Travel The World And Save It At The Same Time: Serial Entrepreneur Hugh Whalan Explains How

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Talk about making the world a better place, and you probably won’t find too many naysayers. Try to build a profitable business, and you’re likely to unearth plenty of supporters. Combine the two—seek to create a profitable business that facilitates social change—and, well, things can get a little more complicated. But Hugh Whalan doesn’t think they have to.

By 25-years-old, Hugh had accomplished something that most people only dream of: he’d traveled to over 30 different countries and cultivated a deep passion for international development. But unlike many young people who might channel that passion into the nonprofit sector, Hugh decided that social enterprise was a more effective way to create change.

“I believe the only way to tackle the big problems of the world…is with a for-profit business approach,” says Hugh. “It sounds cynical, but it’s the only way to get the resources needed to drive these solutions.”

Never one to sit by the sidelines, the Australian-born entrepreneur has started three businesses in Africa focused on delivering energy to some of the poorest consumers on the planet. His last company, Impact Energies, was acquired by a NY-based investment firm. Today, he’s the CEO of Persistent Energy Ghana.

Earlier this summer, I invited Hugh to be a guest on my show The Next Crop—a weekly web series that features the next generation of business and media influencers. Today, I’m excited to share that episode with you.

Source: Forbes (link opens in a new window)

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