SAGE Foundation to incubate social startups and NGOs from January 2023, in addition to its job-skilling activities
SAGE Foundation plans to incubate 1500 social enterprises & NGOs over the next 5 years
Transition is one of the first of its kind in the Indian social sector
Mumbai, 23 December 2022: The Shahani Academic and Global Empowerment Foundation (SAGE Foundation), the non-profit arm of The Shahani Group, has announced that effective January 2023, it will take over the brand and operations of UnLtd India, a leading Indian incubator for social enterprises, from Social Entrepreneurs Foundation India (SEFI).
SAGE Foundation will now incubate social startups and NGOs in addition to the work it already does towards upskilling low-income youth for white-collar jobs. As part of their efforts to scale up the operations of UnLtd India, SAGE Foundation intends to incubate 1500 social entrepreneurs, Founders of NGOs/ Social Enterprises over the next 5 years.
UnLtd India was one of the first incubators to support early-stage social entrepreneurs and Founders of NGOs / Social Enterprises across India. Over the last 14 years, it has incubated 318 social entrepreneurial ventures, including Phool, Arpan, FUEL and many others. Its incubatees have impacted 19.5 million lives and raised more than Rs. 30 billion until now. UnLtd India supports young organisations across the spectrum, from livelihoods, climate change, education to gender, and inclusive development. These organisations are built on ideas that will lead to increase in income and or reduce the vulnerability of underserved communities and the environment as a whole.
SAGE Foundation has been working tirelessly to provide key in-demand industry skills to under-privileged Indian youth, to make them job-ready and secure employment in the BFSI sector, with support from Thadomal Shahani Centre For Management. Till date, they have trained over 12,000 youth and have successfully placed over 90% of its graduates with leading Indian companies, such as Deloitte, Accenture, HDFC, Kotak & others
Combining these job skilling and incubation activities under one roof allows sharing of resources to reduce costs and enhance scalability. Transitioning the brand and operations of an incubator from one non-profit, Social Entrepreneurs Foundation India (SEFI), to another, SAGE Foundation, is the first such transaction of its kind in the Indian non-profit sector. It could serve as a model to other non-profits looking to consolidate their operations.
Commenting on the development, Dr. Akhil Shahani, MD, SAGE Foundation, The Shahani Group, TSCFM, and ask.CAREERS, said, “We are thrilled to bring UnLtd India into our fold, and become a part of their amazing journey. At SAGE Foundation, we have been tackling the pressing social issue of empowering under-resourced youth with the education and skills that will enable them to obtain sustainable livelihoods so that they may uplift their and their families lives through white collar employment, which offers job security and better incomes, as opposed to the daily wage jobs they would otherwise have to take.
By adding UnLtd India’s brand and its operations, we have further deepened our commitment to solving India’s social problems – this is a natural extension of the work we have already been doing, and we now look forward to helping social entrepreneurs and NGO founders in realising their vision for the betterment of Indian society. UnLtd India and Anshu Bhartia have already done some really excellent work in the past decade and a half. We intend not only to continue these efforts but also to scale up the operations exponentially.”
Discussing the announcement, Anshu Bhartia, CEO, UnLtd India, said, “UnLtd India has been committed to supporting passionate individuals who want to solve a pressing social need through entrepreneurship. Our commitment is to help an individual in their journey of becoming an entrepreneur and an idea to a sustainable high impact organisation. Scaling our work using technology, partnerships, eco system resources, at the most optimal cost were key considerations for our long term continued impact, meeting a deeply underserviced need. Transitioning the brand and it’s work to SAGE Foundation led by Dr. Shahani, a Founding and Governing Board Member of UnLtd India was a no brainer. The team of UnLtd India and I are very excited that the organisation will be scaling under the umbrella of The Shahani Group and with Akhil’s leadership. This will ensure that UnLtd India’s focus on supporting social entrepreneurship will not be diluted and that the organisation will be able to help many more social enterprise and NGO founders every year.”
About SAGE Foundation
Founded by its Chairperson, Maya Shahani, and Managing Director, Dr. Akhil Shahani, the Shahani Academic and Global Empowerment Foundation (SAGE Foundation) is the CSR arm of the Thadomal Shahani Centre for Management (An Approved Training Partner of Skill India and National Skill Development Corporation – NSDC). SAGE is committed to educating under-resourced children and providing them with wealth-generating skills training for gainful employment.
SAGE Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation, incorporated on the 30th of April 2007, in Mumbai, under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956, and has 8-G and FCRA clearance.
Website: https://thesagefoundation.
About The Shahani Group
Drawing upon its legacy of over a hundred years in the Indian education sector, the Shahani Group devotes itself to enhancing the careers of lakhs of students via its academic initiatives aimed at providing them with employment in diverse industry sectors. Helmed by Maya Shahani and Dr. Akhil Shahani, the Shahani Group is now in its fourth generation and encompasses a new generation of institutions in areas of management, media, banking, real estate, digital marketing, and more. Along with praiseworthy initiatives such as ask.CAREERS, Thadomal Shahani Centre For Management, Thadomal Shahani Centre For Media & Communication, and Ask Talent Services, the Shahani clan is a part of the HSNC Board which runs over 24 iconic colleges in Mumbai, such as Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, HR College, KC College, and National College, among others.
The Shahani Group has been widely recognized for its work in the educational sector, receiving a bevy of awards, including the Best Employability Award for Youth, CFBP Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Ethical Business Practices, the Clinton Global Initiative Award, and the CII Education Excellence Award. Operational in four cities, the Group also has an educational technology division and job placement division under its banner and runs several CSR initiatives aimed at providing education and healthcare for the underprivileged.
Website: https://shahanigroup.com/
About UnLtd India
UnLtd India serves as a canvas for early-stage social entrepreneurs in India to nurture their ideas and grow as true artists of change. It finds and supports entrepreneurial individuals passionate about bringing about long-lasting solutions to pressing problems in India. To bring their ideas to life, its unique Incubation Program provides one-on-one coaching, access to mentors and funders, and peer learning.
Website: https://unltdindia.org/
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