For the last 15 years, I have been fortunate to see Asia's cities grow, and over the next 15 years through that same growth another 2 billion people will be urbanized. It is a process that has, and will continue to, stretch every system we rely on to deliver food, energy, healthcare, education, housing, etc, but through these stretches will come a tangible need for solutions. For me, this is…
In this episode, Brian and I introduce our new series, Behind the Grind, a series focused on diving into the realities of entrepreneurship. To get things started, we both speak about how we ended up in entrepreneurship and why we think now is the time for this series. There isn't much structure, but there are some great stories, and we hope you enjoy it! About Rich Driven by the belief that…
With a seemingly endless supply of reports on the impacts of climate change, the social pressures in cities, and the fragility of our food systems, NOW is the BEST TIME to be a social entrepreneur. Driven by a mission to solve the greatest human challenges, unlike 10 to 15 years ago when the term became popular, the challenges that our systems are facing as we urbanize hundreds of millions of p…
Hi Everyone! Very excited to announce the launch of my video log (vlog)! It is something that I have been planning for 18 months, perhaps a bit longer, with the goal to help document my journey as a social entrepreneur in Asia. It is a series that has one simple goal: To document my journey as a social entrepreneur in a way that inspires, engages, and equips you to take your first steps.…
A bit of a different interview this week. In short, because it is not an interview, but the recording of a recent Q&A that my friends and I had while attending the 2019 Points of Light conference in Delhi. Someone that I had previously tagged as an entrepreneur that I *MUST* interview while in Delhi, Anshu Gupta's insights into delivering and measuring impact, were genuinely some of the most r…
In this interview, I speak with Annie Dieselberg, founder of Nightlight International in Bangkok, about her work to build an organization that has helped more than 150 women leave Bangkok's sex trade through job training, counseling, and empowerment programs. Through this discussion, we speak a lot about complexity of the challenges that she must address as part of this process, how that shapes…
With fewer issues more important in the area of sustainability than water, I sat down with Maarten Ter Keurst from Pureterra Ventures in Shanghai to talk about the work of his fund to identify and incubate water startups. Identifying, and executing investments aside, where I think this interview will be of particular interest to entrepreneurs is the work that that they do to help entrepreneurs…
Learning about Tong Horsuwan's work to build, and operate, more than 20 rooftop farms in Bangkok was one of the best conversations I have had to date throughout their series.... and that was before he told me he was only 25. It has been a process of trial and error, but where he has not only found a business model, and strong customer base, but where he is now developing process and technologie…
Building an organization whose mission is to rid the world of plastic, while at the same time elevate the lives of Hong Kong's elderly trash pickers, is no easy feat. For V Cycle's Eric Swinton though, this is his mission, and for the last year he has been making a lot of progress with the launch of his 10 ton challenge. A challenge that is engaging a number of communities on the issues of pla…
There are few things more iconic to Bangkok than the Tuk Tuk. They are loud, fast, and belch some of the most toxic two cycle fumes imaginable, but as a primary means of transportation for many, they are essential part of getting around Bangkok. For Dennis Harte, he has spent the last 10 years building his company, the Tuk Tuk Factory, on out outskirts of Bangkok with the hopes to deliver elect…
