A chat with the founder of Samasource

Samasource from JD Lasica on Vimeo.

I finally have time to get to my backlog of video interviews, after changing jobs earlier this month.

Here's a 4-minute interview with Leila Chirayath, founder and CEO of Samasource, a nonprofit social enterprise in Silicon Valley that that connects small and mid-size businesses with individuals and firms in the developing world that can perform outsourcing work (such as data entry) in a socially responsible way.

They now have pilot programs in Kenya, Nepal and rural India, and their goal, as their website says, is "to catalyze sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation by creating a thriving, active market for socially responsible outsourcing to developing regions."

The interview was conducted on a very windy day at the recent Craigslist Nonprofit Bootcamp in San Mateo, Calif. (though I do need to get a fabric microphone cover). I caught up with Leila a few minutes before her jam-packed talk. As Leila says, there's a lot of misinformation in the media about outsourcing, and Samasource can help you sort through the best options.

Watch or download video in H.264 QuickTime on Ourmedia
Watch video in Flash on Vimeo

Cross-posted to socialmedia.biz .