02 May 2007

Entrepreneurial Solutions to Insoluble Problems

A new breed of leaders tackles world's big problems such as Renewable energy, affordable and effective health care, and fighting climate change. SustainAbility and the Skoll Foundation, two heavy weights in fostering Social Entrepreneurship, released a report based on surveying over 100 Social Entrepreneurs.
"Social entrepreneurs ... are set to have a profound impact on the world's most complex societal and environmental challenges... Their impact may be limited by their current scale, but could be limitless with the right business partners.
John Elkington, Founder SustainAbility. "
Main conclusions:
1. Social entrepreneurship is on a roll
2. The potential for breakthrough solutions is considerable — and growing
3. The field is growing, but still relatively small
4. Accessing capital remains the No.1 challenge
5. Financial self-sufficiency is seen as a real prospect within five years
6. There is a real appetite to partner with business
7. Beware blind spots
8. For real system change, we must focus on government and public policy
‘At its core, the corporate pursuit of sustainable development is not just about “doing good.” It makes companies more entrepreneurial, nimble and competitive.’
Björn Stigson, WBCSD
This is probably the most comprehensive work on this topic I have seen recently.
Read the full report at SustainAbility.