Staff Reporter :
The 185th Social Business Design Lab organized by Yunus Centre took place on Monday at the Grameen Bank Auditorium. Around 170 participants from national and international organizations with diverse background attended the program, including a large number of international participants from countries as varied as Brazil and Lesotho.
The Design Lab was chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Prof Yunus welcomed the audience and reported that since the Labs began in January 2013, a total of 3578 projects have been presented in the last 184 Lab programs, of which 3,553 projects have been approved for equity funding and the ranges are from taka One Lac to Two Lac Fifty thousand.
Six new Nobin Udyokta business plans were presented at today’s Lab. All Nobin Udyokta businesses, presented at the Design Lab are from Grameen Bank borrowers’ families. These six plans included Al Amin Bamboo Craft by Mr Alamain Miah, Mou Beauty Parlor by Ms Hosne Ara, Mrittika Enterprise by Md. Monirul Islam, Mahim Cricket Bat by Md. Mithu Ahmed, M/S Rakib Enterprise by Mr Abul Kalam Azad & Meem Box House by Md Sagor.
These business plans were presented by each of the young entrepreneurs including all details of project plan, marketing plan, and sustainability plan and then discussed in depth in groups. All six projects were approved for funding. The social business projects would be monitored through reports on Social Business Pedia. The projects are joint ventures with Grameen’s social business fund.
At the Design Lab, a joint venture agreement also signed between Grameen Telecom Trust (GTT) and Bangladesh Association for Social Advancement (BASA) for a Honey Processing Social Business. Ms Parveen Mahmud, Managing Director of GTT and Mr A.K.M.Shirajul Islam,Executive Director of BASA signed the papers on behalf of their respective organizations.
Professor Yunus thanked the participants for the innovative social businesses and noted that it was exciting that so many ideas were now a reality. Professor Yunus also invited participants to join next Social Business Design Lab which will take place on 24th March 2016.
