Sramana Mitra To Speak At The Commonwealth Club On August 11

Sramana Mitra, Founder of One Million by One Million, will look at the current challenges facing India and the untapped opportunities in technology, technology-enabled services, rural and slum development, energy, infrastructure, health care, film and education. Author of Vision India 2020, Mitra will discuss start-up companies in India developing into billion-dollar enterprises over the next 10 years. She will also speak about her global initiative, One Million by One Million, which aims to help a million entrepreneurs each reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond by 2020.

Location: Silicon Valley Bank, 3005 Tasman Drive, Santa Clara, California
Date: Thursday, August 11, 2011
Time: 6:00 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members

Find more details and REGISTER HERE.

India’s Big Opportunity In SaaS

It was clear to me way back in the nineties that India’s journey forward as a center of excellence in software would not gain legitimacy without some home grown product companies. Amidst the outsourcing boom, however, it was impossible to gain traction for the idea. Since March 2007, I have often orchestrated discussions on my blog on why India was still lacking in product companies. In June 2007, I interviewed Sridhar Vembu, the now famous founder of Zoho. Soon after, in my Forbes column, I introduced him as the smartest unknown Indian entrepreneur.

>>>

SKS Pursues Microfranchise To Cure Headaches

The political interference in the microfinance sector within the state of Andhra Pradesh in India has left the sector reeling in recent quarters. Despite Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Malegam Committee Report which offered a much needed breather for the MFI sector, SKS Microfinance, the largest player in India had to significantly increase their provision for bad debts. During the recently reported results, provision for bad loans increased to more than Rs 106 crores (~$23.37 million) from Rs 14.82 crores (~$3.27 million) set aside a year ago driven by a mere 10% repayment rate in Andhra Pradesh compared with 98% repayment rates in the rest of the country.

>>>

India Trip: Chennai, Mumbai, Pune

Message To Students In India Who Are Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Vision India 2020: Care

I have written a series of columns on healthcare over the last several weeks. Most of them were focused on healthcare for the rural and under-served population. This column addresses a business opportunity for the growing affluent class in India in the healthcare sector. >>>

Vision India 2020: Doctor For Sure

One of the most contentious topics in the 2008 US presidential elections has been healthcare policy, with Barack Obama pushing aggressively for universal healthcare.

As I delved into the topic from the perspective of India and tried to outline a business plan for a sustainable, for-profit venture–not a non-profit, nor a government agency–Doctor For Sure emerged. Thus, I want to state upfront that this is not the be-all and end-all solution for healthcare in India. It is, however, a venture that made healthcare viable for a much larger population of people than was previously possible. >>>

Vision India 2020: Green Village

India’s real estate development, for the longest time, had consisted of multi-story residential and commercial buildings in urban settings. With increasing traffic and the cities bursting at their seams, getting to and from work every day had become a tremendous challenge.

We founded Green Village, a real estate development company with a commitment to green buildings and green lifestyles, in 2008. >>>