Analyzing the Business Model of Hydrologic Social Enterprise in Cambodia
by Soraya Kohler
Abstract
This thesis discusses potential scaling strategies for Hydrologic Social Enterprise. The Cambodian based for-profit company alleviates poverty using a market approach, which is the current trend in development aid. It involves the poor communities living at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) in their business activity consisting of producing and disseminating ceramic water filters in a pioneering way to provide safe water to the BOP. This way of doing business considers the poor as innovative entrepreneurs, producers and resilient consumers.
This paper focuses on the various facets of Hydrologic Social Enterprise’s innovative business model and the different elements and difficulties in relation to Cambodia’s water sector. The goal is to identify strategies to scale up the company in another country. Finally, this thesis provides helpful, praxis-oriented insights into the development, the needs, the challenges and potentials of the company, which could attract impact investors to support the scaling process.