A social enterprise is a business that, rather than just focused on making money, tries to address a social problem.
It has a double bottom line — to be financially sustainable and to have a measurable impact on a societal issues such as poverty, health and the environment.
In this podcast, Rupert Scofield explores the challenges of starting, building and running a social enterprise. Guests include other social entrepreneurs and impact investors who share their insights and experience.
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Recent Podcasts
Episode 30: Branding – Brad Flowers (45:07)
Brad Flowers, co-founder of Bullhorn, chats with Rupert Scofield about branding and his organization’s journey. Bullhorn is a branding agency focused on transforming impact-focused companies. Brad is also the author of a new book titled: The Naming Book: 5 Steps to Creating Brand and Product Names that Sell. This episode: Client impact examples. The evolution of Bullhorn and the process of branding. Balancing profit and doing good in the world. Adapting to COVID-19. Creating an organizational culture. The motivation for writing a book.
Episode 29: Rewriting the Playbook for Startup Innovation – Alexandre Lazarow (34:22)
Alexandre Lazarow, author of the book, Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs – from Delhi to Detroit – Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley, chats with Rupert Scofield about a new playbook for innovation. Alex has spent his career working at the intersection of investing, innovation and economic development across the private, public and social sectors. This episode: What is the “valley” vs. the “frontier” in startup innovation? Social entrepreneurs are “multi-mission athletes” – what does that mean? How are frontier entrepreneurs finding, attracting and retaining top talent?
Episode 28: Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions – Harriet Lamb, Ashden (34:57)
Harriet Lamb, CEO of Ashden, talks with Rupert Scofield about sustainable energy and climate solutions and the social entrepreneurs who are innovating in these areas. Ashden is a registered UK charity known for its annual Awards Ceremony that celebrates the leading organizations tackling climate change, energy access, efficiency and storage. This episode: What is the origin of Ashden and how does energy access lie at the heart of so many development challenges? What are the Ashden Awards and what do social entrepreneurs working in the energy sector need to know? How does Ashden support award-winning social entrepreneurs tackling energy challenges?
About Rupert
Rupert Scofield is a social entrepreneur and an agricultural economist with over 40 years of experience in developing countries.
He is President, CEO and Co-founder of FINCA International, the founder and majority owner of 20 community-based microfinance institutions and banks across Africa, Eurasia, Latin America, the Middle East and South Asia. Rupert now leads FINCA International on the next leg of its journey: supporting the rise of social enterprises delivering basic service and financial innovation.
An expert on microfinance, social enterprise and impact investing, Rupert is an author, podcast presenter and frequent speaker, offering insights and guidance on market-based solutions to global poverty.
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A new report by @FINCA and @SPTaskForce highlights the #COVID19 pandemic's impact on lives and livelihoods of #microfinance clients, and lessons learned for future crises. https://bit.ly/3kpVCJB #FinancialInclusion
#FINCAForward partnered with @finca_tanzania and @Vodacom to run a six-month proof-of-concept of Kuunda Digital's Hapa Cash Overdraft product with a sample of Vodacom’s M-Pesa agents in #Tanzania. It was a success! https://bit.ly/2ZUBplG #FINCAForward #DigitalFinance
Meet Edson, a FINCA client in #Tanzania. His story demonstrates the power of #financialinclusion. https://youtu.be/jJkor_35iCs #Microfinance
Examine how your #nonprofit operates internally in terms of hiring practices as well as #diversity and #inclusion. Look for weak points or areas of opportunity in your current processes, and use this as a chance to make adjustments as needed. https://bit.ly/2NIxSEh @Forbes
If I were an artist I don’t know how I could improve on this? Any ideas?
