The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a Swiss not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 that provides platforms at the country, regional and global levels to promote social entrepreneurship. The foundation is under the legal supervision of the Swiss Federal Government. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Each year, it selects 20–25 social entrepreneurs through a global "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" competition.
Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of organizations, which vary in size, aims, and beliefs. For-profit entrepreneurs typically measure performance using business metrics like profit, revenues and increases in stock prices. Social entrepreneurs, however, are either non-profits, or they blend for-profit goals with generating a positive "return to society". Therefore, they use different metrics. Social entrepreneurship typically attempts to further broad social, cultural and environmental goals often associated with the voluntary sector in areas such as poverty alleviation, health care and community development.
Jacqueline Novogratz is an American entrepreneur and author. She is the founder and CEO of Acumen, a nonprofit global venture capital fund whose goal is to use entrepreneurial approaches to address global poverty.
Jaime Augusto Miranda Zóbel de Ayala, also known as Jaime Augusto Zóbel, is a Filipino businessman from the prominent Zóbel de Ayala family. He currently serves as the chairman of Ayala Corporation since 2016. He succeeded his father, Jaime Zóbel de Ayala, as the company's president and CEO in 1994. He was the company's chairman and CEO from 2006 to 2021.
The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 1999.
Steve Blank is an American entrepreneur, educator, author and speaker based in Pescadero, California.
Suzan Sabancı Dinçer, CBE, is a Turkish businesswoman and a member of the Sabancı family in third generation. She is currently chairperson of Akbank, as well as board member of Sabancı Holding.
Tory Burch is an American fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is the Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of her own brand, Tory Burch LLC. She was listed as the 88th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2020.
Euvin Naidoo is a South African banking executive based in Johannesburg.
Endeavor is an organization headquartered in New York City which supports entrepreneurs with potential for economic and social impact in their regions. The organization provides the entrepreneurs in its network with services which assist them grow ventures, create jobs, transform economies and support future generations of entrepreneurs.
Christopher M. Schroeder is an American entrepreneur, advisor, author, and investor in interactive technologies and social communications.
Rebecca Onie is the co-founder with Rocco J Perla of The Health Initiative, a nationwide effort to spur a new conversation about - and new investments in - health. In 2017, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine as a nationally recognized leader in the intersection of social determinants, population health, and healthcare delivery. Onie is also the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Emerita of Health Leads.
Krisztina Holly, known by her colleagues as 'Z', is a Hungarian American innovator, entrepreneur, and adventurer.
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is a Nigerian entrepreneur, an expert on African agriculture and nutrition, philanthropy, and social innovation. She has over 25 years of international development experience and is a recognized serial entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and consultant. Through her work in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, she has led the design and execution of high-impact initiatives focused on policy, strategy, organizational design, ecosystem solutions, and growth.
Rebeca Minguela is a Spanish entrepreneur and startup advisor. She was the founder and CEO of Blink Booking, now Blink by Groupon, an award-winning mobile app to book hotels last minute in Europe. When Blink was acquired by Groupon in September 2013, she joined Groupon.
Afua Osei is an entrepreneur, investor and public speaker who co-founded She Leads Africa, a media company for millennial African women.
Leila Velez is a Brazilian entrepreneur and the founder of Beleza Natural, a chain of beauty salons. From simple beginnings in Rio de Janeiro, she opened her first salon in 1993, afterwards expanding her enterprise, so that by 2017 the company operated in five states of Brazil, with 45 salons, and employed over 4000 people.
Michelle Zatlyn is co-founder, president, and chief operating officer of the cybersecurity firm Cloudflare. She also serves on the company's board of directors.
Marla Malcolm Beck is an entrepreneur based in the United States. She is co-founder the beauty company Bluemercury in Washington, D.C. alongside her husband, Barry J. Beck in 1999. Bluemercury was acquired by Macy's in 2015. Beck retained her position as CEO until 2021.
Obi Ozor is a Nigerian entrepreneur, business executive, and public servant. He co-founded Kobo360, a Lagos-headquartered digital logistics platform whose investors include Goldman Sachs, the International Finance Corporation, and Y Combinator.
