• The Boston Pledge Belief 1: The challenge of limited resources could be a basis for economic revolution.
• The Boston Pledge Belief 2: The multiplier effect at the base of the Pyramid is significantly higher.
• The Boston Pledge Belief 3: Entrepreneurship » Creative Problem Solving.

“The most successful initiative under RED to date as been the Entrepreneurship Springboard Program. This program is designed to locate, educate and cultivate entrepreneurs developing regions of the world.” Entrepreneurship Springboard Program (ESP)- To locate, educate and cultivate entrepreneurs worldwide- India as the ESP Pilot.  As a nation comprised of 80% villages, ensuring economic stability for the suburban communities is challenging but essential. Mass unemployment in the Indian subcontinent must be mitigated through mass entrepreneurship. The Boston Pledge ESP seeks sustainable nationwide grass-roots revolution in small business development. ESP integrates a global expertise and resource base for value-addition across the development life cycles of new firms. The successful 2005-06 ESP pilot launched by TBP in the state of West Bengal, India through international collaboration illustrates that qualities like innovation and business acumen are not the currency of the learned-few,but a latent capability that can be nurtured and developed across all communities.

The ESP Process

• Locate: A particular region (e.g. state or city) is chosen for running the program. TBP’s goal is to run ESP annually in that region from the initial year.
• Educate: TBP, in collaboration with network partners in the region and its volunteer base in USA, conducts several 1 day business clinics in different districts of the target location. Aspiring entrepreneurs are taught about essential skills to develop a business concept and start a company – a.k.a. “MBA-in-a-box”, simplified for general comprehension.
• Cultivate: Class participants are encouraged to enter the written ESP 50K business plan contest (modeled after the successful MIT’s 50K competition). Typically, 50% of the attending entrepreneurs submit business plans. These are graded by an international consortium. Ten awards are given for multiple categories. The winning teams are helped to launch new firms or grow existing concerns through the TBP network of mentors,subject-experts and financiers. Each team receives valuable feedback and winners receive significant media visibility. Each program should generate twenty firms & thousands of new jobs. ESP tracks progress of “alumni firms” and continues with network assistance.

ESP Program Contacts:

Inder Monga, [email protected]
Chitro Neogy, [email protected]