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On this week’s episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast, host I interview the CEO of Benetech, Jim Fruchterman.

The goal of Benetech is simple yet profound: to create new technology solutions that serve humanity and empower people to improve their lives.  From leveraging technology to improve human rights to creating a digital library with access to books through a market-based approach   for people with print disabilities, Benetech identifies problems and finds tech-savvy solutions. 

Alex and Jim discuss the importance of measuring “return on humanity,” how business-savvy practices can be applied to the social-space, and trends in social enterprise in the coming decade.

Check out the podcast in iTunes to subscribe and automatically download episodes as they’re released.

To listen to the online-stream or download the .mp3 directly, please visit the official site of the AshokaTECH Podcast.

First of all, a huge thank you to all of our listeners for helping us reach our 10th episode!  We’ve now hit double digits, and there’s no looking back!  Thanks to all of you for your questions, feedback and for engaging with the podcast.  As always if you have comments, questions or suggestions for someone you’d like to see interviewed, be sure to get in touch!

This week’s episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast features an interview with the founder of Samasource, Leila Janah.

Samasource enables marginalized people, from refugees in Kenya to women in rural Pakistan, to receive life-changing work opportunities via the Internet. The core of this concept is microwork — little bits of labor that can be performed anytime and anywhere — which provides dignified work opportunities and a chance to learn tech-skills.  In parallel, Samasource enables socially responsible companies, small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs in the US to contribute to economic development by buying services from their workforce at fair prices. 

Together, we discuss trends in ICT in the developing world, theories of microwork, and what the story of a Facebook friend request from a man in a refugee camp tells us about the future of our interconnected world. 

Check out the podcast in iTunes to subscribe and automatically download episodes as they’re released.

To listen to the online-stream or download the .mp3 directly, please visit the official site of the AshokaTECH Podcast.

On this week’s episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast, host Alex Budak interviews the co-founder and CEO of Kiva.org Matt Flannery.

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe through the internet. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva creates a global community of people connected through lending.  As of last November, Kiva had facilitated over $100 Million Dollars in loans world-wide, with an extremely high repayment rate of over 98%

Focusing on how technology can change and improve microfinance, Alex and Matt discuss how to make philanthropy more social thanks to web 2.0 technologies, how to balance economic and social goals, and best practices for social entrepreneurs looking to choose business partners in developing countries.

Check out the podcast in iTunes to subscribe and automatically download episodes as they’re released.

To listen to the online-stream or download the .mp3 directly, please visit the official site of the AshokaTECH Podcast