This case study examines the pivotal scaling decisions faced by the 1M1B (One Million for One Billion) Foundation, a United Nations (UN)-accredited Indian social enterprise founded by former Intel executive Manav Subodh. After early government-backed pilots stalled following a political shift, 1M1B successfully rebuilt its operational model around private and multilateral partnerships (including IBM, Meta, Adobe, Tata Trusts, CBSE and the UN), and now delivers artificial intelligence and digital-skilling programmes to youth across India, while showcasing their solutions via the annual Activate Impact Summit. As the organisation contemplates international expansion and ambitious revenue milestones, its leadership must determine how to continue scaling impact without diluting the mission quality. To address this challenge, this study identifies and analyses 19 critical success factors (CSFs) crucial for scaling social impact organisations, derived from interactions with the founding team, experts and academics. Using Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM), the research develops a hierarchical framework that reveals the complex interdependencies and mutual interactions among these CSFs, providing a systemic understanding of the drivers of successful scale-up. The findings offer significant implications for both practitioners and academicians by presenting a comprehensive, empirically grounded model of CSFs for scaling social enterprises. The hierarchical framework guides decision-makers to focus strategically on the main drivers requiring immediate attention, while the TISM methodology itself provides a robust mechanism for conducting exploratory research in social entrepreneurship. By mapping the hierarchical interrelationships among 19 CSFs, the study equips social enterprise leaders with a strategic roadmap to prioritise high-driving factors (e.g., founder vision and adaptive crisis management) and systematically scale impact without mission drift.

Social entrepreneurship, scaling impact, critical success factors, Total Interpretive Structural Modelling, cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification, India, digital skilling

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Exhibit 1. Evolution of the One Million for One Billion (1M1B) Vision (Flowchart).

 

Exhibit 2. ‘Sustainability Accelerator Programme for Climate Change Action Announced’ (Newspaper Feature).

 

Exhibit 3. ‘The Kids are Artificial Intelligence (AI) Right’ (Newspaper Feature).