The Samuele Tini Show - where business, innovation, and sustainability converge

Building a better world: Caspian’s mission to create sustainable businesses | S.1 E.72 with Avishek Gupta

Introducing Avishek Gupta, the Managing Director and CEO of Caspian Debt, a pioneering impact investing firm in India part of Caspian. With over 220 successful customized debt investments in start-ups, social enterprises, and financial institutions, Caspian Debt has proven its worth in sectors ranging from food and agribusiness to clean technologies, healthcare, education, water and sanitation, and financial inclusion.
Avishek's experience in the industry is impressive, with his previous work in setting up a structured finance business in small business lending and affordable housing finance sectors. He began his career by building a startup in the dairy supply chain that provided technology and manpower support to rural financial institutions, enabling them to provide financing to dairy farmers.
Avishek holds a B.Tech in Dairy Technology and Masters in Dairy Chemistry, along with a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management from the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA).
In the latest episode, Avishek shares his insights into Caspian's investment strategy and its mission to promote social and environmental impact through responsible and transparent investing. Caspian's investment focus is on enterprises that address access and efficiency issues in business ecosystems, with the aim of providing capital and expertise to early-stage enterprises, helping them improve their outreach and viability.
Caspian’s mission is to enable the growth of enterprises that create social and environmental impact in a responsible, transparent, and sustainable manner. The company's commitment to ethical and transparent business practices has been recognized by its B Corp certification, making it the first Indian impact investing firm to be certified.

Studying the Business for Good | S. 1 E. 71 with Jessica Yinka Thomas, B Academics

Jessica is a changemaker, academic, author and B Corp Champion.
She cofounded B Academics the network of educators and researchers committed to accelerating the sustainable business movement by studying the global movement of B Corporation.
She is an associate professor and she leads the Business Sustainability Collective at Poole College of Management at NC State University.
In the episode, she discusses B Academics, the impact stories from the B Corp Clinic and her academic work.
Some Key points. 
Educating the next generation of business leaders. How can academia be an agent of change?
What are some of the initiatives that are creating the leader of the future?
The impact of the B Corp Clinic
What’s the impact of the business sustainability collective?
A great way to start B Corp Month 2023! Follow the Journey!
 
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Bio: Jessica Yinka Thomas serves as Director of the Business Sustainability Collaborative and Assistant Professor of the Practice in Poole College where she teaches social innovation and environmental sustainability. Her work focuses on studying innovative sustainable business models including B Corporations. Professor Thomas leads the nationally-recognized, B Corp Clinic, an experiential learning consulting program where students work with local and global companies to drive social and environmental impact. She serves as Executive Director of B Academics, a global network that works to unite academics studying and teaching about B Corporations. Professor Thomas has written numerous white papers, case studies and research reports as well as two social justice novels. She received her MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and her bachelor’s in engineering from Stanford University. 

Leadership and women empowerment | S.1 E. 70 with Fiza Farhan

"You are the only driver of your life"
Fiza Farhan is a changemaker, social entrepreneur and global leader.
She was featured in the US Magazine Forbes “30 Under 30 List of Social Entrepreneurs” twice in 2015 and then in 2016, in addition to becoming the youngest member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women
Economic Empowerment, Future Energy Leader at the World Energy Council, and Chairperson to Chief Minister Punjab’s Task Force on Women Empowerment. 
In the episode, she discusses her journey and the work she is doing the domain of social entrepreneurship to empower women.

Software for Good | S.1 E. 69 Antarctica Global with Mathieu François

We build software that solves y(our) problems.  This is the statement of India based Antarctica Global.  They believe that software and tech can play a crucial role in sustainability.
In the episode the CEO and Founder Mathieu François answers to the question How can software be used wisely and responsibly?  As well he presents some wonderful cases studies from all over the world.
 
Mathieu François, Founder & CEO of Antarctica GlobalGraduated with a MBA from EDHEC Business School, Mathieu François has spent the last 10 years building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. First as a VC for a family office, thereafter for his own impact venture arm, he has overall invested $20+ million in technology companies. His notable investments include companies such as impact VC Satgana or the VC-backed agritech Champerché. Mathieu François strongly believes that technology is the greatest accelerator that human beings have today in order to radically operate, across all sectors, the ecological transition towards a decarbonized society. He funded and founded Antarctica to empower planet-positive projects across the globe to scale using virtuous technologies.

A clean environment. A constitutional right? | S.1 E. 68 The Green Amendment with Maya van Rossum

Existing laws have clearly failed us, writes Mark Ruffalo in his foreword.
Longtime activist Maya van Rossum therefore has an interesting proposal. A green amendment. Protect our rights in the constitutions, at a national and state level.
In her provocative and interesting book, she describes the damages inflicted to communities, the extent of destruction brought in the name of the extractive capitalism and the incapability of lawmakers to protect environmental rights.
Communities and people are not disposable.  And she explores as well the connection with climate justice, being poor communities of immigrants, Latinos and people of color the most affected as Kerry Evelyn Harris clearly points out in her foreword.
Maya has been at the forefront of the Delaware River protection and has been the leader of the Green Amendment movement. In the book, she discusses 2 case studies of Pennsylvania and Montana, where the legislation has been enacted and has provided landmark cases. A number of states are following. 
As Maya points out “Living in the United States, people don’t realize that while we recognize and protect speech, property, and gun rights, we don’t meaningfully recognize a right to drink clean water, breathe clean air, or live in the stable climate and healthy environments essential to supporting and sustaining healthy lives”.
Is the Green Amendment a viable solution?
Listen to the episode and have your say!

Innovation, Women Entrepreneurship and Emerging Markets | S.1. E 67. with Alisa Sydow

Alisa Sydow is Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation - ESCP Business School and the CEO and co-founder of Nampelka. 
In the episode she discusses innovation, the role of technology and her experience with Nampelka fostering entrepreneurship in Kenya. In addition, she offers some tips for innovators and entrepreneurs in the emerging markets! You do not want to miss her episode! 
More on Nampelka. Nampelka is an ecosystem of Chamas.A Chama is a match between a Kenyan and European woman who work on a business idea.A Chama is a place that enables two women to know each other and grow both economically and in terms of expertise. "Chama" derive from the Kiswahili word for "group" or "body". A Chama is an informal cooperative society that is used to pool and invest savings in East Africa.

Putting people and planet over profit | S.1 E. 66 with Kate Williams CEO 1% for the Planet

How can we use philanthropy to save our planet? Meet Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet.
In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement.
Today hundreds of companies have pledged the 1% of their annual revenues to environmental causes.
Learn more about the model, the impact stories and the future of giving in our first episode of 2023!
Stay tuned for more!

Sustainability and Innovation in aerospace | S.1.E.65 with Dr. Susanne Svensdotter

Aerospace, innovation and sustainability with Dr. Susanne Svensdotter Top 100 LinkedIn women in aerospace and space.
Susanne is a scientist and innovator, and in the episode, she discusses the future of aerospace and the innovative solutions she is working on!
And It is a great pleasure to close the year hosting another changemaker from Warwick Business School!
Stay tuned!

Supplier engagement for sustainability | S.1 E.64 with Caitlyn Lewis

How can firms engage their supplier for sustainability?  Caitlyn Lewis has founded Supplier Day to respond to the challenge.
It is always a pleasure and honour to give voice to talented changemakers from Warwick Business School and their solutions to address sustainability!
She shares her success stories and 5 tips for engaging your suppliers to align them with your sustainability goals!

Climate Justice-B Corp Climate Collective| S1 E.63 with Kylie Nealis B Lab US&Canada

Climate justice and the role of business.
Listen to Kylie Nealis from B Lab Us & Canada in our latest episode!
She discusses the importance of climate justice, the role of business, and the  B Corp Climate Collective, and she shares key and actionable insights from the Climate Justice Playbook.
Share your views and follow the Journey!