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Students: Social innovation pays

Published on 24/04/07
by ryan

Yesterday, I spoke at a Social Entrepreneurship class taught by Jonathan Greenblatt, who founded Ethos Water (which he and his business partner sold to Starbucks in 2005), at UCLA’s Anderson School. A common thread of the discussion that followed my overview of dotherightthing was how quickly the market for funding social innovation, at all phases of the business cycle, is changing. While the biggest hurdle to realizing the idealistic visions of most social entrepreneurs (all entrepreneurs, socially-focused or not, at idealistic, to be clear) is often securing the funds necessary to build the business or organization’s products/services and the infrastructure required to support those activities, the landscape is filling with new players with completely out-of-the-box strategies (growth phase social venture capital at Good Capital, is one example) for funding the next generation of world changing businesses and organizations.

It doesn’t stop there, if you are student with a cool idea that has potential to positively impact society. I just received an email from Michael Del Ponte at Conscious Lifestyle, “a nonprofit organization that helps people become socially conscious consumers” through education, is offering a grand (as well as business cards, t-shirts, and other promotional schwag) to the ten high school and college students with the most socially innovative ideas. I’ve included details below if you fit the profile and are interested in taking advantage of this unique and fantastic opportunity to actually battle test that idea you have scribbled on the back of a Starbucks napkin.

10 Social Innovators will be selected to lead Conscious Lifestyle ventures and receive up to $1,000 in funding, a web page, t-shirts, business cards, personalized support, and everything else you need to make your venture a success.

Apply now by clicking here.

Application deadline: May 11, 2007.

“Need money for socially conscious venture”

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