2 posts tagged “entrepreneur”

well it's been about a week now since returning from sunny (and hot) california from the music festival that was coachella...  i'll be posting an entry over the weekend with a more detailed account of the event along with some pictures and video.  this morning however i saw this interesting concept online relating to festivals and wanted to post it while it was fresh in my head...

myhab, a UK based student started & run company has created an interesting product for the music festival goers experience.  the company has created a unique "tent" called a myhab (obviously) that is a temporary and waterproof shelter that is completely made of recyclable plastic and waterproof cardboard.  the myhab is fixed on a raised platform as well to prevent rain and water from seeping in like a regular tent might.  myhab works with UK festivals to secure premier camping space on festival grounds creating an eco-village of myhabs.  the units are then available for rent by fans who are traveling to the festival, perfect for those making long journeys who are unable to bring along their own tent.  when fans arrive onsite they are greeted with a pre-setup myhab big enough to sleep two people and are also provided access to premier facilities including private showers and bathrooms in the eco-village for being a myhab customer.  at the end of the show myhab staff breakdown all the units and prepare them for their next use.

being a festival fan myself this is definitely a great option for people...especially those that travel by air where bringing your own tent is a challenge.  some festivals in the US have begun to offer pre-built shelters (such as Coachella and newly former Rothbury) however those shelters have been geared toward more VIPs willing to shell out major dough.  myhabs however are a cost-effective and environment-friendly method that enables any fan to have a shelter for a couple hundred bucks. 

let's see if this trend jumps the pond and becomes a more mainstream option at US festivals...

Cynthia Haven from Stanford Magazine wrote an article called Small Change Big Payoff about the new non-profit organization, Kiva, that everyone is talking about and how it leverages the power of Web 2.0 to make a difference in the world.  Kiva is currently getting heavy media coverage for what they've accomplished by various media outlets such as Oprah, NBC's Today Show and President Clinton's book called "Giving".  The article outlines how it's founders created a way to enable people to make micro loans to entrepreneurs around the world.  This practice is also known as microfinancing and tends to help individuals from less developed countries.

Since it's inception the numbers have been astronomical.  From the article,

People are lining up. In fact, Kiva has so many lenders—more than 123,000 extending $12.4 million to some 18,000 entrepreneurs in 39 countries—that it recently limited each participant to $25 per business, so that everyone has a chance to make a Kiva loan. After two years in operation, Kiva attracts $1.5 million a month.  The impact is bigger than it looks because each loan is touching 15 people, whether it’s other workers in the business, or family.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and giving thanks for what I have, I decided to join the cause and contribute to an entrepreneur in need.  Making a loan on Kiva is very easy and involves reading a short profile about each entrepreneur and then deciding which fund to contribute to. Kiva leverages PayPal to do all the money transfers and after loaning you are then able to track the progress of the business you loaned money via your Kiva Portfolio. One thing to note, lenders do not earn interest though the micro-finance organizations that helped Kiva find the entrepreneur does.