This is the first post in a series around social good, start-up companies to watch. Be sure to check them all out!
I'm always on the lookout for innovative whippersnappers, and, not surprisingly, I met a number of them at Google's Inspiring Millennial Entrepreneurs event. One of them was LifeSoap's Ashton Williams.
When Juwon Melvin traveled to Morocco and Nicaragua, he discovered that many children weren't in school--they were fetching clean water for their families. As he came back to the U.S., he couldn't get those kids out of his head.
Aaron Madonna's travels proved troubling too. When he used a cheap bar of soap abroad, his skin broke out.
Melvin and Madonna decided they would solve these problems together by founding an organic soap subscription company (well suited for those with sensitive skin), the benefits of which would go to fund clean water projects in developing countries.
In the first year of operations, LifeSoap helped fund four clean water projects at two schools, including latrines and clean water well rehabilitation. Their goal is to support 10 projects per year in Central America, South America, and Africa. Though their challenges include building a company from the ground up, scaling the business, and the desire to fully fund these clean water projects, I have no doubt Life Soap has the drive to make some big steps in 2013.
