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Issue 8, Sep - Nov 2015
D
emonstrations all over the
world in the last 15 years
shaped a new generation that,
after taking to the streets demanding
changes and opportunities, adopted
entrepreneurship as a new dynamic
approach to socio-economic
recovery.
In fact a new entrepreneurship
paradigm - do good by doing good
business - is changing the way we
look at business and society. No
longer driven uniquely by profits
but still with an eye on margin and
growth, the number of entrepreneurs
who embraced the social way to
make a profit has increased steadily.
They choose to use their vision and
business acumen to accelerate
systemic solutions to today’s threats
while looking at traditional KPIs like
revenue and profit. Not only are
business corporations “one of the
most effective frameworks for using
the power of business to solve social
and environmental problems”, said
Ryan Honeyman, a sustainability
consultant, in Stanford Social
Innovation Review.
Coca-Cola’s VP of Business
Integration, Derk Hendriksen,
pointed that “Building a sustainable
business is the only way to survive
in the long run”. For this reason,
Coca-Cola has recently launched
the Ekocenterprogram which aims
at reaching 150+ kiosks across
Africa, Asia and Latin America by
2015: the kiosks not only distribute
free drinkable water, free wifi access
and free energy, but also supply
basic convenience store products
like canned food and drinks. They
also serve as community centres
where people can gather and spend
time chatting, doing business and
working. Importantly, women play a
key role, as they are the designated
entrepreneurs who run the kiosks.
This means that the kiosks will have
an impact on the generations to
come. Women tend to invest more
in education and health, and “a
child born in a household where the
mother controls the family budget is
20 percent more likely to survive —
and much more likely to thrive", said
Melinda Gates, co-chairwoman of
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The 21st century business model
does not just have a philanthropic
dimension - it does good by
doing good business, and thus
the urge to invest in Corporate
Social Responsibility and in
Social Entrepreneurship projects
flourished. The main difference
between them lies in the differing
structures: CSR is often a function
within an existing company that
addresses specific issues while SE
is an entrepreneurial approach to
social issues.
SE is the trend to wear in 2015 and
it fits both corporate gigs and solo
entrepreneurs.
Business schools reckon this
trend will grow, and today
specialised MBA courses
are not uncommon,
not to mention special
financial assistance
for those wanting to
pursue a business
career far from
the traditional
corporate
world.
This new
dimension
of doing
business has
a pivotal role
in shaping the
trajectory of several
countries as several
programmes are
specifically tailored to the needs of
emerging countries.
In particular, addressing education
and health issues in a sustainable
way is a conundrum for today’s civil
society players. This is certainly
true in the case of the Global
Shapers Rome Hub: born as a World
Economic Forum initiative, the Rome
community has soon emerged as
a catalyst for inclusive innovation
thanks to two projects.
They launched Powering Education,
an initiative in collaboration with
Enel Foundation and Givewatts
represents one of the first attempts
to make the link between access to
clean energy sources and education.
In Africa, 587 million people do
not have access to grid electricity;
families spend a very large share
of the family income on electricity
bills. In addition, lamps are usually
expensive, dangerous and
unreliable. Therefore, when money
is tight, school related expenses are
cut off and it gets difficult for children
to study after sunset.
Powering Education
substitutes kerosene
lamps with solar
lamps: not only
can
The Impact of Social
Entrepreneurship
"Do good by doing good business"
by
Costanza Gallo ofTEDx Roma
28
students work for longer on an evening,
teachers also benefit by having more
time to correct homework and to prepare
lessons. The pilot project in Kenya
resulted in an increase of 17% of the
study hours for children of school age
and the project could be extended to
small and micro business to further foster
entrepreneurship and employment.
Similarly, they brought international media
attention for the Foldscope - a microscope
that costs just one - yes, one - dollar.
Central to the development of health
infrastructures, and to the diagnosis
of several major diseases like Ebola,
is appropriate equipment that is often
ridiculously expensive. Microscopes that
would allow doctors to identify bacteria
and viruses can cost up to hundreds of
thousands of dollars. The Global Shapers
Rome Hub presented to the Maker Fair
in Rome an origami microscope created
by Manu Prakash, professor at Stanford
University, that costs as little as $1.
Not only can it help to fight lethal diseases
like Malaria, but it could almost be
distributed for free.
Today, where most schools lack basic
equipment, traditional microscopes are
definitely out of reach of their budget.
Foldscope on the other hand, can easily
make it into the school’s budget, and even
a family’s budget. Bringing a microscope
to every child means nurturing their thirst
for science and knowledge, not only
in poor countries but also in western
schools, who more often than not, lack
equipment for science classes.
Issue 8, Sep - Nov 2015
Costanza Gallo is Social Media
Manager for TEDxRoma and
Marketing Intelligence Manager
for Quantum Leap. She holds
an MSc in Law, Anthropology
and Society from the London
School of Economics. Her writing
has appeared in publications
such as the Financial Times,
Wamda, Panorama, The Post
Internazionale. In the past 10
years she has lived in 8 countries.