Second Place Winner; 2024 DEI Global Case Writing Competition
This case focuses on Sheroes Hangout, a social enterprise chain of cafés in India, initiated by the founders’ grassroots campaign Stop Acid Attacks (SAA) under its nonprofit organization, Chhanv Foundation. The name Sheroes—a combination of “she” and “heroes”—was chosen to underscore the courage of acid attack survivors who went on to staff and manage the cafés. The first café, based in the city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, initially employed five acid survivors; by 2024 the foundation employed over 30 survivors in four cafés, making it the largest employer of acid attack survivors in India.
The case centers on Alok Dixit, one of three Sheroes Hangout founders. As he reflects on his decade at the helm of the Chhanv Foundation, he is determined to take Sheroes to the next level. The question is how to do so given constraints of time, talent, and financial resources.
Students will gain knowledge of the particular phenomenon of acid attacks in India and the efforts Sheroes Hangouts have made to support and provide a voice for victims. They will also learn to evaluate options for and against scaling social enterprises, as well as the specific challenge of mission drift confronted by such organizations. Finally, students will learn to align the work of a social enterprise with the all-encompassing UN Sustainable Development Goals which, in Sheroes’ case, helped challenge societal norms and foster a more inclusive and supportive society for its beneficiaries.