NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship is launching a special Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI^®) Online accelerator program focused on boosting the business skills, investment readiness, and social impact of organizations that serve migrants, refugees, and human-trafficking survivors.

The new seven-month Social Entrepreneurship at the Margins (SEM) accelerator will draw on Miller Center’s 15 years of experience successfully preparing social enterprises for investment and growth. The program will culminate in an Oct. 23 Investor Showcase in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Globally, there are 22.5 million refugees, 65.6 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and a record 244 million migrants, according to the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees.

Social enterprises selected to participate in the SEM accelerator will benefit from the proven GSBI Online accelerator curriculum, Silicon Valley mentors who accompany and advise them, and the collective wisdom gained from accelerating over 800 social enterprises in 65 countries.

“At its core, the Social Entrepreneurship at the Margins accelerator is about recognizing and restoring the dignity each human being deserves,” said Santa Clara University President Michael E. Engh, S.J.

The cohort will be limited to 20 participants, who are not charged to participate.

Interested social entrepreneurs should apply before the March 16 deadline at http://www.scu.edu/millercenter/sem. Impact investors interested in social enterprises focused on migrants, refugees, and human-trafficking survivors can contact Mark Correnti, director of impact investing at Miller Center at mcorrenti@scu.edu.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Cieslik.