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Inception of Ashoka
In 1980,Ashoka, one of the leading social enterprises in the world, was founded by Drayton.He named the enterprise
after the Indian emperor Ashoka of 3rd century BC. Speaking in an interview, Drayton said the idea for establishing an
organisation for social entrepreneurs came to his mind when he was studying at Harvard in 1963. During those days,
Drayton actively participated in the Civil Rights Movement in US, which was based on Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas. He
founded a number of organisations ranging fromHarvard’sAshoka Table, a discussion group based on social sciences, to
Yale Legislative Services. In 1963, he went to India to join Vinoba Bhave’s [Bhave] Bhoodan (land gift)movement...
Ashoka: Bill Drayton’s Social Enterprise
Since the founding of Ashoka, Drayton has not only been instrumental in expanding the enterprise’s network of
entrepreneurs, but also for developing the social sector. The network ofAshoka’s social entrepreneurs is spreading across
the world at a very fast rate. To increase its network further,Ashoka plans to selectmore fellows in the near future. Every
year it elects nearly 150 leading social entrepreneurs fromvarious countries to its global fellowship.Ashoka elected its first social entrepreneurs in India in 1981. Since then,Ashoka appointed more than 1700 fellows in 60 countries across the
world....
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