While saving human life is our primary concern we cannot ignore how our environmental resources need immediate attention: Kunal Sood, Founder, We The Planet

1. Being a high impact entrepreneur and social impact strategist yourself, how would you explain what high impact entrepreneurship social impact strategy is? How is it significant ?

High impact entrepreneurship is at the center of what we need here and now it’s the ability to solve for our global grand challenges in innovative ways that allows us to profit with purpose and find and realize our massive transformational purpose in life. My life’s story is an integral part of this journey. Growing up in India, I suffered as a young child from a learning disability and obesity and was known as the Rasna Kid in the infamous television ad where he drank the entire jug of Rasna, and then said, “I love you Rasna.”  Given this stereotype I was often the target of bullying in school and identified myself as the black Labrador of the family, since I was such a misfit and an outlier. Early in life this suffering taught me valuable lessons as a future leader and forged the foundation for becoming a high impact entrepreneur, where I went from being bullied to building the moral courage, emotional resilience and mental strength to stand up to my adversaries. This transformation from a black Labrador into a black panther metaphorically speaking gave me a new sense of omnipotent power and authority two traits that have helped shape a lot of my life’s values in action. 

As far as social impact strategy is concerned this again is something,I feel I learned how to harness as a young adult by leveraging my disability as my superpower. Given my own pain and suffering that Iendured I chose to find hope where most others would only find despair, that’s at the heart of being a social impact strategist the ability to be empathetic and turned that faith into a gift realizing that other people mattered and needed my support. Social impact work is all about serving others and the significance is the ability to do so without fear or favor to help the most vulnerable people in life. Therefore, by practicing compassion in action and realizing that with great power comes great responsibility, my early experiences in life forced me to transform from being bullied and a victim of his circumstance to becoming a guardian and protector of the peopleand this is at the heart of my work now at X Fellows and #WeThePlanet. Furthermore, my own heroes’ journey in life cultivated in me a life-long passion for the relentless pursuit of transformation which is what is a the heart of my work as a social impact strategist and entrepreneur.

2. Can social impact strategies save the world ?

Social Impact Strategy alone cannot save the world but coupled with innovation and investment. I have always defied the odds despite my learning disability by realizing that compassionate grit and perseverance combined with developing an exponential leader’s mindset will allow for high impact entrepreneurs to succeed at life. I have lived my values in action. My mindset for my own life’s journey despite the rocky road to education as a young adult, allowed me to garner the courage, fortitude and persistence to go the distance and achieve what many may have deemed impossible.

3. What contributions have social innovation and technology made to the world as it is today?

Today, with the increasing awareness around social impact strategies, businesses are changing their business models, including new technologies, and creating new ways of measuring their impact on the society. Our civil society is innovating in so many new ways. We could witness their impact in the form of global trends that are radically reshaping the context by bringing in technology trends, globalization and the interconnectedness of communities. Businesses have a renewed focus on their alliances with the different sectors as they are now more conscious of their partnerships. There is also a wave of innovation and experimentation creating new opportunities for the social entrepreneurs to serve better. They are investing time and money in resources and models that will essentially increase effectiveness and efficiency of their services.

4. As a former global health scientist, where do you see the global health science headed now?

The COVID-19 pandemic has put our generation in a global health crisis and so, where we go from here defines the future of global health science. We would want to build a world that is pandemic free with easy access to medical health. The past pandemics have shown how vaccines developed were most concentrated in the wealthy nations and most underdeveloped nations went on fighting without it. The future of global health is where we prioritize collective health of our populations that live across geographical boundaries and international borders. There is no better time than reimagining the state of global public health security. The governments and social impact leaders must come together and build solidarity, equity, and trust.

5. According to you, how has technology been instrumental in saving the planet?

From saving energy to conserving resources, technology has been helping us becoming smarter and healthier with our day-to-day choices. Genius minds across the world are exploring new ways to help curb some of the biggest environmental challenges of today. Their technologies have been redefining the way we live, eat, shop, and work. These trends are targeting climate change, resource scarcity, rapid urbanization and economic inequality. We can witness the seismic shifts through technologies like ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT), connecting machines, humans, animals, or anything to the internet; development of smart and sustainable cities; using virtual and augmented reality for social and environmental impact on the society; and even Blockchain.

6. What do you have to say about the Covid-19 outbreak? What are your takeaways after battling the pandemic?

As I said earlier, COVID-19 is the most dangerous crisis of our generation. It has not only impacted public health but has also backdated several economies to ten or even twenty years. Let’s not forget its untimely impact on the environment. While saving human life is our primary concern, we cannot ignore how our environmental resources need immediate attention. We are in the middle of global health crisis like we have never seen or experienced before. It has affected almost all segments of the population, including the most vulnerable groups such as those people living in poverty, the elderly, the people with disabilities, the youth, and even the indigenous population. It has displaced several migrants and left many with unemployment. In times like this, we must all come together and strive for the best of our society. This is not a single man’s job to eradicate a global pandemic from the surface of the earth. Instead, we must all do our bit in addressing it through strategies to include more vulnerable groups, provide equal access to opportunities, and above all, be empathetic.

7. What are your views on the dynamics of entrepreneurship in today's world? What would be your advice for budding entrepreneurs across the globe?

New age entrepreneurship is about breaking the old patterns and becoming more conscious towards the society and the environment. If we closely observe these latest trends, we’ll notice how new age entrepreneurs do not focus on deriving profits as much as they do on offering technology-driven solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Today, entrepreneurship is about constantly engaging with your customers, giving them more reasons to invest in your products and service. Its about creating a societal impact, which then automatically leads to profits. Its also about finding ways to connect with investors, business partners, and other key stakeholders. My advices to the budding entrepreneurs are to break barriers and exploit the technological trends as much as you could for your and your community’s benefits. The more we invest in Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence, the more we will be able to break the code for success.

8. What can be said of the future growth plans for ' We The Planet '?

On September 21st, 2019, We The Planet convened the first-ever high-level summit at the United Nations Headquarters during the 74th UNGA meeting in New York City. On September 23rd, 2019, #WeThePlanet launched as a global campaign, uniting the youth and elders in action to make the impossible possible and protect all life on land and under the sea in support of the United Nations 2030 agenda. 

The official launch of #WeThePlanet as a worldwide movement and campaign was inaugurated by H.E. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, 74th President of the United Nations General Assembly. The #WeThePlanet Pledge, signed by H.E. Thomas Remengesau Jr., President of Palau on September 23, 2019, to usher in a new decade of transformation and global prosperity through finding solutions using science, innovation and technology to solve for our global grand challenges. 

Exactly one year later, on September 21st, 2020 we will host #WeHaveADream. It is one of our dream projects at We The Planet which aims at ending all forms of social, racial and environmental injustice. #WeHaveADream is supported by iconic leaders, artists, and activists to unite the left and right, women and men, abled and disabled and people of color as global citizens to reimagine our approach to the planet, people, peace, prosperity, and partnership given COVID-19 and all the social unrest that exists in our world here and now.

9. What is your background and how do your companies plan on expanding its operations further?

As an internationally renowned high impact entrepreneur and award-winning disruptive innovator I am on a mission to make the impossible possible by transforming a billion lives over the next decade by leveraging the power of story-telling and deep immersion experiences, using science, entertainment, innovation and technology. As the Founder of X Fellows, NOVUS and #WeThePlanet I am focused on positively disrupting the human experience using technological innovation to usher in a Social Impact Revolution, whereby impacting a billion lives will be more powerful than just making a billion dollars. I started my career in the fashion and wellness industry in New York City more than 20 years ago after graduating from Parsons School of Design and also worked in the family business for several years, before dedicating my life’s purpose towards high impact entrepreneurship and operating this kind of business.

10. Technology has certainly proved to be a boon in the world today, how do you think it will be advantageous for future generations?

The world as we live in is not enough for our future generations, but the technology we have today looks promising in helping us help our future generations. These technologies are force of nature, that when harnessed in the most optimistic manner can be very advantageous for our next generation. The idea of exploring technology is to make living on the planet earth more comfortable and sustainable so that the survival is possible for many more centuries to come. We also cannot forget the fact that the technologies come with their respective risks and must be used in order to help the planet and not sabotage it.