more than 20 such social entrepreneurs have been invited to Santa Clara University’s Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI™), a fully funded, 12-month program offering Internet-based mentoring and two weeks of intensive classroom instruction to social entrepreneurs.
From August 15 to August 27, the GSBI Class of 2010 will be at Santa Clara University’s campus for back-to-back classes in business planning, management and core business concepts.
Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society—GSBI’s sponsor—taps veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, marketers, and venture capitalists to work alongside Santa Clara faculty to help social entrepreneurs expand and mature their noble ventures. Enterprises that have graduated from the GSBI program have, collectively, gone on to serve or benefit millions of people. Alumni include the micro-lending website Kiva.org, African solar-radio maker Freeplay Foundation, and reading-glasses provider Vision Spring.
A list of program mentors is available at CSTS.
The entrepreneurs hail from more than a dozen countries, and typically have award-winning, but resource-starved, ventures that aim to alleviate poverty or empower human development.
In addition to attending daily classes, the participants will spend their time honing their own business plans that they will present to experienced U.S. financiers at the conclusion of their stay. The business plan presentations, which are open to the public, will take place Aug. 26 at the Locatelli Student Center on campus. Information on attending the business plan presentations is available at CSTS.
This year, the program has a special focus on finding renewable sources of electricity for underserved populations in developing countries, with about half the attendees focused on finding or using such power in parts of the world where reliable energy is lacking.
Other areas of focus for incoming social ventures include information and communication technology, economic development, health, and education.
For more details about the program and this year’s GSBI class, visit the Center for Science, Technology, and Society’s website at www.scu.edu/sts/gsbi.
