Latest news with #socialentrepreneurship
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Meet the teenage philanthropist behind 1000 Suns and YouthCORE
Philanthropist and social entrepreneur Brian Yip's passion for making a difference started early. Very early. Like, age five early. 'My earliest memory is helping out at a book fair,' says Yip, founder of charitable platforms 1000 Suns and YouthCORE. 'Back then my mum instilled in me the importance of service and being involved in my community,' taking him along to recycling events, helping pack food for homeless people and visiting elderly people living in cage homes. 'As I got older, it taught me about giving back and the importance of compassion.' Aged 13, Yip started volunteering with Mother's Choice , a Hong Kong charity supporting children without families and pregnant teenagers. Growing up as an only child, 'whether it's my friend's siblings or other children', he says, 'I really try to be the big brother'. On his first day as its youngest-ever child care home volunteer, Yip 'wasn't sure how the kids would react to this guy who's only 10 years older than them', but 'five minutes after I walked in, a baby girl grabbed onto my leg, looked up and smiled'. Carers and children at the Mother's Choice home in Mid-Levels. Photo: courtesy Mother's Choice He remembers her smile 'shining like 1,000 suns', which inspired his first charitable initiative, in 2022. 'I founded 1000 Suns because, during Covid, I knew a lot of organisations were struggling to keep themselves alive.'
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Social Entrepreneurship Ideas to Fuel Your Civic Passion
Young colleagues in greenhouse with solar panel. getty The term 'social entrepreneurship' has grown in popularity recently, but what exactly does it mean? What are the key values of social entrepreneurship? And how can you turn your civic passion into a social entrepreneurship career? Let's break it down. Social entrepreneurship occurs when a person (or 'social entrepreneur') uses entrepreneurial principles to create a business that impacts a key societal or environmental challenge. These people are driven by a passion to do social good and make a difference in their community. Social entrepreneurship isn't limited to charities and not-for-profits, though. These organizations typically exist to make a profit and positively impact their chosen issue simultaneously. For example, the issue could relate to climate change, pollution, human rights, education, activism, accessibility for marginalized groups, physical or mental health, citizenship, or governance. Whatever the mission, social entrepreneurs have a dual purpose: to create a viable business and reinvest profits back into the business while influencing social change. If you're exploring the idea of a social entrepreneurship career, it's essential to understand some core values you'd need to adhere to. See if they line up with your own values. Out-of-the-box, creative thinking is essential to running a successful social entrepreneurship business. You have to find unique and different ways of solving problems that traditional companies have been unable to solve. Where others have failed, you innovate and progress boldly. A few risks are involved in becoming a social entrepreneur; you must accept them and become resilient if they arise. Risks may be financial, with the potential to lose your initial investment and your business not becoming financially viable. Risks may be economic - how susceptible is your business to economic fluctuations in your chosen market? Risks may be reputational - social entrepreneurs are held to a higher standard than traditional entrepreneurs. At the heart of every social entrepreneur is a driving purpose and passion for their chosen cause. If you have a strong passion and desire to improve the lives of others, you're well on your way to becoming a successful social entrepreneur. founded by Ned Tozun, provides affordable and accessible solar-powered lighting products to low-income and/or off-grid people all around the world, with a goal to transform 1 billion lives. By focusing on improving people's lives and utilizing clean energy, they're a great example of people, planet, and profit. While Lush is a for-profit global beauty retailer, it's focused on the ethical and Fair Trade sourcing of ingredients, sustainable packaging, zero-waste initiatives, and cruelty-free practices with no animal testing at any point of the production line. Lush shows that you can create a profitable social entrepreneurship business without compromising on product quality, leaving the world 'lusher than we found it'. While there are certainly challenges to starting and running a profitable social entrepreneurship business, there are many successful ones all around the world. In fact, research found that there are around 10 million social enterprises globally, generating $2 trillion in annual revenue and creating 200 million jobs. Here's what you need to start a career in this field: If you're an aspiring social entrepreneur, here are a few ideas to get you thinking: While there are many factors to consider before starting a social entrepreneurship career, making a difference in a community can be highly fulfilling and rewarding. If you have a civic passion that you can't stop thinking about, why not explore the possibility of creating a business? Surround yourself with doers, changemakers, and those with entrepreneurial mindsets, and you, too, can turn your passion into a successful and profitable social enterprise.
Zawya
12-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
3rd edition of SBWC and AUS Roundtable ignites dialogue on UAE's social entrepreneurship ecosystem
Sharjah: The Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) convened their third roundtable in a proactive series aimed at empowering female entrepreneurs, this time focusing on the true potential of social entrepreneurship in Sharjah and the UAE. Held at AUS, the event hosted policymakers, academics, innovators, and founders to dissect challenges, celebrate progress, and chart a roadmap for a thriving social enterprise ecosystem. The roundtable was led by H.E. Mariam Bin Al Shaikh, Director of SBWC; Dr. Narjess Boubakri, Dean of School of Business at AUS; and featured a diverse group of prominent leaders and business founders including Sheikha Dr. Alia Al Qassimi, Surgeon, SBWC member, entrepreneur and social development expert; Dr. Muna Al Suwaidi, Programs and Projects Advisor at the Ministry of Culture and Youth; Alya Saif Al Shamsi, Head of Marketing at Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa); Mourad Ben Ayed, Strategy Director at A&B Advisory and Adjunct Faculty at AUS; Dr Jamal Maalouf, Assistant Professor at AUS Management, Strategy and Entrepreneurship department; Hala Al Gergawi, Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Teabeforenoon & Elevenish; Gergana Abdulrahman, Co-founder & CEO of Wild Fabrik; and Sonali Oshin Chopra and Pulpit Chopra, founders of Happiness Redefined. Bridging cultural and financial divides H.E. Mariam Bin Al Shaikh, emphasised the council's role in bridging cultural and financial divides, saying 'Entrepreneurs must first invest in their vision to inspire others. Sharjah's ecosystem offers mentorship, investor readiness programs, and strategic partnerships to turn ideas into impact.' Her remarks underscored SBWC's mission to dismantle barriers through education and collaboration, aligning with initiatives like the NMU Initiative, which empowers women-led businesses through networking and market access. Dr. Narjess Boubakri noted the importance of building a shared understanding of what defines a social entrepreneur, especially as the concept continues to evolve globally. She highlighted that while millions of social enterprises operate worldwide, the UAE now has a unique opportunity to shape its own definition and frameworks. 'With the nation's strong focus on sustainability, innovation, and impact, we are well-positioned to nurture a new generation of entrepreneurs who align business success with social value,' she said. Sheikha Dr. Alia Al Qassimi, a surgeon and social development expert, advocated for embedding social entrepreneurship into education systems: 'We must identify and nurture this mindset as early as high school, creating pipelines that mentor young innovators.' This vision aligns with global trends, which equip educators and entrepreneurs with frameworks for impact-driven ventures. People, planet and profit Dr. Jamal Maalouf challenged misconceptions saying, 'Adding 'social' to entrepreneurship doesn't make it charity. We're solving market gaps with a triple bottom line; people, planet, and profit.' Her call for standardised KPIs to measure societal impact resonated with discussions on certification frameworks, which validate genuine social enterprises and build stakeholder trust. Alya Saif Al Shamsi of Sheraa noted that impact is 'woven into every startup we support,' reflecting a broader corporate shift toward ethical business models, and described the efforts Sheraa has been taking through initiatives like the 'Sharjah Access Challenge' which uses challenge statements to motivate innovation and solutions that are focused and industry specific. Hala Al Gergawi, founder of luxury branding agency Teabeforenoon, urged cross-sector collaboration, saying 'Even 'non-social' businesses now prioritise sustainability. Let's leverage this momentum to co-create solutions.' Mourad Ben Ayed, Strategy Director at A&B Advisory, revealed efforts to create the UAE's first social enterprise database, a necessary step toward policy advocacy and visibility. Meanwhile, Sonali and Pulpit Chopra of 'Happiness Redefined' highlighted legal ambiguities, stating, 'Licensing and banking barriers stall innovation. We need tailored frameworks to distinguish social ventures from traditional LLCs or NGOs.' Gergana Abdulrahman, CEO of Wild Fabrik, spotlighted systemic hurdles through her experience saying, 'Funding designated for impact is scarce. Smaller businesses need accessible tools to measure sustainability and articulate their value.'. Participants echoed the need for hybrid financing models, moving beyond grants to embrace impact-linked loans and outcome-based contracts. Examples such as Abu Dhabi's Ma'an initiative were examined; offering grants up to AED 200,000; and were cited as benchmarks for scalable support. Looking towards the future The event culminated in a forward-looking dialogue on actionable strategies to strengthen the UAE's social entrepreneurship ecosystem. Key recommendations centered on establishing a unified certification framework to distinguish genuine social enterprises from conventional businesses, addressing concerns around 'social washing' while fostering credibility and investor trust. Emphasis was also placed on integrating social entrepreneurship into national procurement processes, allowing these ventures to scale through government and corporate contracts. These discussions have set the stage for a formalised sector that harmonises profit and purpose, positioning the UAE as a pillar of impactful enterprise in line with its Vision 2031 and global SDG commitments.
