On March 30th Upaya board member Caroline Vance presented the organization’s work at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference 2014 on a panel titled “Sustainable Businesses to Empower the Poor.”

Joining Caroline on the panel were leaders from across the social enterprise space including Jaipur Rugs Inc. President Asha Chaudhary, One Acre Fund USA Managing Director Matthew Forti, and Tugende Co-Founder and CEO Michael Wilkerson. The session was moderated by the Clinton Global Initiative’s Head of Market-Based Approaches Bulbul Gupta.

“The panel went great, and the standing room only audience was really engaged,” said Upaya Board Member Caroline Vance. “People were really into Upaya's model, and it was such a joy for me to tell the story,” said Vance.

Attended by Harvard students and faculty, the conference bills itself as “one of the world’s leading forums to explore the intersection of business and social impact.” Entirely student-run, the conference was jointly hosted by students from the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The theme for the 15th Anniversary of the Social Enterprise Conference was “Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future.”

Upaya board member Caroline Vance (left) presents on March 30th at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference 2014