In this issue: Creating lasting impact to architect hope; GSBI graduates 21 enterprises No Images? Click here
How GSBI® validates business models: Meet the 21 members of the GSBI Online cohort
by Avery Rissling They say that love is in the details–from innovative product features to a new twist in a traditional sector–it's this sort of attention that can elevate a service or product from good to great. Yet, when it comes to social entrepreneurs, an opportunity to step away from the details of the day-to-day is a necessary luxury to assess the big picture and evaluate one's impact and business model, growth plan, financial model, and funding plan. And this is just what 21 social enterprises across the globe did over the last six months in our thirteenth cohort of the Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI®) Online accelerator. With a refined approach to their businesses, these enterprises are better positioned to achieve maximum potential while positively impacting even more lives than ever before. Accompanied by our cadre of Silicon Valley executive mentors, we invite you to meet the newest graduates of our program in our latest blog.
The lasting impact of the GSBI accelerator
by Alex Pan Over the course of Miller Center's ten-day Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI) In-Residence, a steady stream of Silicon Valley executives come to the Santa Clara University campus to offer master classes, participate on rigorous panel evaluations, and share hard lessons learned with the social entrepreneurs selected for our premier program. Through these deep, deep dives, where business models are challenged and unit economics are examined, an atmosphere ignited by hope prevails. It is very easy to be overwhelmed with hope by the great strides and achievements of the participating social enterprises and their potential to scale their impact to address the most challenging issues facing poverty, the planet, and women's economic empowerment. In his latest blog, Senior Program Manager Alex Pan dares to wonder how many of these ambitious social entrepreneurs will actually deliver on their promises and projections? And have we at Miller Center done our job and equipped these entrepreneurs with the tools needed to scale and to continue to be architects of hope? To take a look at how last year's cohort has fared, click here. click on an image below for more information In the news, announcements & moreACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING INCREASES EARNINGS UP TO 5X | As a child Maureen snuck into school labs to check out the "glowing boxes", which she now knows as computers. By age 18, college was financially out of reach and Maureen was working in retail. Yet, she was still fascinated by those glowing boxes. Digital Divide Data (GSBI Online 2015) educates and trains disadvantaged youth in Kenya, Cambodia, and Laos to deliver IT services to global clients. Now, people like Maureen can have the opportunity to explore their interest in technology through a formal and free training program with DDD–while having a chance to earn up to 5x more than their previous informal jobs. Featured in NextBillion, you can read more about this transformative program by clicking here. WHEN EXPERIENCE SAYS IT'S TIME FOR A COURSE CORRECTION | The harsh reality that faces social entrepreneurs is that many impact startups fail. Yet, TaroWorks (GSBI In-Residence accelerator 2018), a mobile CRM that manages field operations for emerging markets companies, has been successfully scaling its operations and counts more than 50 NGOs as customers. This success can be credited in large part to prior experiences by its parent company, Grameen Foundation, and the decision to spin off TaroWorks as a tech startup. As it pursues scale, TaroWorks is participating in Miller Center’s current GSBI In-Residence accelerator program. Head over to NextBllion to read more lessons for impact technology innovators in this article. THIS KENYAN FEMALE FOUNDER WANTS TO RADICALLY CHANGE THE COFFEE INDUSTRY | Vava Angwenyi from Vava Coffee (GSBI In-Residence accelerator 2016) discusses her experiences and struggles in trying to empower coffee farmers and workers to earn a livable wage. Read about Vava's struggles to getting people to trust her because of her gender and skin color to adjusting how she wanted to help workers in the coffee industry in this Forbes article. LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE ON THE JOB | “On a scale of 1-10, how much English does it take for you to teach someone to make beverages on your menu?” This was among the questions asked of panel members during an event co-hosted by 1951 Coffee Company, one of our current SEM cohort members, and Bay Area Coffee Community in Berkeley last month. The purpose of this panel was to foster an open discussion on the barriers of entry for refugees migrating to the US and working in the coffee industry. Through this discussion, the event organizers hoped that community members would think critically about the challenges refugees face working in the coffee industry and would understand the role that we can all play in helping refugees overcome these challenges while also integrating them into our communities. Read more in this article. NON-PROFIT LEADERS CAN AND SHOULD START THINKING MORE LIKE ENTREPRENEURS | This was just one of the messages promulgated by the leaders of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County (CCSCC) and Miller Center of Social Entrepreneurship at a recent three-day event co-hosted by the two organizations. During the three-day GSBI Boost, nonprofit leaders learned how to attract new investors by using tools traditionally associated with entrepreneurs—analyzing unit economics, improving operating efficiencies, and more. Doing so can help these leaders reevaluate their current programs and brainstorm ideas for new programs that can increase their social impact. Co-written by Miller Center's CIO Pamela Roussous and CCSCC's CEO Gregory Kepferle, read the op-ed here. APPLY FOR THE WESTLY PRIZE | The Westly Foundation is looking for social change-makers under age 28 with novel solutions to community problems at home or around the world. The foundation is now accepting applications for the Westly Prize for Young Innovators of California. The prize honors the talent, creativity, daring, and humanitarian spirit of young social entrepreneurs from California. This year, they are increasing the cash prize and accepting teams of up to four members. They will be awarding three Grand Prizes of $40,000 and Honorable Mentions of $5,000. If you are a social entrepreneur in your early stages with a prototyped and scalable innovation, we strongly encourage you to apply here by October 15. APPLY FOR THE ACUMEN FELLOWSHIP | Acumen is looking for extraordinary leaders committed to tackling poverty to join the next cohort of Acumen Fellows. Applications are now live for the Acumen fellowships to build a pipeline of leaders who understand what it takes to create change in our complex, interconnected world. The program is also expanding from India/Pakistan/E. Africa to West Africa (Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria) and Colombia this year. Apply here by September 9. NOMINATE FOR THE ENERGY GLOBE AWARD 2019 | Nominations are open for the Energy Globe Award 2019. Recipients of the award present successful sustainable projects to a global audience and demonstrate that feasible solutions already exist for many environmental problems. This year, there are six award categories: earth, fire, water, air, youth, and sustainable plastics. International winning projects for the 6 award categories will each receive a cash award. The best projects in each country will be awarded and showcased at the global online platform of Energy Globe. In addition, the best projects will be honored as part of a ceremony that will be broadcast worldwide as well as featured by the international media. Apply here by November 21. SCU OFFERS NEW CERTIFICATE PROGRAM THIS FALL | The Silicon Valley Executive Center has launched its newly-designed Certificate Program, Pathways to Impact Investing. This Executive Program is designed for asset managers, asset owners, and mission-driven organizations and foundations with an interest in learning about impact criteria as an alternative vehicle to make a social or environmental difference. Emphasizing the Theory of Change, the program will help you understand investment terms, areas of focus for diligence, term sheet construction, how funds are constructed, and impact portfolio modeling. Featured speakers at this 3-day program include John Kohler, Miller Center's Executive Fellow & Sr. Director Impact Investing Innovation, and Bob Webster, Managing Director at Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF). To enroll, click here.
Out & about with Miller CenterMiller Center for Social Entrepreneurship is a pioneer when it comes to accelerating social enterprises, so you'll find our team at a variety of events across the globe. We're actively accompanying entrepreneurs on their journeys and sharing our learnings with others in the ecosystem. If our paths may cross, please reach out to us - we'd enjoy connecting! Please note some listed events are not open to the public.
Missed one of our newsletter editions? Click here for Miller Center's newsletter archive. ABOUT US Miller Center's Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI®) helps social entrepreneurs help more people. Since 2003 we have accelerated over 900 social entrepreneurs, who have raised over $940M, and positively impacted the lives of over 320M people. Unless otherwise indicated, all images and photography are property of Santa Clara University. © 2018. GSBI is a registered trademark of Santa Clara University. All Rights Reserved. |