Part 2: ready social enterprises for mainstream investors
Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is not to invest in social enterprises, it is to ready social enterprises for mainstream investors First, a caveat: not all social enterprises can or should make a decent financial return for their investors. Their business model may not be built to make decent financial returns, and [...]
Part 1: The scalable solution to social enterprises’ financial problems: multinational enterprises
There are now dozens of venture philanthropy funds, or funds of that nature (that invest in social enterprises with the aim of gaining a return on their investment in addition to the social or environmental returns). They are scouting out possible investments across the globe, looking for enterprises that need funding as well as other [...]
6 social enterprises in China to watch 2011
Shokay Founder: Marie So and Carol Chyau Founded: 2006 Product: Shokay, based in Shanghai, prides itself on being the world’s first luxury lifestyle brand focused on using yak fibers to provide maximum warmth, comfort and style. Shokay’s products are now available in over 100 locations in ten countries including own brand stores in Shanghai, Tokyo [...]
5 awesome Social Entrepreneurs rocking Beijing
The Beijinger recently conducted a series of interviews with inspiring social entrepreneurs working in Beijing. 1. Small Investments, Big Dreams – Wokai Founder Casey Wilson 2. Fashionable Charity – Nathan Zhang of Brandnü 3. Baking Brighter Futures – Cheryl Wyse of Bread Life Bakery 4. Philanthropy for Dessert – Xixi Cheng of Beijing Foodies 5. [...]
Database of social entrepreneurs impacting China’s education sector
The National Outline for Education Reform stipulates an increase of the federal education budget to 4% of China’s GDP by 2012. Vice Minister of Finance Ding Xuedong calls this “challenging because other sectors such as agriculture, science and technology, health care and social security need investment, too”. Most Chinese will bank on both central and [...]
Pitch in Hong Kong Social Investment Forum
The Social Investment Forum in “International Symposium of Social Enterprise Summit 2009” last year was a great success. Feedbacks from participants and organizers were highly encouraging. This year, the Social Investment Forum is scheduled for the afternoon of 20 November 2010, the second day of “International Symposium of Social Enterprise Summit 2010 (19 – 20 [...]
Off the Street: Social enterprise at work in SE Asia
In Vietnam, the homeless are known as ‘the dust of life’ – ever present, worthless and of little use. The problem is more acute since health care is broadly inaccessible, welfare is non-existent, and education is not compulsory. Instead the predominantly rural people of Vietnam afford primacy to both family and filial duties, meaning charity [...]
Social enterprises in China
A recent years a number of social enterprises are emerging in China. While the sector is still young and is facing many challenges for example in the legal framework, access to finance and entrepreneurship training, it nevertheless has allowed some entrepreneurs to grow their ventures into sustainable businesses. Some examples from China incl. Anshan Xin [...]
1st job center for slum dwellers in Bangladesh (the world?)
The the highly successful Dhaka Project is taking a bold step in 2010 by setting up the first job center for slum dwellers in Bangladesh (the world?). The Dhaka Project belives, that the cycle of poverty can only be broken if parents have enough income to sustain a meaningful lifestyle for them and their family. [...]
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