- TBP has been conducting business training workshops in India since 2002. In 2006, TBP ran the first pilot ESP in West Bengal, in collaboration with North American Bengali Conference (NABC), the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce (BNCCI), the Indian Professional Services Organization (IPSO – mentor community), The Bengal Chamber of Commerce (BCCI), Ray Institute of Continued Education (RICE) and several other NGOs. Fifty five complete business plans were submitted from all over the state (50%from rural Bengal), in diverse industries such as Healthcare/Biotech, Food Processing, Clean Energy, Recycling, Printing, IT, Agro-Industries, Ayurvedic Products, Drinking Water Purification etc. The ten top companies were felicitated at NABC Houston in July as well as a regional award ceremony for all participants to attend. TBP leaders met with several entrepreneurs on a 1:1 basis and listened to their challenges and aspirations, which served as good input for future ESP curriculum.
- The Boston Pledge www.thebostonpledge.org took part in NABC 2006 where dignitaries such as Dr. Sam Pitroda, Dr. Mani Bhaumik, Dr. Nitish Sengupta and Prof. Tapan Roy Chowdhury commended TBP’s unique economic revitalization initiative. Another award ceremony to honor all participating entrepreneurs will be held in September in Kolkata, along with the launch of ESP 2007 in West Bengal.
- In 2007, ESP was taken to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, one of the premier technology schools in the country. Students were paired in teams with local entrepreneurs. In 2008, the local chamber of commerce in one ESP zone included ESP 50K as part of their entrepreneurship course curriculum, which brought motivated students to submit high quality business plans for enterprises they wish to start. ESP leaders have taken our vision to other parts of the world including Turkey, Egypt and Azerbaijan. In the current global economic turmoil, the message and purpose of ESP has attracted a lot of attention and many regions of the worls are interested in implementing the program. The five year vision is to have 50 ESP centers running,with an annual addition of 50,000 new jobs. For this to happen, we need your bold support. Please join our cause and sponsor a ESP award, to be named after you. For $750, you can sponsor a onetime seed capital that is sufficient for many grass roots businesses to start and employ a few individuals. Or you can contribute $25,000 and have a permanent annual ESP award named after you. Please donate online or contact tbpoffice [at] thebostonpledge [dot] org for information. As a US 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization, all donations to The Boston Pledge are tax deductible.