Social Entrepreneurship

Seth Goldman called Coke’s decision to discontinue Honest Tea a “gut punch.” But the outcry from disappointed fans of the not-too-sweet drink have inspired him to return to tea.

A collaboration between the nonprofit Ashoka and Trinity Church Wall Street, launched by Anne Evans ’78, aims to harness the passion among people of faith for making positive change.

While social entrepreneurs are often criticized for building parallel systems alongside public institutions, writes Yale SOM’s Teresa Chahine, in the case of public health they can serve as a pathway to strengthen and complement the existing public health system, especially in low-resource settings.

According to Prof. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie of Lagos Business School, entrepreneurs focused on solving problems and ongoing innovation grow their businesses faster, make more money—and have a bigger impact than any government or nonprofit.  

Studies suggest that the long-term impact of microfinance is limited. Yale SOM’s Mushfiq Mobarak and the University of Chicago’s Vikas Dimble write that the much-touted policy tool can help more people by modifying and extending its model.  

Linda Du ’19, an MBA student at Yale SOM, traveled to Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to talk with providers, customers, and others about the technology’s potential.

Dr. Francois Bonnici of the University of Cape Town on navigating South Africa's turbulent social sector.

Four Yale SOM graduates who have founded and run organizations—both for-profit and nonprofit—that aim to have large-scale social impact talked about their experiences in the fast-developing field of social enterprise.

Anupam Bhargava, CEO of Clearwater Systems, discusses the role of cleantech in ensuring a sustainable water supply.