This course was offered by Prof. Tapan Parikh. It focused on social entrepreneurship and the creation of sustainable enterprises based on ICT innovations. The final deliverable was a business plan describing a product or service with a comprehensive implementation plan, a funding/revenue model and appropriate next steps. We were advised by experts and entrepreneurs who have launched successful ventures or projects in the developing world.

Our team designed NextDrop, a system which improved predictability and transparency in water delivery in developing nations. The final presentations were judged by a panel of Gates and Grameen Foundation representatives, social venture investors and Berkeley faculty. Our team won the $5,000 prize to implement the plan.

The business plan is embedded on the left. We are in the process of raising more money and are also entering the Global Social Venture Competition.

This course, offered by Prof. Morten Hansen, focused on managing people in information-intensive firms and industries, such as information technology industries. We studied the innovation value chain in large companies, barriers to collaboration and decision making processes.

For the capstone project, our team studied the collaboration issues between doctors and patients who suffer from chronic diseases. The United States spent over $2.2 trillion on healthcare in 2007 and around 75% of that amount was spent treating chronic diseases. Even minor improvements in collaboration between doctors and patients can lead to large savings. We analysed the various barriers to collaboration in the system at the UCSF Mt. Zion IBD Center and made recommendations which are now being implemented in the Chronology.MD project at UC Berkeley.

The report on the left contains our analysis and recommendations.