Impulse 2022 sees 800 social entrepreneurs, 87 social start-ups gather at Keesara

Hyderabad: A national-level social entrepreneurship summit, Impulse 2022, was organised here on Friday by the Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) and Bala Vikasa Centre for Social and Responsible Business at the latter's training facility in Keesara.

Over 800 social entrepreneurs, including impact investors, incubators, and mentors, participated in the day-long event that saw panel discussions, knowledge sharing sessions, and interactive workshops. Also, 87 social start-ups showcased their social innovations, products, and services like Nirbhaya 2022 – a women's safety device; eco-friendly pots made of groundnut waste; education innovations that improve social-emotional intelligence in children and address the lack of books among rural poor children; health innovations that improve the mental and physical well-being among senior citizens; and many other innovations that contribute to sustainable social change.

During the event, TSIC launched its new initiatives – Innovate 4 Menstrual Wate Hackathon 2022, Social Impact Bootcamp 2022, and Youth for Social Impact. Leading individuals and institutions like Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), I-Venture@ISB, T-Hub, We Hub, and Kakatiya Sandbox participated in various sessions to discuss the present and the future of social entrepreneurship in the country.

Minister of labour and employment Malla Reddy and Nasaraopet MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu inaugurated the event along with Jayesh Ranjan, the principal secretary of Information, Technology, & Electronics, and Dr. Shanta Thoutam, chief innovation officer, Telangana, in the virtual presence of Bala Vikasa founders Bala T. Singareddy and Andre Gingras.

Lauding the efforts of all the stakeholders of the SE ecosystem, Mr. Jayesh Ranjan said it pleased him to see so many stakeholders coming together to work for the welfare of the poor and contribute to the sustainable development of the world. "That most of the products and solutions developed by entrepreneurs are usually designed for the rich is a thought that keeps troubling me. It gladdens me to see that so many young minds are now coming forward to solve problems of the poor through social entrepreneurship, and even better to see the social entrepreneurship ecosystem grow and thrive," he said.

Andre Gingras added, "In a country like India, to achieve sustainable development all the three pillars of development namely government, civil society organisations, and business should join forces and work towards finding solutions to ensure equity for all."