MAY 20199work or not-for-profit activities. There is a huge focus on applying the region's vast pool of technology talent and innovative capabilities to solving some of the most critical social problems those developing countries in the region face and achieving measurable results through sustainable business models. The trend is riding on the back of younger entrepreneurs' interest in pursuing meaning in whatever they do. The lure of profits and valuation doesn't seem to hold enough value for as many millennial entrepreneurs and they're clearly looking for something more... for bringing about a grassroots change. Take the example of Mumbai-based GreenSole that addresses India's rampant concerns regarding environmental waste and oceanic pollution through a win-win business model. The athlete founders decided to recycle the thousands of running shoes that are discarded by their community each year and turn them into sandals for the many underprivileged Indians who cannot afford to buy footwear. With new footwear given to students, even school attendance in their target government schools went up considerably. In neighbouring Nepal, Eco Cell Industries is a startup that focuses on building affordable, eco-friendly and earthquake resistant buildings. The trio who founded the company came up with the idea in order to help rehabilitate hundreds after the devastating impact of the 2015 earthquake in the country.In Japan, the Hoshi siblings have founded a one of its kind employment platform for the LGBTQ+ community called JobRainbow. Their inspiration for launching the platform was a deplorable incident with a friend who was discriminated against during a job interview for being transgender. Today, JobRainbow has over 1,00,000 users and boasts of giants such as Microsoft, AIG and Salesforce.com as its clients. Similarly, Magneto CleanTech in India is doing its bit to combat the seriously problematic situation of air pollution that plagues modern cities. It has commercialized a proprietary technology of purifying indoor air through a central air cleaning system for large spaces that integrates seamlessly with new or existing air conditioning equipment. Magneto's products regulate CO2 levels without compromising on the fresh air needs of users. So far, Magneto has impacted 25766 lives, and made safe living possible across 20,51,832 sq. ft. of area in India within 2018. These are but a few of the examples of the great work that is being done by entrepreneurs across the Asia Pacific region today. The pursuit of meaning and of making an impact is being displayed across the spectrum by ambitious startups and their founders. The Asia Pacific region faces a fair share of socio-economic and civic problems, right from poverty and malnutrition to pollution and lack of education. With the strong desire of its capable and innovative entrepreneurial community to apply its business acumen and tech talent to solving these issues, change is definitely imminent albeit slowly! With the strongdesire of its capable and innovative entrepreneurial community to apply its business acumen and tech talent to solving these issues, change is definitely imminent albeit slowly!
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