10 Days Left to Enter AshokaTECH's Blog Competition

We are close to November 30th and we are so happy to present the judges for the Blog your way to Hyderabad competition:

DAVID BORNSTEIN

David Bornstein specializes in writing about social innovation. He is the author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (Oxford University Press) which was described by The New York Times as “must reading” for “anyone who cares about building a more equitable and stable world” and a “bible” in its field. The book, which has been published (or is in the process of being published) in 20 languages, chronicles and analyzes the work of social innovators who are successfully addressing social problems at scale in several countries. Bornstein’s first book, The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank, traces the history of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Grameen Bank during its first 20 years and describes the global emergence of the now-famous anti-poverty strategy known as “micro-finance.” Bornstein grew up in Montreal, Canada, and now lives in New York City with his wife and son. He is currently at work on a book exploring the growth and implications of social entrepreneurship in the United States and Canada, and is developing a website that will serve as a tool for the discovery of solutions to major social problems.

KEITH HAMMONDS

Keith Hammonds is director of Ashoka’s News & Knowledge initiative, a new program funded by the Knight Foundation to identify, seed, and connect social entrepreneurs whose innovations promise to better inform and engage change-making citizens.

Hammonds most recently was executive editor at Fast Company magazine, where he helped shape editorial strategy across the magazine—and where he co-founded the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist Awards. Over eight years, he wrote many of Fast Company’s defining articles, including: “Why We Hate HR,” “Balance is Bunk,” “Size is not a Strategy,” and “The New Face of Global Competition.” He remains a contributing writer for the magazine.

Hammonds also has been a bureau chief and editor for BusinessWeek in Boston and New York; a writer for The New York Times in London and Johannesburg; a consultant to New Nation in Johannesburg; director of an emergency food distribution program in Namibia; and (currently) coach of the Firebolts, a fearsome girls soccer team.

EMEKA OKAFOR

Emeka Okafor is a venture catalyst and entrepreneur who lives in New York City. He was the director for TED Global 2007 that took place in Arusha, Tanzania. In addition Emeka is a principal of the Makeda Fund, a private equity fund and a partner in Caranda, a Food & Beverage company. His other interests include sustainable technologies in the developing world and paradigm breaking technologies in general. His blog, Timbuktu Chronicles seeks to spur dialogue in areas of entrepreneurship, technology and the scientific method as it impacts Africa.

Picture credits: David's picture from Duke; Keith's from ivoh.org; Emeka's picture is from Ushahidi.