Okay, so the title may be a bit exaggerated — but not by much actually! Many of you know that I’ve been working hard to getting my start-up social venture International Transparency Solutions up and running — a for-profit social enterprise designed to build confidence around global investment in the developing world by providing investors with the due diligence tools and intelligence they need to invest effectively and responsibly! The global perception of corruption in many of these countries is holding massive social and economic potential, and I’m dead-positive that by increasing transparency between investors and investment-seekers can revolutionize the marketplace and they way we engage the developing world.

The social sector has been largely ignored or under-served by the due diligence industry, and internal monitoring and evaluation efforts are often not cost-effective and lack objectivity. But the sector of social investment is rapidly growing in size and significance, and if an independent organization like Transparency Solutions were able to pool M&E and due diligence efforts in developing countries we could definitely leverage economies of scale to provide cost-effective solutions for nonprofits, donors, and other social investors! More affordable and rapid access to reliable information would allow these funding-agents to make sure programs are running smoothly and effectively! And on the recipient-end of things, our services would allow the right people doing honest and accountable work to be recognized and rewarded by the investment community — thus increasing the value on integrity and fundamentally changing the cost-benefit relationship that today often leads to a lot of corruption in some of the poorest and most in-need parts of the world!

This is something that I’ve been working on for years, I’m very passionate about, and desperately want to see in action! I’m confident that just as VeriSign built confidence around the infrastructural security of e-commerce (leading to the e-commerce boom of the 1990s!), Transparency Solutions will do the same for investment in the developing world.

I recently applied for the Echoing Green Fellowship, which would be a HUGE boost in bringing this vision into fruition! The fellowship would include being tapped into one of the best social entrepreneurial networks in the world, as well as $60,000 in seed capital over two years! Well, I was selected to move on to round two! There are 350 of us out of the 1100 total applicants, which means there is still a ways to go! The application deadline for Round 2 is February 8, 2010.

I’m up against some awesome organizations doing amazing things, so I’ll be pouring everything I have into this application over the next couple of weeks. Along the way, I will need your help! As I finish individual parts of the application, I will post them online right here to solicit YOUR feedback! I don’t care if you’ve never heard of a developing country until now, I want to get your thoughts and input!

So here is how you can HELP RIGHT NOW!

1.) Subscribe to the blog via RSS or E-mail so that you can get my updates right away! And tell at least 5-10 other people to do the same!

2.) When I publish a part of the application, tear it apart and tell me what you think! If something is not clear, if something doesn’t sound right, or if something can be worded better, let me know! Leave comments, send me e-mails, call me if you like! (I’ll put my Google Phone Widget in the Contact Me Section!)

3.) Share it with your friends, colleagues, and networks! Put it up on Twitter, Facebook, or on your blog! Get as many people as you can to learn about what I’m trying to do and to give their feedback and thoughts as well!

The more people that are engaged in this, and the more feedback I get will decide whether this application moves on to the next round! Please, please, please help me do this so that we can move toward fundamentally changing the way business is done in the developing world and create a more secure and efficient model for aid and investment!

Thank You!