INNOVATION
FOR
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Social Enterprise and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are building for good and are now at the heart of the startup ecosystem, just as they are for many Fortune 500 companies. AT IV LAB, we recognize that a strong social mission must still navigate the realities of the market. Let us show you how to reduce those risks while maximizing your impact and long-term sustainability.​
​
"Social entrepreneurs are not content to just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."
Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka
Who Should Attend
This open enrollment program is crafted for individuals passionate about creating and launching impactful social ventures. Whether you have a budding idea or a well-formed concept, this course is your launchpad. You’ll bring your preliminary social venture ideas to the table, collaborate with like-minded peers, and work in teams to develop and refine a selected venture. By the end of the program, you’ll be equipped with the tools, insights, and strategies needed to turn your vision for social change into a reality.
​
Check out our Upcoming Course offerings for the open enrollment schedule.
Program Benefits
Challenges for Social Entrepreneurs in Building Impactful Enterprises:
Issues, Tensions, and Relationships: Social entrepreneurs must balance their social mission with financial sustainability, manage diverse stakeholder expectations, and form value-aligned partnerships to create impactful ventures.
​
Enablers and Barriers in Social Venture Development: Key enablers include community support and innovative solutions, while barriers often involve limited resources and regulatory challenges. Recognizing these factors helps in crafting a resilient strategy.
​
Developing an Operational Model: Establishing a solid operational model is crucial for testing assumptions about products or services. It allows you to measure value delivery and adapt based on real-world feedback.
​
Assessing Best Practices for Scalability: Scaling requires learning from current best practices in the sector. Adapting successful strategies enables growth while staying true to your social mission.
​
Building Credible Financials: Create financial models with benchmarked assumptions to attract funding. This includes projecting both social and economic value to demonstrate sustainability.
​
Fundamentals of Aid and Early Funding: Understanding early funding sources like grants, impact investors, and crowdfunding is key. A strong narrative linking mission and financial viability is essential for securing resources.
​
Critical Metrics for Measuring Success: Identify and monitor key metrics for both financial performance and social impact, guiding data-driven decisions and showcasing value to stakeholders.
​
Building the Right Team and Culture: Build a team passionate about your mission and cultivate a culture of innovation and collaboration to support the launch and growth of your social venture.
By focusing on these elements, social entrepreneurs can build sustainable ventures that drive meaningful change.
Program Content
Opportunity Identification
Learn to identify and articulate the social problem your venture will address. This module will help you uncover the root causes and outline how your solution can bring tangible benefits. You’ll gain skills to define and communicate the unique value your enterprise will offer to the community.
Model Development
Transform your idea into a scalable business model. You’ll explore frameworks for building a sustainable model that balances social impact and financial viability. By the end, you’ll have a blueprint outlining your value proposition, key resources, and revenue streams.
Customer Discovery
Understand your target audience by testing assumptions about your service offerings. Learn techniques for customer interviews and research to refine your solution, ensuring it meets the needs and desires of your target market effectively.
Early Product/Service Development
Focus on creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or service to test with real users. This module teaches you how to develop a prototype, gather feedback, and iterate based on customer interaction, reducing risk and enhancing your solution’s impact.
Key Partners
Identify and build relationships within the local ecosystem to support your venture. Learn to map out potential partners, including community organizations and private sector allies, and leverage these connections to support customer needs holistically.
Funding Models
Explore different funding options such as grants, impact investors, and crowdfunding. Learn to align your funding model with your mission and how to craft compelling proposals that attract supporters and communicate your venture’s value.
Impact Metrics
Discover how to measure and monitor your venture’s impact. This module covers developing key metrics to benchmark your progress and communicate your effectiveness to stakeholders, ensuring your efforts are making a real difference.
Team Leadership
Learn how to build a team with the right skills and passion for your mission. This module covers recruiting strategies, leadership styles, and techniques for fostering an innovative culture that drives your venture forward.
The Rise of the "Socialpreneur."
Helen Schwab, Chair/CoFounder
Schwab Found. Social Enterprise
"Social Enterprise models combine the financial discipline of market capitalism with the passion and compassion required to create a more fair and just world."
Howard Schultz, Chair/CoFounder
Starbucks
"CSR begins with profitability. There is a strong business case for CSR. It has a direct impact on business performance."
Aroon Hiraramani
Director
Hiraramani Group - Sri Lanka
"After Daniel's sessions, we now have a clear vision of how our Corporate Social Responsibility program needs to evolve."