Free World-Class Education at Your Fingertips

Coursera is a social entrepreneurship company with the aim to offer free online courses from premier universities around the world to everyone.  The founders are Stanford University computer science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller.  They created Coursera with the belief that education is a right, not a privilege.  Despite its popularity and tapped market, the courses will continue to be free to its users which are now over three million. 

The classes cover vast variety of topics.  Under humanities, there are the Ancient Greeks and the Fiction of Relationship.  Other fields are medicine, biology, social sciences, mathematics, business, computer science, and many others.   Some classes are in Spanish, French, Italian and Mandarin.  The classes are handled by professors who are experts in the field.  Their lectures are given through videos and just like a regular class, required readings, assignments and exams are conducted.  Even if the class has ended, users can still go through the class by watching the lectures and downloadable notes.

Crowdrise: Because Giving is Fun

Crowdrise  was conceptualized and developed from the experience of its founders during the New York City Marathon in September 2009 where they were able to raise USD 1.2M for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.  Crowdrise is a website where people can create a fundraiser and/or find a cause to support.  The website has a very fun, tongue-in-the-cheek feel since the founders, Hollywood actor Edward Norton, producer Shauna Robertson and the founders of Moosejaw, Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe, want to take the seriousness out of philanthropy and make it enjoyable and exciting.  They make random funny posts such as a picture of a napkin which has no deep and inquisitive rationale except for the fact that the napkin is simple and beautiful.  It created the humorous acronym IYDGBNOWLY meaning “If you don’t give back no one will like you.”  And coming up with a status that says, “I counted eleven boxes of cereal in the cabinet this morning. I made a mix of everything. My cereal included Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Total, Granola, Barbs Mix of stuff, Lucky Charms, Golean something, Honey Bunches of Oats, Fruity Pebbles, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and Life. The mixture wasn't good at all.” 

The site uses reward point systems, fun games and pledges to raise more money.  Amidst such hilarity, Crowdrise raises serious money for very important causes.   It has funded causes for animal welfare, arts, culture, civil rights, crisis intervention, education, environment, human services, poverty and youth development.   Donations are guaranteed secure even if no account has to be made.   Charities are able to get their money through a lump sum check and no cash is routed to Crowdrise.  They also have an apparel online store where the reward points can be used for buying their items.  Their celebrity supporters include Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jimmy Kimmel, Kristen Bell, Sophia Bush and Ian Somerhalder.

Koios, An Investment and Financial Titan Across Africa and Middle East

The company’s name bears with it a rich, mythological history. Koios was the god of intelligence, knowledge, learning, and questioning intellect, who was married to Phoebe, the goddess of wisdom. The company strives to be the Titan God of consulting and research across the globe, particularly Africa and the Middle East. Koios aids its clients in developing and implementing “profitable direct investment, market entry and expansion, sourcing, and financial strategies in emerging markets”.  Koios fuses hard knowledge, analysis, and country knowledge to produce the best operations and market models for their clients.

The company deals with clients from the corporate, private equity, and the public sector. Two of Koios’ case studies were conducted in Saudi Arabia and Seychelles. In Saudi Arabia, KOIOS worked with Saudi Arabian General Authority for Investment to develop Special Economic Zones in three underdeveloped regions in the country. In Seychelles, Koios delegated to one of its experts the task of pinpointing barriers on tax, customs, and foreign exchange that impede the promotion, facilitation and investment dissemination capacities of the Seychelles Investment Board.

The Koios team consists of experts and consultants who have rendered related-services to other clients before joining Koios.

Devex: A Vast Portal of Opportunities

Not all student projects reach the heights of what Devex has achieved. Devex was born in Harvard Kennedy School as a student project geared towards the global development community. Its motto, “Do Good. Do it Well,” is reflective of its goal to make the global development community more efficient so that it can perpetuate desirable changes to the world. Devex is a renowned source of business intelligence and leading recruitment hub for professionals in the international development professionals. Members of Devex.com can gain access to fruitful employment opportunities in Devex’s member pool like Microsoft, UNDP, ADB, World Bank, and USAID.

Devex hires only the most reliable analysts, associates, and writers to provide accurate and comprehensive business intelligence reports. Devex only accepts employees that are experts in their given field. The roster of Board of Directors is no less than impressive. These members come from various development fields, where they are masters of their craft. The current chair of the Development Assistance Committee, J. Brian Atwood, was the Former Administrator of USAID. Tony Barclay is the Chairman of the National Peace Corps Association while A. Peter Burleigh was the Former Ambassador of the United Nations. Shunji Yanai was the Former Ambassador to the United States and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs – Japan.

Devex has four offices worldwide – Washington D.C., Barcelona, Tokyo, and Manila. It is highly-praised by topnotch news and media institutions. Financial Times regards it as “one of the leading hubs of information for the development sector” while Forbes sees Devex as “LinkedIn meets Bloomberg Markets.”

Indeed, the unique niche of Devex as an intelligence and recruitment hub makes it an indispensable organization the International Development Sector. Aside from that, it is also a repository for projects and their progress, and an advice center for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the international development sector. The project bank of Devex can be used by the private sector to find opportunities in working closely with the development sector.

Haribo: Making the World Smile with Gummi Candy

When the first gummi bears came out, they caused quite a stir among confectionary enthusiasts everywhere and have since been a staple on candy counters. Haribo, the candy company based in Bonn, Germany, has had its arm in many a jar of candy since it was founded in 1920 by the company's namesake, Hans Riegel Sr. Now one of the largest manufacturers of gummi candy and jelly sweets and liquorice, Haribo's operations span Europe, the USA and Australia. The company is now headed by Hans Riegel, the original founder's son who has carried the legacy on.

Haribo’ss company motto, “Kids and grown-ups love it so – the happy world of Haribo,” has held true in its over 90 years of operations. The slogan has numerous translations in the various countries the brand distributes to, and has gained such widespread popularity that children nowadays cannot even imagine a world without the presence of gummi candy.