Ashoka's Venture Fund for Leading Social Entrepreneurs

2007 Fellows
Supported by the Venture Fund
Rodrigo Brito, Entrepreneur Alliance, BRAZIL
Rodrigo created the Entre preneur Alliance to develop, together with small businesses, infrastructure
and quality services to raise income and profit in low-income communities that are normally excluded
from the mainstream market. The Alliance also formed a multi-stakeholder support network to assure
sustainability for small business entrepreneurs in low-income communities.
Arzum Meleksoy, Alibagis, TURKEY
Arzum has designed an entirely new mechanism for building interest, awareness, and citizen support
for Turkey’s under-resourced citizen sector. Her Internet platform links users with Turkish citizen
organizations in a way that directs corporate money to projects of an individual’s choosing. With it,
Arzum is establishing a culture of support for the citizen sector with ripple effects beyond the web.
Rodrigo Villar, Center for Sustainable Business, MEXICO
Rodrigo founded the Center for Sustainable Businesses in Mexico to promote sustainable
business as a critical part of the solution to Mexico’s pollution challenges. Within three years, he
started 28 sustainable businesses and brought them US$24 million in investment. To create and
support consumer demand Rodrigo is also launching Green Pages, a business directory for “green”
businesses.
Casimira Rodriguez, the Domestic Workers’ Union, BOLIVIA
After 18 years of being mistreated as a domestic worker herself, Casimira realized that she could spur
change only by reversing widespread societal apathy about the widespread abuse and exploitation of
domestic workers. Casimira changes perceptions by working with employers, raising public awareness, and
educating indigenous rural families who send their daughters to the cities in hopes of a better life for
them. The Union’s support groups serve as surrogate families for workers far from home.
Nalinika Obeyesekere, Blue Paw Trust, SRI LANKA
Nalinika is transforming the animal care system in Sri Lanka. To build the veterinary profession, she
introduced education programs and incentives for the return of veterinarians who have left the country,
including the first multi-doctor veterinary practice in Sri Lanka. The veterinary practice subsidizes free
treatment for street animals and sponsors programs in schools and neighborhoods on animal safety
awareness.