Ashoka's Venture Fund for Leading Social Entrepreneurs

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Ashoka’s Selection Process NoMiNATioN Ashoka’s representatives rely on a robust nominator network in all sectors to source quality candidates. FirST opiNioN This stage entails site visits, reference checks, interviews conducted by Ashoka’s local representative. SECoND opiNioN A senior Ashoka staff person from outside the region conducts in-depth three to eight hour interviews with each candidate covering both the candidate’s life history and carefully probing the new idea. pANEL Each candidate spends one hour with each of 3 to 6 panelists, all of whom are leading local social entrepreneurs in the country. The panel is chaired by a global board member or senior manager, and the panelists discuss their impressions. Panel decisions are by consensus--there is no voting. BoArD rEViEW Ashoka’s international board, meeting monthly, reviews each candidacy carefully and is the final sign off.
Ashoka Fellow Criteria A New idea: Is the person possessed by a truly new idea for solving a public need? Is it a truly transformational innovation, or just a tweaking of how things are now done? Ashoka only elects individuals who possess a new idea, a new solution to a social problem that will change the pattern in a field at the regional or national level. A new school or clinic does not meet Ashoka’s definition of a new idea; there must be a vision of a new pattern for education or health care that promises to change schools or clinics all across the candidate’s country or region. Creativity: Is this person creative both in vision and in problem solving? Successful social entrepreneurs must be creative not only in goal-setting but also in solving the problems that inevitably arise while pursuing their vision. They must use their creativity day after day in order to succeed. To evaluate whether or not someone possesses this essential creativity, Ashoka examines his or her track record of developing creative solutions from youth onward. Entrepreneurial Quality: Is it impossible for this person to rest until his or her vision is the new pattern across society, even if it involves years of grappling with “how-to” issues? Ashoka looks for people who are married to their idea and will keep developing it if need be for decades. Social entrepreneurs are practical and pragmatic. They know how to overcome obstacles, and are driven both by their idea and by the will to make that idea an institutionalized reality. Social impact of the New idea: Is the idea new, practical, and useful enough that others will adopt it once it has been demonstrated? If so, how many people will be affected by this idea, to what degree, and how beneficially? Ashoka is interested in ideas that will, over the long term, change the candidate’s field significantly and that will trigger widespread impact. Social entrepreneurship not only needs an extraordinary person to develop an idea but also a powerful, practical idea that will spread on its own merits. Ethical Fiber: If you were in danger, would you instinctively trust this person? Would you trust him or her in a position of power? There are three reasons why this criterion is critical to Ashoka. First, significant social entrepreneurs ask people to make major changes in behavior, which is highly unlikely without trust. Second, Ashoka’s greatest power, our community, does not work if even one person in the room is untrustworthy. Finally, we do not want to add to the supply of untrustworthy public leaders.
Page 1: Ashoka’s Venture Fund for Leading
Page 4 and 5: Executive Summary Ashoka is the glo
Page 6 and 7: Introduction to the Venture Fund Wh
Page 8 and 9: 2007 Fellows Supported by the Ventu
Page 10 and 11: Fund Structure and Operations The V
Page 14 and 15: Risks The risks associated with the
Page 16 and 17: Key Staff Biographies Diana Wells D
Page 18 and 19: Ashoka’s Global Reach Asia Fellow
Page 20: “Ashoka is a great global organiz

Ashoka's Venture Fund for Leading Social Entrepreneurs

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