An “engaging account…” – Fast Company

Of the world’s most pressing problems, poverty is perhaps the most troubling. Various solutions have been proposed; and microfinance – the lending of small loans and financial services to impoverished individuals – is the latest solution with great promise. But it’s not without its flaws. According to a recent article in LiveMint.com/The Wall Street Journal, the “microfinance industry in India is passing through one of its most difficult phases.”

Though early microfinance firms attracted widespread attention, these initial attempts failed to achieve the scale, scope and profitability necessary to substantially combat poverty. But that changed with the creation of SKS Microfinance. In A Fistful of Rice, SKS founder Vikram Akula tells the inspirational story of the company’s creation. Akula reveals how he pieced together philanthropy and traditional business principles to solve age-old problems in new ways. A captivating read, A Fistful of Rice offers lessons for anyone seeking to transform tenacity, creativity and innovation into potent tools for fighting even the most seemingly intractable human burdens.

“This absorbing book tells the story of how Vikram Akula turned an idealistic vision into a thriving business that today serves millions of poor women in India. I have witnessed firsthand how SKS Microfinance has had an amazing impact in India compared to other poverty-reduction programs.” – Vinod Khosla, Cofounder, Sun Microsystems, and Principal, Khosla Ventures.

Vikram Akula is the founder and chair of SKS Microfinance. In 2006, Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. He has received several awards, including the World Economic Young Global Leader (2008), the Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year in India (2006), and the Ernst & Young Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year in India (2006). He has been profiled in media ranging from CNN to the front page of the Wall Street Journal.