Background on the Partners

Ashoka: Ashoka's mission is to shape a citizen sector that is entrepreneurial, productive and globally integrated, and to develop the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world. Ashoka identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs - extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities - supporting the individual, idea and institution through all phases of their career. Once elected to Ashoka, Fellows benefit from being part of the global Fellowship for life.

Ashoka has invested in more than 1,500 Ashoka Fellows in 53 countries. Those Fellows have transformed the lives of millions of people in thousands of communities worldwide. Ashoka Fellows work in the 6 broad fields of education and learning, environment, health, human rights, civic participation, and economic development.

Big Ideas @ Berkeley: The Big Ideas @ Berkeley Initiative provides funding, support, and encouragement to interdisciplinary teams of UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students who have “big ideas.” Berkeley students want to make a difference. They are passionate about tackling regional, national or global challenges such as safe drinking water, public policy, entrepreneurship in life sciences and nanotechnology, clean energy, global public health, and sustainable development. They want to link their research, course work, entrepreneurship, and service-learning to these challenges. They are willing to devote an incredible amount of time and energy to ideas that they have developed.

Big Ideas supports these student-led initiatives with seed grants, in-kind contributions, connections, advice, assistance in marketing and communications, and university resources (e.g. allocation of teaching resources for new courses). These initiatives take many forms, including clubs, competitions, new courses, projects, domestic and international field work, collaboration with non-profit and corporate partners, and greater student involvement in shaping and inspiring the next generation of research, education, and service activities.

Project Team

Videographer: Bruce Rinehardt, School of Information

Interviewers:
Amy Dickie, Haas School of Business
Edwin Ou, Haas School of Business
Dai Pham, Haas School of Business
Virali Godalkas, Haas School of Business

Project Manager:
Annie Yeh, Big Ideas @ Berkeley Initiative

Project Director:
Thomas Kalil, Big Ideas @ Berkeley Initiative