Through this series, I speak with Mission Driven entrepreneurs whose mission is to scale their  solutions against the environmental, social, and economic challenges we face with the goal to learn more about their vision, the opportunities they see, and challenges that they have overcome.
It is a series that I hope will not only engage and inspire viewers, but them to identify a challenge and bring their own solution to the market.
In this episode of the Mission Driven podcast, I speak with Charlie Cooksey, the founder and CEO of WEPOWER, A social enterprise dedicated to empowering the black and Latino communities to reimagine and shape a future that honors their humanity and dignity. ABOUT CHARLI: Charli Cooksey is a St. Louis native and the Founder & CEO of WEPOWER, a non-profit organization building power to create education and economic systems that nurture our lives. Before this, Cooksey worked as an English teacher through Teach for America; she co-founded an educational access venture called inspireSTL (during her tenure, each senior class of inspireSTL Scholars celebrated 100% high school graduation and four-year college acceptance rates. Additionally, inspireSTL has inducted seven classes of scholars, and it is on track to serve approximately 400 scholars annually); Cooksey then went on to serve as an Executive-in-Residence at United Way - with a focus on education innovation; and prior to WEPOWER, she served as the Interim Executive Director/Lead Catalyst of Forward Through Ferguson. FOLLOW CHARLI: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charli-cooksey-4569067/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharliCooksey Website: https://wepowerstl.org/ ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
Harness the Power of Communities to Drive Change | Charli Cooksey
In this episode of the Mission Driven podcast, I speak with Nathalie Kylander about her work leverage the leverage the power of grassroots entrepreneurship to end extreme poverty through her organization Trickle Up An organization that identifies, trains, and funds, more than 25,000 women each year, and through this work has measurably proven their impact to the communities they serve as these women gain grow businesses, gain social status, and at times, even take on leadership within their communities. ABOUT NATHALIE Nathalie Laidler-Kylander is an authority on the economic empowerment and the inclusion of women in extreme poverty, focusing on the pivotal role of financial, social, and psychological resilience in establishing enduring solutions for women emerging from extreme poverty. She strongly believes in the transformative potential of women's solidarity to drive social change and economic growth, emphasizing the ripple effects that result from collaborative efforts to shape a different future for women, their children, and their communities. Currently serving as the President and CEO of Trickle Up, Nathalie leads the organization’s mission to partner with women living in extreme poverty to build economic opportunity and drive inclusion. Her passion lies in advancing the social and economic inclusion of women, advocating that investing in women—who subsequently invest in themselves and their families—is the most effective strategy to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty. FOLLOW NATHALIE Website: https://trickleup.org/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-laidler-kylander-8aa90510/ ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
Empowering Entrepreneurs to end Extreme Poverty | Nathalie Kylander
In this episode of the Mission Driven Podcast, I speak with Tara Susanto about her inspiring work with Indonesian farmers aimed at preventing deforestation. Kicking off our discussion, Tara highlights the critical importance of addressing deforestation in Indonesia, citing its impact on biodiversity, climate change, and the livelihoods of indigenous communities. Following that, we spend our time speaking about the work she has done over the last 18 months to create pilots, pivot when things aren't working, and the power of community partnerships to deliver impact ABOUT TARA Tara's early career involved working in e-commerce and FMCG, which ultimately led to a realization that a radical change in human consumption is due. After spending about a year carbon trading with her partner, Tara discovered that a core issue developing nature-based carbon removal projects stems in community -- a safe, reliable, and accountable community is crucial to succeed. Bumiterra was founded in 2022 for that reason: to build community-powered and centric reforestation programs, so that each vulnerable local and community member can achieve income security through nature restoration, not nature extraction, and bringing power back into their own hands. In doing so, Tara is committed to be a leader that upholds the rights of the voiceless and the vulnerable. Bumiterra's just the beginning. FOLLOW TARA Website: https://www.bumi-terra.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-susanto-b32546bb/ ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
Supporting Indonesian Farmers Fight Deforestation | Tara Susanto
In this episode, I speak with Romain Diaz about his work to invest into early stage mission driven entrepreneurs, and how Satgana brings together an ecosystem to support the scale of their portfolio companies. ABOUT ROMAIN Romain Diaz is an entrepeneur and venture builder who has travelled the world creating companies. Now he leads Satgana, a venture-builder in the climate space. Satgana's mission is to be a launchpad for climate and planet-positive ventures. Through an extensive network of advisors and collaborators Satgana invests human and physical capital into young start-ups, assisting them through some of the most challenging periods. FOLLOW ROMAIN Website: https://www.satgana.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romaindiaz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/romain.diaz Twitter/ X: ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
Investing in Early-Stage Social Entrepreneurs | Romain Diaz
In this episode of Mission Driven Podcast, I speak with Project Dignity founder Koh Seng Choon about his work to bring his social enterprise to scale. It is a journey that started 15 years ago, and over this time he has been focused on perfecting the business model, processes, and leadership models to deliver impact at scale... and hopefully become the first social enterprise to IPO on a MAIN board. ABOUT SENG CHOON: Mr Koh Seng Choon is the founder and Executive Director of Project Dignity, Singapore’s first social enterprise for the disadvantaged and people with disabilities. The aim is to help these people regain a sense of dignity through their work. Project Dignity comprises of - Dignity Kitchen – hawker or street training centre for disabled and disadvantaged - Dignity Mama – second hand bookshop managed by the mothers and their challenged children - Dignity Cottage - bird’s nest processing for lower functional disabled youth - Dignity Meal – free meal for foreign workers and the poor - Dignity Angels – engages professional to support charities and corporate in their corporate social responsibilities Mr Koh Seng Choon is an engineer by training and holds a MSc in Computer Integrated Manufacturing. His career spans UK, USA, India and China. Authored of three books – Elements of Success: Business, Elements of Success: Education and Elements of Success: Living – of which the first book mentioned is a best-seller in India. He is also the owner and management consultant of Christopher Benjamin Consultancy Services which help Chinese companies to develop business in India and Indian companies for the China market. He is an adjunct lecturer at SP Jain School of Global Management. FOLLOW SENG CHOON Website: http://dignitykitchen.sg/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sengchoon.koh LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kohsengchoon ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
Delivering Dignity at Scale | Koh Seng Choon, Project Dignity
In this episode of Mission Driven, I speak with my good friend ( from Thunderbird) Kian Seah about his work to end plastic waste by driving circularity throughout the value chain. It’s an incredible conversation that speaks to the megatrenda driving circularity, the structural challenges of closing the loop, and learning to take the “lessons” from failures along the way. ABOUT KIAN Seah Kian Hoe (“Kian”) is the founder and managing director of Heng Hiap Industries (HHI). Established since 2002, HHI is a fully integrated plastic recycling company, being the FIRST company in the world to receive Ocean Bound Plastic Certification co-developed by NGO Zero Plastic Oceans and Control Union. Having developed Smart Plastics to address plastic manufacturers’ need for high quality, customized recycled plastic resin, Kian also designed the Smart Factory in Johor Bahru from the ground up. The factory is GBI-certified (“Green Building Index”) Gold and is now producing PLASHAUS Ocean Plastic while implementing a full track-and-trace program that directly addresses plastic consumers’ concerns about marine pollution. HHI Smart Plastics has reached the shores of 38 countries globally including China, Japan, Australia, India, and multiple countries in Europe, meeting customers’ high performance standards and stringent requirements in quality. In the last 18 years, Kian and HHI have won multiple accolades for business leadership and product innovation – the more notable ones being: the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) in the World in the category of environmental leadership (2013), The Edge newspaper of Malaysia named him “The Michaelangelo of Recycling” (2018) and most recently, Frost and Sullivan awarded HHI “2020 Malaysia Smart Waste Solutions Technology Innovation Award”. FOLLOW KIAN Website: http://www.henghiap.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kian-seah-95428914 ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
Ending Plastic Waste | Kian Seah, Heng Hiap
Through this conversation, I speak with Andy Klump about his 15 year journey to to build one of the world's leading solar energy and storage services firms. It's an incredible conversation about entrepreneurship, the need to constantly adapt (as an entrepreneur), and the need for entrepreneurs to continue identifying, acquiring, and leveraging the resources needed to build culture, empower teams, and find scale. ABOUT ANDY Mr. Klump is the founder, owner, and CEO of Clean Energy Associates (CEA), a solar energy and storage engineering services firm established in 2008 which serves investors, developers, EPC contractors, utilities and other downstream clients in the areas of supply chain management, quality assurance, independent engineering, and business intelligence. CEA’s team of 200+ professionals including 135+ engineers with a presence in 13 countries have worked with clients in over 70 countries and completed over 145GW of solar and 15GWh storage projects valued at $96B+. CEA’s team of professionals exhibits a deep commitment to the core values and purpose and has obtained NPS score of 80 from customers and team members as a validation of its unique culture. Follow Andy: Website: www.cea3.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aklump/ ABOUT RICH Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. FOLLOW RICH Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker CONTACT RICH social@richbrubaker.com #richbrubaker #missiondriven
How to Scale a Sustainable Energy Services Firm | Andy Klump
In this episode, I speak with Neha Upadhyaya about her work in rural India as the founder of Guna Organics. Neha's journey began with a powerful sense of purpose sparked by surviving an earthquake, which led her to witness firsthand the struggles of affected villages. Instead of opting for the conventional path of joining an NGO or government agency, Neha chose to take matters into her own hands by founding a new organization. Through our conversation, we speak about her journey, and the lessons she has learned along the way as a young founder who has done incredible work to empower so many women. About Neha Neha Upadhyaya is a social entrepreneur based in New Delhi, India. She graduated from King’s College London and worked in the education sector in the U.K. Her focus was with children suffering from Juvenile diabetes , Autism , ADHD etc. She observed their lifestyle , was reluctant in treating them with western medication and received trainings in organics and Macrobiotics from Daylesford organic school , Wholefood Harmony and Navdanya Bina Vidyapeeth which have proven to be alternative healing practises. Upon her return to India , she founded Guna whose vision is to empower women farmers through vertical integration of organic farming and solar technology for post harvest management and rural electrification in the hilly terrains of Ladakh , J&K India. She was the recipient of Future Leaders Connect (2018) & Social Impact India award (2017) by the British Council. Recently , Guna and her work won prototype grants and awards named Entrepreneur Excellence award by I.I.T. Delhi (2017) and Smart fifty solutions that will transform India by I.I.M C.I.P. (2018). She has won full scholarship to study sustainability and responsible leadership from Govt.of Sweden with the course titled Swedish Institute Management Programme 2017. She recently won a fellowship from Earthwatch Institute to facilitate SDG’s in mountain communities. She is well recognised by the media and featured in Economic Times , Time out New York , India Today , CNBC Young Turks. Her NGO won the prestigious small grants programme from GEF UNDP and Ministry of environment, forests and climate change in 2017. With a strong commitment to environmental sustainability , she envisions an inclusive , equitable and healthy society where men and women support each other in every aspect of life and enjoy their right to realise their full potential. Follow Neha website: http://gunaorganics.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neha-upadhyay-249279a8/ About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Empowering Rural Indian Women | Neha Upadhyaya, Guna Organics
In this episode of the Mission Driven Podcast, I interview Jimmy Pham, the founder of KOTO, and explore his impactful work in improving the lives of disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. Jimmy's journey began over 15 years ago when he decided to return to Vietnam and discovered his mission. It all started with his support for a small group of street kids. During our conversation, we discuss Jimmy's quest to find his purpose, reflect on the early days of KOTO, how he defines success, and the lessons he has learned throughr the last 15 years as he has built this incredible organization. About Jimmy: Jimmy Pham AM is the unstoppable force and visionary founder behind Vietnam’s leading social enterprise KOTO (Know One, Teach One). Over the last 21 years, KOTO has impacted the lives of over 1000 street kids and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. KOTO was named finalist for the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award and was also awarded the inaugural UNICEF Vietnam Zero Award for Social Innovation for its work championing the rights of children and youth. Jimmy was recognised as a World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader in 2011, and appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the community through KOTO in 2013. Jimmy received South Korea’s POSCO TJ Park Prize in 2017 and has now been featured on CNN, BBC, LA Times and The New York Times. Follow Jimmy: Website: https://www.koto.com.au/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-pham-am-402258151/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jimmyphamkoto/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KOTOFoundation About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Empowering Vietnamese Street Kids | Jimmy Pham, KOTO
In this episode, I speak with mission-driven entrepreneur Sabrina Mustopo about her journey as founder of Krakakao. A “farmer-to-bar” social enterprise founded with a mission to improve the livelihood of Indonesian cocoa farmers and the sustainability of cocoa farming. Timestamps: About Sabrina: In 2013, Sabrina founded Krakakoa Chocolate, a "farmer-to-bar" social enterprise working directly with smallholder cocoa farmers to produce organically grown award-winning Indonesian chocolate. In partnership with SwissContact, Krakakoa has provided training to about 1,000 farmers living in the sensitive border areas around national parks in Lampung, Sumatra and in West Sulawesi, to help improve their livelihoods and the sustainability of cocoa farming. Krakakoa Chocolate has won a total of six medals at the 2017 Academy of Chocolate (AOC) Awards in the United Kingdom, making them the first Indonesian chocolate maker to win any AOC award. Follow Sabrina: Website: https://krakakoa.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinamustopo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrinamustopo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabrinamustopo About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Elevating Cocoa Farmer Livelihoods | Sabrina Mustopo, Krakakoa
In this episode, of the Mission Driven podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with Devika Malik, the visionary Founder of The Wheeling Happiness Foundation, about the shared mission she has with her mother to elevate the lives of individuals with disabilities in India. An accomplished paraolympian, Devika approaches entrepreneurship with incredible tenacity, and is backed by crystal-clear vision for change. Through our conversation we speak about the founding of the organization, the role of mentors (aka coaches) to help ensure accountability, and overcoming the challenges of being a young entrepreneur. Prepare to be inspired as we uncover the entrepreneurial mindset driving her endeavors and the profound impact she is making in the lives of individuals with disabilities. About Devika: An international para-athlete, counsellor and co-founder of the Wheeling Happiness Foundation, Devika Malik is a resounding global voice in the sphere of inclusivity for people with physical, emotional and social challenges. Born with hemiplegia, a condition that causes paralysis to one side of the body, Devika developed a sensitised worldview from early on. She not only overcame her disability to become an international para-athlete but has also become an inspirational role model through her work with people facing different types of challenges – educating economically under-privileged children; vocational training for rehabilitated sex workers & AIDS-affected children; and emotional and physical rehabilitative techniques for physically challenged individuals. Today, she is a leading voice for young people with disabilities in the Commonwealth and the United Nations and has represented India at many international forums, including the Commonwealth Youth Forum and Bright Ideas Talk at Commonwealth Secretariat. In 2021, Devika was awarded the National Youth Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; and the Queen’s Young Leader Award in 2015 for her work with underprivileged people with disabilities and towards disability awareness and universal inclusion in India. She has been honoured amongst the Women Transforming India by Hon. Vice President and United Nations; and was listed as an honouree on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List 2020. In her career as a para-athlete, Devika has won three medals at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix, and multiple golds at the National Para-Athletics Championships between 2010 and 2015. Devika holds the unique honour of being one of only two youngsters, chosen from across the Commonwealth, to speak at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 (CHOGM) in London in front of Heads of State of 53 nations, including the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi and the entire Royal Family. She also addressed high-level stakeholders at the first-ever global Disability Summit in London in 2018. Follow Devika: Website: https://www.wheelinghappiness.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devikamalik394 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devika.malikQYL/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/devikamalik_394 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devika-malik-a4377345 About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Creating An Inclusive Society in India | Devika Malik, The Wheeling Happiness Foundation
Daniel Spitzer is a mission-driven entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to building businesses that solve big problems at scale. It’s a journey that started seeing the socio-economic and environmental challenges faced in the region, and coming to the belief that private business was the best way to address those issues. In the years that followed, Spitzer built a vertically integrated forestry products manufacturer (TPP) that planted over 100 million trees as part of its business model, and shortly thereafter built Mountain Hazelnuts. An organization that has become one of the largest private employers in Bhutan. While Spitzer's journey into mission-driven may seem counterintuitive, Spitzer's work highlights the impact that mission-driven entrepreneurs can play in addressing large scale social and environmental issues, and through this interview I hope you will be inspired to think about how you too can deliver impact AT SCALE. About Daniel Daniel Spitzer is Chairman & CEO of Mountain Hazelnuts Group, a major agri-business that is planting 10 million hazelnut trees on deforested mountain slopes in Bhutan. The Company’s mission is to generate strong financial returns while creating sustainable income for 15% of Bhutan’s population, while addressing the country’s key social and environmental issues. Since 1993, Daniel has developed ventures that successfully combine financial objectives with social and environmental goals, including Plantation Timber Products, which he built into China's largest sustainable forestry company. With state-of-the-art processing facilities and 1,000 PTP retail stores, PTP engaged 700,000 subsistence farmers in planting fast-cycle trees used to produce fiberboard panels as an import substitute for plywood made from SE Asian rainforests. Previously, Daniel was Partner & Managing Director of the General Atlantic Group in Asia. Spitzer received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters degree from Stanford University. Daniel is married to his business partner, Teresa Law, with whom he has a grown son and daughter. Follow Daniel Website: LinkedIn: Facebook: About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Leveraging Business to Deliver Social Impact | Daniel Spitzer
In this episode, I speak with Vikas Garg, Founder of abillion, about his vision to inspire a billion individuals to adopt a more sustainable way of life. With more than a million users on his APP alerady, core to executing his vision is analyzing, and leveraging, user data to help users make better decisions, f&b owners improve their menus, or brands know what trends are happening and when to launch their products. It's an incredible conversation about having a big vision, and what it takes to execute on it. About Vikas: Vikas Garg is the Founder & CEO of abillion, a social commerce app that’s enabling people in more than 180 countries to live more sustainably through consumption that’s better for them, and better for the planet. Before creating abillion, Vikas managed over $10 billion for investment banks, hedge funds, and the public pension funds & sovereign wealth funds of California, Canada, Abu Dhabi & Singapore. Vikas was awarded Credit Suisse’s Global Citizenship Award and his work has been featured by CNN, CNBC, BBC, Forbes, the Financial Times, and other publications around the world. He graduated with a degree in history and economics from Emory University and is based in Singapore with his wife and daughter and the abillion team. Follow Vikas: Website: www.abillion.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vikasgarg.abillionveg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikas-garg/ About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Using Data & Algorithms to Save the World | Vikas Garg, abillion
Steven Moore is a former leadership chief of staff in the House of Representatives who founded the Ukraine Freedom Project. Initially, UFP helped evacuate Ukrainians from hot spots like Kyiv and Kharkiv. Now, the organization provides food, medical supplies, generators, Starlinks and other needed supplies to the front where international organizations and larger NGOs don’t go. Moore has extensive relationships in Washington D.C., both on the Hill and off. He utilizes these relationships to provide help to Ukraine in ways other aid workers cannot. He also uses the Ukraine Freedom Project’s 501(c)(3) status to educate policymakers on the situation in Ukraine. Follow Steven: Website: ukrainefreedomproject.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.e.moore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-moore-7884a04/ Email: steven@ukrainefreedomproject.com About Rich Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. Follow Rich Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker Contact Rich social@richbrubaker.com
Go Where Others Won't. Do What Others Can't. | Steven Moore, Ukraine Freedom Project
Shiyin Cai, Dialogue in the Dark
In this episode of Entrepreneurs For Good, I speak with Ming Khor, Founder of Keru, about his work to engage high school students in service-based learning projects in China.<br /><br />It is a conversation that dives into his own mindset about knowing what is important to him, creating an organization that reflects his own values, and works to deliver impact through experiences to both his clients, high school students and community partners.<br /><br />About the Entrepreneurs For Good Series:<br />Through this series, we speak with Asia based entrepreneurs whose mission it is to bring solutions to the environmental, social, and economic challenges that are faced within the region to learn more about their vision, the opportunities they see, and challenges that they have had to overcome. <br /><br />It is a series that we hope will not only engage and inspire you, but catalyze you and your organizations into action. To identify a challenge that is tangible, and build a business model (profit or non) that brings a solution to the market<br /><br />About Ming:<br />Ming Khor is the founder and CEO of Keru, a social impact consulting and service learning education organization that provides transformative project-based educational experiences for high school students and professionals. <br /><br /><br /><br />Follow Ming:<br />Website:https://www.keruknowledge.com<br />Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ming-khor-82832034<br />Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ming.khor.12<br /><br /><br />About Rich<br />Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step.<br /><br />Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability.<br /><br />Follow Rich<br />Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker<br />LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker<br />Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/richbrubaker<br />Instagram: https://instagram.com/richbrubaker<br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker<br /><br />Contact Rich<br />social@richbrubaker.com
Delivering Serviced Based Learning in China | Ming Khor, Keru
In this episode of Entrepreneurs For Good, I speak with Vaibhav Chhabra & Richa Shrivastava of Maker's Asylum about the success of their M19 Initiative.<br /><br />Initially launched with a goal to print 10,000 face shields, over the course of a month and a half, maker spaces from around India came together to print more than one mission face shields.<br /><br />Face shields that would be delivered to front line workers around the country.<br /><br />It was an initiative that truly shows how the efforts of a few can bring about sizeable impact, and through our discussion, we speak about their experience throughout the program and share their insights into how a movement is built.<br /><br />About the Entrepreneurs For Good Series: <br />Through this series, we speak with Asia based entrepreneurs whose mission it is to bring solutions to the environmental, social, and economic challenges that are faced within the region to learn more about their vision, the opportunities they see, and challenges that they have had to overcome. <br /><br />It is a series that we hope will not only engage and inspire you, but catalyze you and your organizations into action. To identify a challenge that is tangible, and build a business model (profit or non) that brings a solution to the market<br /><br />About Maker's Asylum:<br />Maker’s Asylum is a collaborative Makerspace.<br /><br />We bring together engineers, architects, designers, artistes, academicians, healthcare professionals to work on interdisciplinary projects through exploration and learning. As a designated FabLab, our centres in Mumbai and Delhi impart weekly rapid prototyping and digital fabrication trainings, work working and electronic workshops in addition to community required & requested meetups, build groups and sponsored projects. <br /><br />Website: https://www.makersasylum.com/<br />LinkedIn :https://www.linkedin.com/company/makers-asylum/<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makersasylum<br />Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Makersasylummumbai<br /><br />About Rich:<br />Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. <br /><br />Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. <br /><br />Follow Rich <br />Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com​<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker​<br />LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker​ <br />Instagram: https://instagram.com/richbrubaker​ <br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker​ <br /><br />Contact Rich <br />social@richbrubaker.com
Making ONE MILLION Face Shields for India’s Front Line Workers | Maker's Asylum
In this episode of Entrepreneurs for Good, I speak with Marina Kalnitski about the work that she and her colleagues are doing at the Inclusion Factory where more than 50 individuals with intellectual disabilities work in a factory building high precision auto and electrical components.<br /><br />As you will see in this interview, Marina is a passionate leader who loves her work, the team she works with, and she has big ideas for how to scale the mission of this organization.<br /><br />About the Entrepreneurs For Good Series: <br />Through this series, we speak with Asia based entrepreneurs whose mission it is to bring solutions to the environmental, social, and economic challenges that are faced within the region to learn more about their vision, the opportunities they see, and challenges that they have had to overcome. <br /><br />It is a series that we hope will not only engage and inspire you, but catalyze you and your organizations into action. To identify a challenge that is tangible, and build a business model (profit or non) that brings a solution to the market<br /><br />About Marina:<br />Marina Kalnitski is a social activist focusing on the empowerment of individuals with disabilities through education, skills development, and occupation. <br /><br />She specializes in projects that are focusing on the inclusion of the "others" back into society. Marina is co-managing the first industrial workshop in China which provides respectful and dignified employment for people with intellectual and mental disabilities.<br /><br />Follow Marina:<br />Website: https://www.inclusion-factory.com/en/<br />LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-kalnitski <br />Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwUyK_mfMiKSWSIunRi1bg<br /><br />About Rich:<br />Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. <br /><br />Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. <br /><br />Follow Rich <br />Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com<br /><br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker<br />LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker<br /><br />Instagram: https://instagram.com/richbrubaker <br /><br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker <br /><br />Contact Rich <br />social@richbrubaker.com
Empowering Staff with Intellectual Disabilities | Marina Kalnitski, Inclusion Factory
In this episode of Entrepreneurs For Good, I speak with the amazing Duong Hanh, Founder of the Saigon based Center for Research and Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, about her work educating hearing impaired children in Vietnam.<br /><br />Duong's story is an amazing one, and in sharing it with me, she showed amazing bravery. Not only because she and I were speaking in English, her second language, but also as her own hearing impairment meant that she was having to read my lips, and then respond IN ENGLISH with a voice she has not heard for many years.<br /><br />Something she was concerned with while scheduling our interview, but served as no barrier to her ability to telling me about her inspirational work. <br /><br />About the Entrepreneurs For Good Series: <br />Through this series, we speak with Asia based entrepreneurs whose mission it is to bring solutions to the environmental, social, and economic challenges that are faced within the region to learn more about their vision, the opportunities they see, and challenges that they have had to overcome. <br /><br />It is a series that we hope will not only engage and inspire you, but catalyze you and your organizations into action. To identify a challenge that is tangible, and build a business model (profit or non) that brings a solution to the market<br /><br />About Duong & CED:<br />Established in 2010 by its founder and director, Ms Duong Phuong Hanh, CED is the only hearing-impaired organisation that looks beyond ‘deaf education’ and instead undertakes a holistic approach to hearing issues of the poor in Viet Nam. This includes fostering life skills for the hearing-impaired and generating employment opportunities, as well as actively participating in national policy lobbying, research and publications. CED also supervises social-work students who support people with hearing impediments and provides healthcare services, such as conducting hearing checks and supplying hearing aids to poor children.<br /><br />Follow Duong & CED<br />Website: https://cedhcmc.wixsite.com/ced-special-site<br /><br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/duong.p.hanh<br />Twitter: https://twitter.com/phonhang <br /><br />About Rich:<br />Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. <br /><br />Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. <br /><br />Follow Rich <br />Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker<br />LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker <br />Instagram: https://instagram.com/richbrubaker <br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker <br /><br />Contact Rich <br />social@richbrubaker.com
Educating Hearing Impaired Children in Vietnam | Duong Hanh, CED
In this episode, I speak with Tom Schmittzehe of Moonshot Ventures about supporting entrepreneurs who are racing against the clock to develop and deploy products, services and platforms with disruptive Innovation against the the social, environmental, and economic challenges that are coming to scale in Asia.<br /><br />In Tom's mind, we do not have any time to waste, and while he is always on the look out for disruptive entrepreneurs and business models to fund, he is also working hard to bring ideas to the market himself as well.<br /><br />About the Entrepreneurs For Good Series: <br />Through this series, we speak with Asia based entrepreneurs whose mission it is to bring solutions to the environmental, social, and economic challenges that are faced within the region to learn more about their vision, the opportunities they see, and challenges that they have had to overcome. <br /><br />It is a series that we hope will not only engage and inspire you, but catalyze you and your organizations into action. To identify a challenge that is tangible, and build a business model (profit or non) that brings a solution to the market<br /><br />About Tom:<br />Tom has been working in impact investing and social finance since 2002, and in Asia since 2006. He has held leadership roles with several prominent organizations in this field, such as Ashoka, and among other was also the co-founder of Ennovent, a leading social business accelerator in South Asia. He is a long-serving mentor and coach to social entrepreneurs, and volunteers as a guest speaker or to help with social enterprise competitions.<br /><br />Tom started his career in banking and strategy consulting, and has degrees from Oxford University (BA), the Wharton School (MBA – where he also studied at INSEAD), and the Harvard Kennedy School (MPA).<br /><br />Follow Tom:<br />Website: https://www.moonshotventures.org/<br />LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomschmittzehe/<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.schmittzehe<br /><br />About Rich:<br />Driven by the belief that change begins with a single step, Richard Brubaker has spent the last 15 years in Asia working to engage, inspire, and equip those around him to take their first step. <br /><br />Acting as a catalyst to driving sustainability, Brubaker works with government, corporate, academic and non-profit stakeholders to bring together knowledge, teams, and tools that develop and execute their business case for sustainability. <br /><br />Follow Rich <br />Website: http://www.richbrubaker.com<br />Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rich.brubaker<br />LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbrubaker <br />Instagram: https://instagram.com/richbrubaker <br /><br />Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/richbrubaker <br /><br />Contact Rich <br />social@richbrubaker.com
Accelerating Disruptive Innovation as an Impact Investor | Tom Schmittzehe, Moonshot Ventures
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