ProInspire Profiled by Shoestring Venture
Monisha Kapila and ProInspire were recently profiled by Shoestring Venture, a resource for entrepreneurs seeking to build effective startups. Read on to learn more about Monisha's experience getting ProInspire started:
On February 26, 2009 I launched ProInspire, with the mission of building the next generation of nonprofit leaders by expanding the talent pipeline, developing professionals, and increasing diversity. The idea for ProInspire stemmed from my own experiences and a call to action to address leadership challenges in the nonprofit sector.
Where It Began
My passion to launch ProInspire stemmed from my own experiences and challenges facing the nonprofit sector. I started my career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen. I always wanted to do work focused on social impact, but thought I would get some business skills first and then move into the nonprofit sector.
When I was ready to make the switch after two years of consulting, I found it was really challenging to find opportunities because 1) nonprofits weren’t looking for people with my background and 2) I did not have a network in the sector. Eventually I was able to find an opportunity with CARE India – writing the business plan for a sustainable program to support micro-entrepreneurs. It was a fantastic experience – CARE needed someone who had experience writing business plans (which I did from my consulting days), and I had the opportunity to learn about working for a nonprofit.
After CARE, I returned to the US and joined the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a nonprofit using business approaches to inner city economic development. Then I went to Harvard Business School to get my MBA, spent time learning about social enterprise, and worked on projects with the Clinton Foundation and Citigroup’s Microfinance Group. After graduation, I was selected as a HBS Leadership Fellow with ACCION International, a leader in microfinance. As a Fellow, I helped ACCION launch their micro-insurance program and partnerships with corporations, including Visa International.