the Program Booklet - IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology ...

Monday, October 22, 2012
5:00pm – 6:00pm
South Room, 3 rd Floor
Panel:
Social Venture Entrepreneurial
Why a radically expanded philanthropic vision is essential to
sustaining mass access to life saving technologies
�� Rashmir Balasubramaniam, Founder of Nsansa
�� Glenn Austin, PATH's WASH Director
Panel Abstract:
There is much discussion of business and market based approaches to global
health nowadays. And yet, little has changed in the way that funding is directed
and deployed. There is still a tendency among many funding organizations to
focus on developing and disseminating individual technologies. This approach
has its merits, but tends to perpetuate a hunt for magic bullets. It also supports
and builds upstream talent and expertise - i.e. those that are developing the
technologies, while leaving open the conundrum of how to sustainably deliver
and ensure use of these technologies to those who need them the most. The
result is not the outcome most of us want: sustained impact for the poorest, and
eradication of problems we technologically know how to solve (e.g. ensuring
safe water).
In this session, we will review the basics of market-based approaches - what
they are, why they have value for global health, and where and how we need to
innovate to realize inclusive markets for all. We will also explore, through the
example of PATH's Safe Water Project, how a system-wide vision and creative
& strategic partnership between a funder and a multidisciplinary nonprofit team,
was able to catalyze an inclusive market for household water treatment and
storage solutions.
Panel Speakers:
Rashmir Balasubramaniam is the Founder of Nsansa, a
firm that advises and coaches funders, investors,
entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs on creativity, innovation
and market-based strategies for realizing transformational
change. She is a visionary and passionate speaker,
facilitator and coach with wide-ranging expertise across the
public and private sectors. Rashmir spent five years at the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she led a crosssector
initiative on private sector engagement and inclusive
2012 GHTC Page 53