cMarket – A Charity Auction Startup

cMarket, a online charity auction site, is creating some buzz these days. The venture was recently written about in a Businessweek article detailing the company’s goal: Having already raised $20 million in venture capital, Carson says the company is out to fine-tune the charity-auction process and develop a “national marketplace.” The article also delves into… Continue reading cMarket – A Charity Auction Startup

Corporations Exploiting The Concept Of Socially Responsible Business?

I’m sure you’ve all seen the ads for Gap’s Product Red Campaign. Through this campaign, Gap, Apple, American Express and other companies offer products under the Red brand and give part of the profits to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The campaign uses a model similar to that used by Ethos… Continue reading Corporations Exploiting The Concept Of Socially Responsible Business?

OneBrick and ProductRed

I found this review of philanthrophic websites via digg.com. I’ve blogged about most of the sites but two I have not covered are OneBrick: One Brick is a commitment-free nonprofit volunteer organization pointing you quickly to what needs to get done and who needs your help. Sign up on your terms to bypass the tedium… Continue reading OneBrick and ProductRed

Google To Install Record Number of Solar Panels At Its Headquarters

Search giant Google will begin constructing the nation’s largest solar electricity system on its Mountain View campus, the company said today. The system will have a total capacity of 1.6 megawattas, which is enough to power 1,000 homes in the US. The solar panels sound pretty complex. Energy Innovations, a company out of Pasadena, is… Continue reading Google To Install Record Number of Solar Panels At Its Headquarters

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Libya Orders 1.2 Million Computers From OLPC

Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the government of Libya has agreed to order 1.2 million computers from Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project. “When I met with Qaddafi, it had all the mystique and trimmings expected: middle of the desert, in a tent, 50 degrees C. etc.,” Mr. Negroponte,… Continue reading Libya Orders 1.2 Million Computers From OLPC

Intel Unveils ClassmatePC- Rival To One Laptop Per Child

Intel recently unveiled the ClassmatePC, a budget laptop computer that’s been in the works ever since Craig Barrett called the OLCP laptop (akfa. $100 Laptop) a toy. The two camps have differing opinions on what aspects of computing are most relevant to students in underdeveloped countries. Intel argues for affordability and compatibility with mainstream software.… Continue reading Intel Unveils ClassmatePC- Rival To One Laptop Per Child

Acumen Investment Gives Fund Stake In Growing Technology Platform Transforming Rural India

Drishtee Kiosks Harness Technology to Increase Accessibility of Critical Information and Services Including Healthcare and Education New York, NY – Acumen Fund, a leading catalyst for sustainable, scalable solutions addressing poverty in South Asia and Africa, announced today that it has invested $1.6 million (~Rs.72 million) in Drishtee Dot Com, a rural Information and Communications… Continue reading Acumen Investment Gives Fund Stake In Growing Technology Platform Transforming Rural India

Latest Trend: Giving Away Riches- Branson Gives $3 Billion To Fight Global Warming

Richard Branson, the famous entrepreneur who founded the Virgin companies, announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative that he will be giving away 100% of his profits from his travel-based businesses to fight global warming. “We must not be the generation responsible for irreversibly damaging the environment,” said Branson. “We must hand it over to… Continue reading Latest Trend: Giving Away Riches- Branson Gives $3 Billion To Fight Global Warming

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A “For-Profit” Structure For Google.org Enables Social Entrepreneurship

Google’s founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, are planning to set up Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, as a for-profit with an initial “seed investment” of $1 billion “to tackle poverty, disease and global warming” (Link to NYTimes, sub required). But unlike most charities, this one will be for-profit, allowing it to fund start-up… Continue reading A “For-Profit” Structure For Google.org Enables Social Entrepreneurship