NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, December 15, 2017

After travelling the world for 15 odd years visiting communities where violence against women was prevalent and normalised, a flash of an idea came to Jeremy Meltzer while he was laying in bed at 3am.

What if sales from e-commerce businesses could be used as a force for good, and customers could give back to charities and communities in need with every purchase?

Armed with a self-diagnosed case of extreme stubbornness, no tech skills, and an idea scribbled down on a bit of paper, Meltzer founded i=Change in 2014, turning his late-night lightbulb moment into a fully-fledged social enterprise.

“Often when you get those sort of ideas you just go back to sleep and forget about it, but when I woke up the next morning the idea had stuck with me,” Meltzer told StartupSmart.

“I had no idea of the social enterprise space at the time, all I wanted was to have an impact on what many consider the most endemic issue of our time. Whether it’s helping girls stay in school, or stopping them from being married at 12, there needs to be equality in how we support young girls around the world.”

Photo courtesy of EpiscopalRelief.