

8 start-ups that are changing the world - prayag
http://mashable.com/2011/08/19/startups-for-good/

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shawndrost
I find it typical of the nonprofit mindset that there are no metrics in this
article.

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prayag
Awaaz.de is not a non-profit. It is a for-profit venture and is making money.
I think it has more to do with the reporting than the companies.

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prayag
I think it's important for start-up to understand that generating wealth is
utmost important, a lot of fun and of course a legal fiduciary duty of the
founders. However, it is possible to both make a lot of money and make a
positive impact in the world.

For many start-ups today the motto isn't just 'Do not evil', it's actually 'Do
good in the world.'. I know our motto is definitely that, so I believe is for
companies like SwipeGood and the ones on this list. I hope to see more start-
ups with a similar double bottom line.

~~~
pointyhat
Make less money and do more good.

~~~
prayag
They are not inversely related.

~~~
pointyhat
Prove it.

~~~
rick888
Bill gates made billions and he's donating lots of it to the third-world.

~~~
pointyhat
I'm sceptical about what he's doing:

a) He's immunising people to stop suffering yet increasing population due to
this causes more resource issues. They magically forget that side issue... [1]

b) He's shifting Monsanto GM crops to Africa[2] - not a good thing. That's
vendor lock in for food which is incredibly dangerous.

Philanthropy my arse. The guy has spent years making questionable decisions
and causing absolute HAVOC around the world, yet the collective ignorance
springs into action when people see him "giving money away" which he's not
doing.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation>

[2] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-
matters...](http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-
matters/2010/sep/29/gates-foundation-gm-monsanto)

~~~
patternexon
You are sceptical that what he is doing good because it leads to
overpopulation ? I think you went a little too far in trying to prove your
point. I understand that any of the startups in the OP's list are not paradigm
changing. And I also admit that I too would have greater appreciation for
someone who would 'dig a well' - that is get dirty at the grass root level of
any social movement. But this response to Bill Gate's immunization drive is
either racist or social darwinism or both and I think thats wrong. Every
single child born should be immunized - we as a people have solved a very
basic problem of human survival and no one should be denied that. And if you
are really skeptical about overpopulation how about we selectively immunize
children all over the world from a lottery system ?

~~~
pointyhat
No I'm not saying "don't immunise". I am only concerned about the fact that
the overpopulation and the associated suffering side effects are not
considered.

Just the happy joy joy marketing stories and statistics matter to them.

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pnathan
<http://www.sunsaluter.com/> seems like it is the only practical & longlasting
thing there.

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dan-k
A few of the ideas seem interesting, but I would have hoped for a lot less
vague marketing language full of buzzwords from this sort of company...

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pointyhat
Excuse my cynicism here but I think it is valid. No world is being changed
efficiently or in a new fantastic way here.

They ALL appear to be utterly lazy ways of supposedly helping people whilst
top slicing cash and creating tech jobs, management jobs and evade a chunk of
tax. Generating money is intimately opposed to doing altruistic good.

Fly out, dig a well and work up a fertile soil and dig drainage and septic
channels. Teach them practical skills to help themselves and teach them how to
teach others. That would make more people's lives better rather than
delegating it via a startup or technology outfit.

Technology is a bad solution when there is nothing to sustain it. Knowledge on
the other hand is worth more than gold in an investor's pocket...

~~~
szany
"Generating money is intimately opposed to doing altruistic good."

This might be the stupidest sentence I've ever read on HN.

"They ALL appear to be utterly lazy ways of supposedly helping people whilst
top slicing cash and creating tech jobs, management jobs and evade a chunk of
tax."

Speaking of utterly lazy, why don't you tell us what you think after watching
this clip of the 19 year old girl you just insulted:
<http://vimeo.com/26638815>

<http://twitter.com/paulg/status/29256073985>

~~~
pointyhat
I shall "insult" her more by analysing the worth of her invention. Basically
nothing at all other than to inflate the egos of a few investors and
university jocks.

She made a solar panel rotation device for $10 to increase the efficiency of
solar panels which are not needed to survive (and are very expensive) and are
clearly not a priority for most of Africa which is dying of disease and
starvation. Farming and sanitation are far more important than optimising
solar panels.

Ultimately, should the person spending time assembling these and spending
money on them, or should they be working the land and buying seed and grain?

I think that is obvious, unless you want an easy dollar in your pocket...

All of these technology investments are ultimately piggy-backing an invasion
of culture. When the technology is in, they become cheap outsourcing puppet in
the globalisation race rather than an independent country capable of
sustaining its population.

In 10 years time, the African land will be a wasteland still and they will be
_exporting_ these $10 solar devices from production lines with no other way of
surviving.

Oh and Paul G is not some wonderous sky daddy; he's just another meat popsicle
like myself and yourself.

~~~
pnathan
Electricity enables a good deal of solutions to help food preservations and
more optimal farming. It also enables cell phones, which are becoming one of
the primary infrastructure elements in third world companies.

I am not sure if what's-her-face's idea is more than a nifty widget. But I
assure you that at least its goal is doing more than making a few people feel
happy-floaty about giving money.

~~~
pointyhat
You don't need electricity to preserve food. You can preserve without it. I've
done it for years. If you need a fridge, you don't need electricity:

<http://lionheart.net/fridge/>

50 years ago we had larders full of preserves.

They don't need the infrastructure, commerce and cell phones. They need food,
sanitation and a life which doesn't rely on working for another person day in
day out. Introducing capitalism to such people is like introducing a cocaine
habit so they are easily controlled.

~~~
pnathan
Capitalism is fine.

~~~
pointyhat
If it supports you, but if it abuses you, then it's bad.

