Briefing

"Once you break it through to the other side, it’s all worth it"

The story of a struggle between an ingenuous passion and a multi-billion dollar company

Re-Investing in Learning

What started out as a language school in a single room is now a community of teachers working with a new approach to community-based learning.

Dairy for a Cause

When Matt Dawes saw that there was a market for organic milk, he started a dairy targeting a niche market. This created a buzz, and helped grow the niche.

Escaping the vicious cycle of poverty requires much more than a five-year plan—it requires unflagging determination and persistence. Dilip Raj Joshi’s tenacity that raised a community from poverty stands proof.

Ushering in a Wind of Change

Kushal Gurung started Windpower Nepal to harness wind energy. But he has been tackling a lot more regards to renewable energy.

Where do you want to eat tonight?

How regrets of missing a party gave a brilliant idea to Yellow Nepal.

Evolving the Job of Finding Jobs

How did a trendsetting company in the field of human resource management start and evolve?

An Entrepreneur's only Cup of Tea

For thirty years, Uday Chapagain has been doing what he does best, running a tea business.

'Entrepreneurs should Travel to Learn New Things'

The President of Gionee Communication Equipment says young entrepreneurs should visit countries like China and the US to see how they are developing and observe their working style.

Best Wishes from Karna Shakya

One of Nepal's pioneer hoteliers Karna Shakya has written a book titled All The Best for those who want to become entrepreneurs.

Catching the wind

A small independent local project is lighting houses in a village in Mustang.

Connecting SMEs to experts

PUM Netherlands is working to support SMEs in the local arena. Burtis Van Heugten, the country coordinator for PUM shares what they are all about.

Poultry for Community

A story of a poultry farmer from a Far-Western district of Doti that represents a story of a community—a community that is transforming itself with the right mix of ability and access-to-finance through locally governed co-operatives.

Tweaking the Family Trade

A young entrepreneur in remote Palpa unwittingly sets an example by breaking an age-old tradition and leads a resilient venture.

An Art Museum for Kids

Nepal’s first Children’s Art Museum aims to become a creative hub for youngsters

Doing Business Beyond Borders

Otto Dargan came to Nepal in 2012 just to relax. During the visit, the owner of an Australian mortgage brokerage company, Dargan met Amod Niroula, an engineer-turned-finance student, who brimming with new business ideas.

Learning in the Backstreets

A social venture introduces the city’s crafts to foreigners and helps local craftsmen earn money.

Chocolaty Delights

The idea of making home-made chocolates came when Avisha was approached by her uncle with the idea. Then everything else just fell into place.

Difficult is not Impossible

“This is where entrepreneurship comes in and becomes the next big thing for it is a savior for people in crisis and a hero who can steer changes to development.”

Mobile Money

Hello Paisa intends to connect rural Nepal to the country’s primarily urban-centric banking system. With a majority of the population who has never had a bank account, many of whom don’t even believe in having an account, can Hello Paisa reach its goal? CEO Suraj B. Pandey shares his company’s story.

Teaching locals 'How to Fish'

Near the banks of Narayani River, in a small VDC called Mukundapur in Nawalparasi, nine out of ten men have migrated to urban areas in search of employment, leaving behind the women, children and elderly. Bhola Bikram Thapa, with the help of a Swedish fly-fishing guide, Jonas Nyqvist, decided to train the women in making artificial fishing flies.

Doctors for Medical Machines

Machines that help doctors save lives also need care and attention, a new venture aims to provide just that.

designing dreams

Determined to make his dreams come true, Mr Jeewan Bhattarai forged ahead and set up his own t-shirt line: Urban Yeti. With his own space, he is then able to explore, experiment and design his own graphics – which is his ultimatum.

5 minutes before this text is deleted

In a world that runs on the Internet, the lack of privacy seems like an unavoidable price to pay for ubiquitous information and constant connectivity. However, the people behind 11beep are one of the few trying to get the best of both worlds.

social entrepreneurs of the year

The third Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award(SNASEA) 2013 concluded on 28 March, following a country-wide search for the most deserving social entrepreneurs.

who brought news to your doorsteps?

This year Kashthamandap Distributors marks its twenty years of supplying magazines to its readers.Considered as a pioneer of paper distribution in Nepal, the company’s story mirrors the ever-evolving paper distribution industry of Nepal.

what's stopping us from running around the clock?

The time restriction on businesses in Kathmandu also restricts economic growth. Past a certain time at night, buying ordinary items becomes almost impossible. Corner shops, restaurants, fuel stations, department stores — any place you might need or want to go at night are closed. Some people think it is absolutely necessary to extend the operating hours; others reason it is not possible with the current dearth of resources and essential facilities.

lessons from a pharmacy chain

Dr. Saathi brought the concept of franchise into the pharmacy business, bringing together the indispensable nature of the health sector and the reliability of franchise. But the million dollar idea hasn’t had it easy; a lot of lessons had to be learned before they could find their footing.

being part of the solution

Microsoft and CityNet hope to inspire innovation in Nepalese developers to solve Kathmandu’s biggest problems with the CityApp program.

laser tagging in Kathmandu

‘Yestai ho’ culture has made us quite a laid back bunch. Most might consider it to be counter-productive; however there are a few ventures, like Laser Maxx, that are making the most out of it.

building on an exemplary idea

It sure feels good to admire the architecture of traditional houses but with time, it gets dangerous to live under that roof too. Architect Rabindra Puri of Namuna Ghar fame, has been working extensively on restoring such traditional houses and establishing community schools and museums.

a government that's pro entrepreneurs

The government-run Business Incubation Program guides the Small and Medium Enterprises in setting up ventures. Maybe the government isn’t completely ignoring the entrepreneurial sector after all.

as simple as a phone call

One of the basic challenges of any transaction is to bring buyers and sellers to a common place. This need gives rise to local markets. However, the scale and complexity of transactions today requires a more efficient way of bringing parties together. This is where JustCall Nepal comes in.

harilo's journey in nepali e-commerce industry

Harilo.com is the electronic equivalent of that relative we all have who lives abroad and visits Nepal frequently. A relative with a suitcase the size of a Mary Poppins carpetbag, who doesn’t mind bringing in all the weird stuff you order online and doesn’t judge you for it either. What’s behind the success of Harilo.com?

heating up instant success

ClicHeat, a seemingly overnight success led by two youth, is also a story of innovation, opportunity and passion. Their story proves skeptics wrong and instills new hope for Nepal’s economic potential.

a touch of independence

Mr Chiranjeevi Poudel’s dream was to help people who were like him; to be able to function in society independently. This resulted in the beginning of an innovative yet sustainable business, through the art of massage therapy.

the new age of marketing: Going Viral

Like doctors, like marketers! Both have to keep a close watch on recent activities in their respective fields since new information and technology have great impact on what they do.

humble beginnings to a humble man:STORY OF THE MAN BEHIND SHIWAKOTI BAGS

The man is as humble as his beginnings. From working as a helper at the age of 11 to manufacturing bags for the Nepal Army, government agencies, corporate houses and organizations, Khadanand Shiwakoti of Shiwakoti Bag Udhyog has a rags-to-riches success story that is nothing but inspirational.

making a maker movement in nepal

What is a maker movement? Exactly what it says it is, actually. While the culture of making tech related contraptions gets more popular in the US and elsewhere, in Nepal its only just started but its growth is slow. How could it get better and bigger?

quirks of beinga fish and frog

Anything pleasantly strange adds more value to the day than the mundane. But find a weird object that adds value to your home and office, and you have stories to tell for years - some to your friends and some to absolute strangers.

out of school learning

Learning doesn’t always mean attending lectures, taking notes on what the professor says and passing the exam. Sub-consciously we are learning way more than we think we do from the surrounding around us.

hacking the galaincha industry:HOW COMPUTER CHANGES THE NEPALI CARPET

Nepali carpets have drama attached to them – the heritage of Tibetan artists, the conflicts and the ups and downs it’s seen over the years. The silver lining is piece of software, developed locally, used globally, that has transformed the Nepali carpet industry for the better.

three is company

High Ground Adventures is a venture into a new field by three friends who also happen to be from prominent business families. While their business takes precedence, not letting each other down is a priority as well.

Ilearn

Apple has an amazing line of products, but for entrerpeneurs what might be even more interesting is how they go about advertising their products and selling it

why creating your own product is a good idea

Braindigit’s journey from having one employee to winning the Red Herring 100 Award has been about working with a killer combination of mind and heart

60 is the new 30

By engaging a retired demographic, Bihani is working to create new resources and a new client base.

farming rabbits

While bird flu is giving the poultry industry a run for its money, The Himalayan Rabbit Farm is determined to sweep in a new trend in taste.

how cafe soma used their customer as key

Everyone asks successful business owners their success mantras. Cafe Soma is giving away theirs for free-its focus on their customers.

Picasso on Entrepreneurship

In a scenario where the bar to qualify as an entrepreneur depends on who we ask, how do we actually define entrepreneurship?

silver lining

HOW CLOUD FACTORY TAPPED INTO NEPAL’S UNEMPLOYED WORKFORCE. With ‘cloud workers’ and ‘cloud seeders’ as its workforce, CloudFactory is taking the Kathmandu tech scene by storm. With four countries already under its belt, this laid back, tech savvy and efficient outsourcing company is out to change the way the world works.

profit is not anti-social

Profit has a bad name in Nepali society. Even donations and charity have higher social standing than hard earned profit. However, Hamro Prabidhi Ramro Nepal, an NGO, is now for profit, and knows that there is no other way for sustainable development.

the drive: creative control

Leaving a secure job with a good paycheck to start a company is daunting, but the drive of an entrepreneur is a powerful thing.

talking about a reva-lution

Electric car Reva’s founder, tech entrepreneur Chetan Maini talks about the future of mobility as he envisions it and his journey so far in a candid conversation on the sidelines of the launch of Reva’s brand new car E2O at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu.

The one kilo tomato test

Formal schooling wasn’t what led elementary school dropout Govinda Ghimire to become the owner of a 13-person enterprise. It was work experience, solid relationships and determination.

beat the asking price

a firefighter's outlook

With his first book ‘Take the Lead: Nepal’s Future Has Begun’, Anil Chitrakar shows a glipse of the bigger Nepali picture. Connecting the dots with anecdotes, the book underlines the most basic yet most important variable for progress – our attitude.

how to sell hanuman dhoka to tourists

Our traditions are definitely older than us. If we look for reasons to follow them, our questions are rarely answered. A team however is making tremendous effort to change that.

when work is play

From spending hours in front of a computer to making one smaller than the size of his hand, Pavitra Gautam, CEO of Karkhana and self proclaimed geek, tells us his story.

What is Kazi Studios Doing Right?

Its been only three years since Kazi Studios entry into the Nepali market and they are already coming across as serious competitors in the design sector. With a clear focus on design and a cool office, for effect Kazi is in the news for all the right reasons.

How to Renovate a Home into a Business Venture

In life, you can either love the present and leave the past or love the present and live the past.

Introducing the Nepali Robot

Of many things we find hard to associate ourselves with, robotics must be one. Nevertheless, winning international competitions, building 3D printers and revamping the education system might change your disposition.

Hitting the Right Notes

Whether it is playing jazz or running a successful restaurant, Sudesh Shrestha follows a single rule - make sure you know who your audience is.

TV on the Go

The television advertisement business is a small portion of the load shedding-affected Nepali economy. While most would see it as a reason to complain, a smart few, like Media Space Solutions (MSS) looked at it as an opportunity to find a solution and to build a business around it.