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Why Charities Are Launching For-Profit Businesses
“If you have a business and start a nonprofit, no one thinks twice,” Pipkin says. “But if you start a nonprofit and then start a business, people think, Wait a second.” That’s beginning to change. All three nonprofits ultimately entered the moneymaking game. It is, they believe, the next phase of social entrepreneurship.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Yes, Your Pitch Deck is That Important: Here’s How to Get Investors’ Attention and Raise Your First $100K
Entrepreneurs often have a lot of misconceptions around fundraising when they start their business. And according to Mehak Malik, Investment Associate at Beyond Capital Fund, these misunderstandings can undermine one key element of their success: the all-important pitch deck. She discusses the questions entrepreneurs need to ask themselves before drafting a pitch deck, based on a recent series of entrepreneur workshops from Beyond Capital and ANDE.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Investing
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What Does ‘Selling Out’ Mean? Four Lessons on Navigating Trade-offs While Scaling Your Social Enterprise
“Selling out” is a common concern for social entrepreneurs, as they strive to balance their ideals with the needs of a growing business. But Amanda West at Mercy Corps Ventures raises an interesting question: Can one person’s “selling out” be another person’s logical business decision? She explores the inevitable compromises that occur when a social business scales up, and shares lessons learned by four prominent enterprises that have scaled their impact.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Do Inclusive Business Models Need a ‘Safe Space’ to Survive Within Multinational Companies?
Though many are skeptical when multinational corporations proclaim devotion to social impact, Tom Harrison of Business Innovation Facility sees numerous success stories. But these approaches raise an interesting question: Should inclusive initiatives within a corporation be treated the same as any other innovation? Or does their social impact focus justify – and perhaps require – a more lenient approach? He explores both sides of the issue in this thought-provoking post.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Sustainable Business in an Unsustainable World: Three Companies that Show the Impact of Corporate Shared Value
In the U.S., 95% of college grads consider a sense of purpose important in their work, while globally, two-thirds of people are willing to pay more for products from companies committed to positive impact. William Towns of Benefit Chicago discusses the implications of this shifting mentality, and explores how it's being put into practice by several social enterprises across the Chicagoland region.
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- Entrepreneurship
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BRAC Changing With Changing Needs, but Ultra-Poor Still in Focus
BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, is changing its focus with the changing needs as well as Bangladesh context, but ultra-poor will still remain its ‘flagship’ development programme, new Executive Director Asif Saleh says.
- Region
- South Asia
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The Challenges of Going Local: A Medical Device Innovator Faces the Reality of Manufacturing in Rural Africa
Like many enterprises working in emerging markets, Noor Medical wanted to manufacture its product locally. As COO Andrew Bonneau explains, a local approach promised many advantages, from lower costs to a better understanding of its customers. But the company soon learned that manufacturing in developing countries like Uganda is often easier said than done. Bonneau discusses the obstacles the company has faced, and how they've overcome them.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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Scaling a Social Enterprise: How to Get Ready for Take-Off (And Landing)
When it comes to scaling a social enterprise, many believe that "big is beautiful" – and that growing fast is inherently better than going slowly. After all, what entrepreneur wants to delay putting their world-changing innovations into practice? But as Christina Moehrle at Roots of Impact sees it, social entrepreneurs should think twice about their need for speed. She offers three essential tips for aspiring changemakers, based on learnings from their "Scalerator" scaling support program.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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