Weekend Briefing No. 7

An entrepreneurial approach to clean water. In Western Uganda 43% of existing wells are broken. Today, on World Water Day, I want to highlight my friend Diana who is working with The Adventure Project to pilot an innovative, entrepreneurial approach to rehab those wells and ensure consistent access to clean water. I’m looking for 5 people to join me in giving $100 today to support Diana’s work.

Is Airbnb worth more than Hyatt Hotels?The Wall Street Journal reports that Airbnb is raising capital at a $10 bn valuation, which would place it above Wyndham ($9.4 bn) and Hyatt ($8.4 bn). With the high valuations of Uber and Airbnb, the collaborative consumption movement is looking quite lucrative.

Are cash transfers overrated?Give Directly has shown early success in poverty alleviation in Kenya, by simple giving cash to the extreme poor and letting them use it how they see fit. But, some say there’s more hype than impact.

2014 is the year of the enlightened shareholder. A record-breaking 417 social and environmental shareholder resolutions have been filed so far this proxy season. It seems that shareholders increasingly value profit & purpose.

Method breaks ground on a new US manufacturing facility. Method, the quirky natural cleaning product company (featured in Profit & Purpose), joins Apple and Foxconn in bringing manufacturing back to the US.

WEEKEND BRIEFING is a selection of insightful articles on social innovation. If you would like this delivered directly to your inbox every weekend, sign up for free here.