tipping app).
