Innovate Podcast is one of several projects conceived of and managed by I-LEAD. Hosts Phillip Thomas and Robert Rimm interview individuals and organizations engaged in work that supports the well-being of typically underserved individuals and communities, and the well-being of the environment. Now in its fifth year of broadcasting, Innovate has interviewed national and international visionaries including Andreas Merkl from Ocean Conservancy; Kumi Naidoo, Jim Fruckterman, CEO of Benetech, and Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired. Innovate exists as a platform to disseminate information and ideas from thought leaders and workers in the field of social entrepreneurship and to inspire those committed to creating a just, equitable world for all of us.
Recent interviews:
Innovator: Ravi Agarwal
Ravi Agarwal is the CEO at engageSPARK. An accomplished hands-on entrepreneur with a methodical problem-solving engineering background, Ravi has proven success in the different aspects of starting and growing companies including finance, marketing, sales, technology and fundraising. He’s founded three companies, two of which today employ over 2,500 people, and one—Endurance International Group—is publicly traded.
In 2012, Ravi cofounded engageSPARK, a nonprofit platform developed to empower nongovernmental organizations to maximize impact. The platform and web application allows organizations to create and launch Short Messages Service, which lets mobile phone users send and receive texts, and voice call campaigns particularly around social and behavioral change. Organizations can create SMS blasts, send out alerts, develop complex polls, create educational curriculums, and send out reminders and auto replies. One of the features of engageSpark is that no technical skills are needed – users simply follow the three-step wizard and to access a bevy of features. Users also have access to robust reports and analytics on audience responses that can inform next steps. engageSpark is based in Cebu, the second largest city in Philippines.
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