Access to capital and human resources are the top two challenges Indian social enterprises face. Already juggling to bring together capital, a viable business model and market knowledge, social entrepreneurs face human resource (HR) challenges that impact their ability to scale, become sustainable and achieve social impact.

This Study, supported by Potencia Ventures and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), provides data and insights from an online survey that Intellecap conducted of social enterprises, which garnered over 100 responses. The findings are further examined with in-depth qualitative interviews with over 50 social entrepreneurs, sector enablers and impact investors. The report covers the challenges of recruitment, capacity building, talent retention and team-building that drive scale. It is the first of its kind to provide insight into this important issue and challenge for all social enterprises.