The first edition of The Founders Table with Social Lens’ founder and CEO Vijaya Balaji, hosted changemakers at the helm of social purpose organisations for candid conversations about their entrepreneurial journeys. The evening was met with an overwhelming response, with 100 participants tuning in from across the world! Nine leaders, nine unique stories, one ultimate goal – to address the most pressing needs of society.
Our idea behind its conceptualization was with the singular purpose to put the founders in focus, at the centre of our lens. We aimed to cut through the noise of their achievements and success and provide an unfiltered view to their personal journeys and chronicle real stories of the humans behind these organisations . The experiences of the peaks and pitfalls they endured to get where they are today. At a time where the development sector in India struggles with various challenges spotlighting the hard-working founders of these organisations proved uplifting and helped elicit a renewed sense of purpose.
The relatable messaging that entrepreneurship,which is a constant learning process, signalled to the audience that there is no ‘right’ time to achieve success. A key reflection from this session the importance of the ecosystem of support that these founders leaned into . The old adage ‘it takes a village…’ rung true for each of the founders, who spoke so highly of the friends, parents and partners without whom they would have given up very early on. Conversely, the positive response from strangers in the wider community kept them going; as Jigyasa Labroo of Slam Out Loud points out, an ecosystem of support is enabling.
“The work that we are doing keeps me convinced and the momentum going. It keeps the purpose alive.”
Shweta Chari, Toybank
“Ideas are spread through partnerships”
Jigyasa Labroo, Slam Out Loud
The candour with which our speakers shared their raw and real experiences, particularly their inspirations and motivations, was the highlight of the evening. Stories shared included those of idealistic youthfulness, a desperation to feel alive, an urgent passion for solving a problem and a need to improve conditions for the next generation. The road less traveled may be frightening and difficult, however, as Prateek Kanwal of the Kautilya School of Public Policy reminds us, even if we reach our goals ten minutes late, we will get there eventually.
“As a founder, you’re never really prepared entirely. But when you have a motive you are never entirely unprepared.”
Janani Ravichandran, Avagama
We are immensely grateful to all nine founders for sharing their deeply personal stories, and for not shying away from talking about the heartache, disappointment and failures that preceded their success. Equally, we are heartened and inspired by the stories of hope, love and support that kept them on their chosen path of working towards a larger goal. We hope that these stories have inspired some of our listeners to pursue their dreams and know that with hard work, perseverance and a supportive community, change is possible.
