Social Enterprise Accelerator Fund Encourages Private Sector Development

Tushar Thakkar
Master of International Public Policy ’16
Home Country: India

Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins SAIS, Tushar worked in investment banking and plans to use his studies to transition into a role in international development. He chose to complete the MIPP program at Johns Hopkins SAIS and saw the Social Enterprise Accelerator Fund as a great opportunity to explore the inner workings of a social enterprise which he believes is going to be an increasingly important player in international development.

Tushar and his multi-national, multi-cultural team of classmates worked with UBELONG, a social enterprise which is focused on volunteering abroad and social expedition spaces. Their project helped the organization to examine its market strategy for a new product. Tushar said that the project was a fantastic learning experience that provided very realistic exposure to working on a consulting assignment with a real client. He noted that while it is important to debate the advantages of private sector participation in development, understanding how one gets from theory to implementation, and then from initial implementation to scale, is crucial and that this experiential learning opportunity provided that connection.