This month begins a tsunami of social entrepreneurship: #SocEnt Weekend, Fledge “Demo Day“, and Social Innovation Fast Pitch (SIFP).
September 12, 2012
The Tsunami of Social Entrepreneurship
12September
August 19, 2012
SIFP + Fledge
19August
SEATTLE, WA – August 19, 2012 Social Innovation Fast Pitch (“SIFP”) has partnered with Fledge, the “conscious company” incubator, to provide additional advice, mentorship, and support to the for-profit finalists of the SIFP 2012 program. Additionally, the SIFP 2012 Fund II investors have selected Fledge to manage the operations of this year’s $100,000 investment fund. Fledge will invite eight...
July 20, 2012
A Fresh Take on Startup Accelerators for Social Enterprise
20July
Some additional backstory on Fledge, from Forbes.com When people consider launching startup accelerators for social enterprises, there’s always the nagging question: Does the classic model work? Is three months enough to address the complicated issues founders must wrestle with? Michael “Luni” Libes has an answer. Libes has formed a new accelerator for mission-driven companies in Seattle called...
May 1, 2012
Introducing “Fledge”
01May
A large and growing number of consumers today are increasingly:environmentally conscious, energy conscious, health conscious, conscious of sustainability, of community, and even conscious of consumption itself. Entrepreneurs who aim to address these unmet needs find little help to do so, as the entrepreneurial infrastructure is primarily aimed at fostering “tech” (be it software, “clean” or...
April 25, 2012
“Conscious Consumers”
25April
A large and growing number of consumers today are increasingly:environmentally conscious, energy conscious, health conscious, conscious of sustainability, of community, and even conscious of consumption itself. Conscious of transportation, farmland, ingredients, and all things food-related. Conscious of supply chains, fairness, and social justice. Conscious that it takes an effort to build a...
April 24, 2012
A “Conscious” Ecosystem
24April
Creating a thriving ecosystem of companies capable of tackling the “conscious consumer” market requires a few components, most of which exist today, plus a few which we can easily add: Education – multiple layers of meetups, certificates, and degrees to fill the gaps of knowledge Talent and Passion – people with the know-how and drive to create and operate companies...
April 20, 2012
Social Innovation Fast Pitch (SIFP)
20April
Fledge is not just about helping create new conscious companies, it is also about adding to the entrepreneurial infrastructure in order to grow the whole conscious ecosystem. An ecosystem which includes: talent, education, mentorship, gathering spaces, events, incubation, acceleration, and funding. One great existing piece of “infrastructure” in this ecosystem is the Social...
April 20, 2012
Will Seattle Become the Capital of Social Entrepreneurship?
“I think there’s every reason to believe that Seattle will be the capital of social entrepreneurship in the next ten years,” says Brian Howe, an adjunct professor at Seattle School of Law and founder of Hub Seattle , which rents space to social entrepreneurs. Reason.tv sat down with Howe and Michael “Luni” Libes, a “serial entrepreneur” who has helped...
March 13, 2012
The Next Step
13March
Do you want to start a startup but don’t know the first step? Or the next step? Did you just complete a Startup Weekend, #SocEnt Weekend or other entrepreneurial training event? Have you thought of a must-have product or service, but have no idea how to get from idea to startup? The Next Step will be your guide, taking you step-by-step through the process from raw idea to operational...
February 29, 2012
HUB Seattle
29February
Many thanks to HUB Seattle for co-organizing and hosting #SocEnt Weekend. For those of you who have not heard of The HUB, it is an international co-op of co-working spaces for social enterprises. You can find HUBs in over 30 cities around the world, and as of November 2011, Seattle, WA. The HUB today provides a gathering place, events, and access to mentors for socially-conscious entrepreneurs. ...