IIT Kharagpur
Preeti Singh
Project Name: Swarambh, ( Buddha Fellow since May 2018 )
My Motivation
"I wanted to be a job creator. My mission is to empower the youth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions by bridging the gap towards gig economy and freelancing"
Preeti Singh along with her mentor Byomkesh Mishra pioneered “Swarambh”, an outreach program for gig inspired youth from tier 2 and tier 3 towns of Uttar Pradesh. After graduating with a Masters degree from IIT Kharagpur, Preeti joined Schlumberger, USA. But the zeal of becoming a development entrepreneur was always there. With this mission she started her exploration journey with Buddha Fellowship.
Here she was exposed to various projects of non profits. Fellowship gave her access to a network of eminent mentors which helped her succeed in this exploration journey.
Swarambh has raised INR 3.6 crore (USD 400,000) from Axis Bank Foundation, helping her outreach thousands of youth.
https://medha.org.in/swarabh-turning-passion-into-profession/
IIM Ahmedabad
Kolli Madhu
Organisation Name: MLAND, ( Buddha Fellow since May 2018 )
An IIM Ahmedabad 2018 graduate, Madhu has beaten all odds to make his dream of becoming a development entrepreneur come true.
Madhu is using precision agricultural practices like Greenhouse and Shadenet Cultivation for maximizing income per unit area for farmers of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.
Starting with 1.25 acres, Madhu initially invested INR 60 lakhs (USD 80,000) to grow exotic flower variety Dutch Rose. Madhu is not just bringing a new mode of cultivation to Guntur farmers but also increasing their income 5X. Through the INR 1.5 crores (USD 200,000) he has raised so far, he aims to scale his enterprise to more greenhouses, and diversifying to grow chilli seedlings.
Madhu’s biggest motivation comes from the time he spends in the fields cultivating flowers with the help of farmers.
Buddha Fellowship provided Madhu the right platform to learn different development entrepreneurship models, gain practical experience, learn from the expertise of mentors and arrange finance. He successfully marketed custard apple pulp in Hyderabad during Buddha Fellowship, which boosted his confidence to pursue his own project of growing Dutch Rose in a greenhouse.
