New Social Entrepreneurship Bootcamps Scheduled! February 1-3 in Singapore and February 15-17 in Fontainebleau

Hi All, INSEAD is excited to announce that two new social entrepreneurship bootcamps are scheduled for February. To read more about the bootcamp method/structure, please go here.


For the Singapore bootcamp:

Timing: The bootcamp will begin on Friday, February 1 at 8pm and end on Sunday, February 3 at about 7.30 pm.

Director: Christine Driscoll Goulay, Associate Director INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Initiative and MBA July 2006.

Mentor: Grace Sai, Co-Founder of The Hub, Singapore.

Limited to: 34 attendees.

Fees: (Covers teaching, course materials, facilities and food. No accommodation).
·         Currently registered MBA/EMBA students	SGD550
·         Currently registered student partners or INSEAD Alumni	SGD700
·         Non-INSEAD affiliated individuals	SGD1020
Application
Apply by sending an email to bootcamps@insead.edu. Send us your full name, email, mobile number, INSEAD affiliation (if any). Registration deadline is Friday, 25 January. A link will be sent to you on Monday, 28 January to confirm your application and payment. For the Fontainebleau bootcamp: Directors: Christine Driscoll Goulay, Associate Director INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Initiative and MBA July 2006. Co-Director: Hans Wahl, Director INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme. Timing: The bootcamp will begin on Friday, 15 February at 8pm and end on Sunday, 17 February at about 7.30 pm. Limited to: 34 attendees. Will be opened to partners and external participants only when space is not taken by MBAs. Registration is on first come first served. Fees: (Covers teaching, course materials, facilities and food. No accommodation). ·         Currently registered MBA students Euro 350 ·         Currently registered student partners or INSEAD Alumni Euro 450 ·         Non-INSEAD affiliated individuals Euro 650 Apply by sending an email to bootcamps@insead.edu. Send us your full name, email, mobile number, INSEAD affiliation (if any). Registration deadline is Friday, 25 January. A link will be sent to you on Monday, 28 January to confirm your application and payment.

*Quotes from past Social Entrepreneurship Bootcampers*

·         “Best experience I had at INSEAD so far (learning wise). Thank you so much. While before I only thought that this could be an option for the future, I am really inspired to do something asap.

·         “Very inspiring, motivating and well-structured. The bootcamp has now taught me how to start up my own social enterprise and I am thankful for that!”

·         "I went into the weekend completely blank, but got so enthusiastic about most of the ideas that I lost track of time every time we were working on our project. How cool is that! :) I liked all the examples of actual initiatives that were given to clarify a task or to just show us what is out there... The atmosphere in the group is set to be very stimulating and open so that everyone feels comfortable to share their more personal thoughts and ideas  - this is great! - A perfect balance between entrepreneurship & social impact in one weekend."

Summary: Learn how to create a meaningful social impact venture. Identify the problem, define your theory of change, construct your business model, and measure your impact. During the bootcamp you will go through an intense and tailored 48-hour methodology for designing a novel solution that addresses a neglected societal problem. We will start on Friday at 8:00pm and by Sunday 5:00pm you will be presenting your social innovation to a judging panel of social impact experts and investors. It promises to be a challenging and exciting weekend.

All your meals during this period are taken care of – from dinner on Friday at 8:00pm to an afternoon coffee break on Sunday. We start with breakfast at 8:30am on both Saturday and Sunday. We will finish most likely by 9:30pm on Saturday (though you are welcome to stay and continue working) and finish the bootcamp by 7.30pm on Sunday.

You can have a team formed already or come individually. You can bring a problem that you want to address or come with a clear mind and be open to focus on problems proposed by other participants. We will use the Friday evening to do a brainstorm of societal problems and form teams of two to four participants who will work together for the rest of the bootcamp in coming up with an effective solution. Please note that societal problems also include inefficiencies that lend themselves to new financial innovations for social impact as well as new government or social sector initiatives. A goal of the bootcamp is to form bonds and connections that last during INSEAD and beyond, aligned by a goal of achieving social impact in a meaningful career.

We hope that you will have a great experience of learning and inspiration during the weekend and that you will develop a high potential project that you can move forward during your INSEAD degree and turn it into a valuable social innovation.

Please contact Christine Driscoll Goulay at Christine.driscoll@insead.edu with questions.

Click for <Tentative Schedule for SE Bootcamp, 1 to 3 Feb, 2013>

Forget The Big Bucks...Today's Investor Also Wants A Different Kind Of Return On His Money

New post on impact investing in the Forbes Blog: http://www.forbes.com/sites/insead/2013/01/18/forget-the-big-bucks-todays-investor-also-wants-a-different-kind-of-return-on-his-money/

- By Christine Driscoll Goulay -
Associate Director, INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Initiative
Google and Apple shares may have been the darlings of the beginning of the century, but another kind of investment is coming to the fore for those who want their money to make a difference. It’s called “Social Impact Investing”, and it can mean investing in anything from preventing prisoner recidivism in the context of a “social impact bond” in the UK to giving “patient capital” to an enterprise creating power from corn husks in rural India.
At the crossroads of finance and philanthropy, impact investing promises to deliver both financial and social return on investment (though rates of return and priority for finance versus social impact vary greatly across the sector depending on the type of instrument, type of investor, chosen benchmarks etc.). Frequently, impact investors accept that a concession needs to be made on the financial side to achieve the desired social and/or environmental impact. However, some want (and achieve) financial returns that are equal to comparable market rates  while still achieving the social/environmental impact they desire.
Credible Returns
Some people are sceptical: are these returns really being achieved?  Is the impact really being created? Is impact investing just a bubble?  With over 200 registered impact investing funds and players ranging from foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation to banks such as JP Morgan, people are right to have these concerns. It seems that everyone and his grandmother are jumping into the game. But I am here to tell you that there are players who are very credible, who are achieving the returns and impact they seek, and that it is a wise move to become involved in impact investing.
Here are five reasons why, as an investor, you should take a second look at social impact investing:

1. If you are a philanthropist, then you have everything to gain.  You are already giving your money away without expecting any financial return at all and with perhaps limited guarantee that your donation is achieving the impact you desire. So why not try it?
2. If you are a financial investor, then you have very little to lose.  How have your financial investments been faring lately? Market returns are not what they used to be.   Are the returns sought by impact investors really that far below the reality of today’s markets? And for some impact investors, there is no compromise on the financial ROI at all, and you are achieving social impact as well.
3. The organisation – be it a non-profit or a social entrepreneur – which is on the receiving end of impact investing often gets other benefits besides just the money. For example, invaluable services such as training and capacity building, focusing on strategy and scaling opportunities, becoming more rigorous about thinking about and reporting impact. These are all wonderful ways to improve the organisation beyond just handing out money.
4. Impact investing may open new ways of thinking about problem solving in general for those investors who do get involved; therefore, the investor himself has a learning experience which he can apply to other parts of his life, be it professional or personal. Some of the innovations in the impact investing sector such as the often cited Social Impact Bond, social stock exchanges, and crowdsourcing models are inspiring on many levels. Borrowing from many disciplines, they break traditional boundaries of how to approach issues. These techniques can potentially serve as a basis of innovation in other areas of your life.
5. And most importantly if impact investing is carried out correctly, it can really change the face of how we approach and solve some of the world’s large scale problems. Lack of electricity, lack of access to water and sanitation, lack of access to education – the list could go on and on.  Social entrepreneurs on the ground are coming up with viable solutions to these problems which have not been properly addressed by government or the private sector thus far. Combining financial resources, capacity building, sustainability, and impact into one package is powerful.  The sector is still developing and evolving. Now is the time to get involved and help shape impact investing so that it is done right, so that it is not just a bubble, so that we are achieving our goals financially and socially.  You can make your mark. Don’t miss the boat.

INSEAD is engaged on several levels in the social impact investing sector: INSEAD is the European partner for the International Impact Investing Challenge (http://www.impactinvestingchallenge.org) in partnership with Kellogg. This is a graduate student competition to create new financial instruments for institutional investors to place capital in impact investing.  Also, INSEAD is holding the INSEAD Entrepreneurship Forum on May 23rd in Fontainebleau, France on impact investing. The theme will be on “Creating an Industry from Innovation in Impact Investing” and will be looking at how to move the field forward.  Finally, INSEAD is the knowledge partner for the Partnering for Global Impact conference (see http://www.partneringforglobalimpact.com) in Lugano July 10-11, 2013, a conference which creates a venue for social entrepreneurs and investors to meet and explore opportunities.
For more information, contact Christine Driscoll Goulay (Christine.driscoll@insead.edu).
Christine Driscoll Goulay is the Associate Director of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Initiative. She is a corporate lawyer by training, and has worked in the venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) sectors. She has been involved in social entrepreneurship for the past six years.

Check out the pictures from ISEP Singapore 2012!

Here is the group from ISEP Singapore 2012!

Check out the Pictures from ISEP Fontainebleau 2012

Check out these wonderful pictures from our ISEP Fontainebleau 2012 promotion!

INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Bootcamps - Building viable ventures in only 48 hours!

To the left - Getting the ball rolling, defining problems and ideas on Friday night.

To the right - The winning team for the SE bootcamp in Singapore Dec 2012, designing an anti-corruption reporting platform.


The Rudolf and Valeria Maag INSEAD Centre for Entrepreneurship (ICE) has developed a wonderful series of limited enrollment 48 hour intensive hands-on workshops designed to build entrepreneurial muscle. Our menu of bootcamps includes: The Start up, Sci-Tech, Applications Development, Acquisitions, and of course, Social Entrepreneurship. The bootcamps are offered over the weekend (beginning on Friday evening and ending on Sunday evening) to INSEAD MBAs and alumni, and often to MBA partners and external people as well.

The Social Entrepreneurship Bootcamps are part of the award winning Social Impact Catalyst programme (Finalist for the AMBA's MBA Innovation Award 2011) have been receiving great reviews (the last bootcamp offered in Singapore received an overall evaluation of 4.75/5).  The format is as follows: During the bootcamp, individuals form teams around social venture ideas and/or societal problems they are looking to solve. After teams are finalized on the Friday evening, the participants are walked through frameworks and methodologies to develop their venture throughout the course of the weekend. Some of these frameworks include: defining your value proposition, mapping your activity system, analyzing stakeholders and partnership opportunities, piloting your venture, growing your venture through scaling/replication, assessing your impact, and finding the best means of financing. The bootcamp finishes with pitch presentations in front of external judges - either impact investors, social entrepreneurs themselves, or other experts in the social impact ecosystem.

It is an intensive and thrilling process to experience.  Participants have been amazed at how much they can achieve in just one weekend. Some quotes from our participants:

"Best experience I had at INSEAD so far (learning wise). Thank you so much. While before I only thought that this could be an option for the future, I am really inspired to do something asap."

"Very inspiring, motivating and well structured. The bootcamp has now taught me how to start up my own social enterprise and I am thankful for that!"

"I went into the weekend completely blank, but got so enthusiastic about most of the ideas that I lost track of time every time we were working on our project. How cool is that! :) I liked all the examples of actual initiatives that were given to clarify a task or to just show us what is out there... The atmosphere in the group is set to be very stimulating and open so that everyone feels comfortable to share their more personal thoughts and ideas  - this is great! - A perfect balance between entrepreneurship & social impact in one weekend."

Moreover, many of the venture ideas formed during the bootcamps have gone on to become real viable organizations. It is an inspiring process of which to be part.

The next Social Entrepreneurship Bootcamps are set to run from February 1-3 in Singapore and February 15-17 in Fontainebleau. For more information on registration, etc., please contact Christine Driscoll Goulay, Associate Director of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Initiative. 

Partnering for Impact: Kellogg School of Management and INSEAD to Partner for 2013 International Impact Investing Challenge

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and INSEAD have announced a new partnership as they join together to co-host the 2013 International Impact Investing Challenge. Now in its third year, the challenge provides graduate students from around the world the opportunity to create high-performance, high-reward investment strategies that deliver social and environmental impact.

“The International Impact Investing Challenge invites students to think creatively about how to design investment vehicles that appeal to institutional investors, while simultaneously creating solutions for global social issues,” said Jamie Jones, director of social entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School. “While we’ve been very impressed with the caliber of financial creativity among the student teams who participated in the previous two years, we’re thrilled to have INSEAD as a European academic partner this year to attract a more global audience than ever before.”

We at INSEAD are very excited to be partnering with the Kellogg School for this year’s International Impact Investing Challenge. We have seen the field of impact investing grow over the years and become of rising importance to our students and the INSEAD finance community. We hope to contribute to Kellogg’s great work in creating and building this competition by increasing awareness and drawing in submissions from our European base, said Christine Driscoll Goulay, Associate Director of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Teams are invited to submit a two-page prospectus by March 14, 2013. Ten finalist teams will present their proposals at a final event at the World Bank in Washington, D.C on April 26, 2013. The judging panel will be comprised of experienced officers and investors who currently manage family foundations, pension funds and university endowments. Top teams will receive financial support to implement their vision.

The International Impact Investing Challenge is sponsored by Equilibrium Capital Group; the McCall Foundation; Impact Assets; the Carol & Larry Levy Social Entrepreneurship Lab; World Bank Institute and the Calvert Foundation.

# # #

For more information:

To learn more about the International Impact Investing Challenge, visit www.impactinvestingchallenge.org. For more information about the Kellogg School of Management, visit www.kellogg.northwestern.edu. For more information about INSEAD, visit www.insead.edu.

Masisa - Socially Inclusive Business Programs in Brazil

 

The most recent ISEP session in Fontainebleau made a lasting impression on Fernando Draier. Based in Buenos Aires, Fernando has been working for Masisa helping to design and manage socially inclusive business programs.

“Originally I began focusing on social entrepreneurship through my work at Masisa, a wood board business for furniture and interior architecture,” explains Fernando. “In 2008 I began helping to design and mange socially inclusive business programs that work with low-income communities and prison inmates and ex-offenders in Argentina.”

Masisa offers three courses at various levels to some of the more marginalized communities in Argentina. A beginner’s course for those that have no carpentry experience; a more advanced course for those that have begun carpentry work and need to develop additional skills; and a professional course that focuses on project management, budget and marketing. To date, over 5000 individuals across Argentina have participated in the program and the numbers continue to grow.

“In addition to this, I have helped to develop a program with prisoners whereby they build wood based products that can be sold by retailers in Argentina,” says Fernando. “This enables prisoners to develop a skill set while earning an income for their families, which will help them once they reenter society,”

Fernando began spending over eighty per cent of his time on these and other programs as they began to gain momentum. Recognizing that companies don’t always have the patience and time to grow these enterprises, Fernando wanted to gain additional knowledge on how to make these initiatives a long-term success.

Wanting to learn more about how to build successful social enterprises, Fernando began exploring different educational programs and found that the learning social entrepreneurial tools on MBA programs will take a lot of time. When he came across INSEAD’s Social Entrepreneurship Program, he knew he had found the perfect course.

“There are a lot of great things going on in Latin America right now and I wanted to learn more about how we can get funding and measure the impact of these social enterprises” explains Fernando.  “What appealed most to me about ISEP was the fact that I would be learning with a group of experienced social entrepreneurs and have the opportunity to work on real cases and gain valuable knowledge.”

“The program was extremely inspiring,” Fernando adds. “Social enterprise is about solving problems that no one else wants to solve, and ISEP offered a lot of ways in which this can be possible. It helped me organize my thoughts, establish a usable framework and develop a practical set of tools that can be used in every day work.”

During the program, participants had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to social investors. “This was a wonderful exercise, “ says Fernando. ”Although I didn’t participate in the pitch, I was able to gain a better understanding of the process, what investors are looking for and what you need to provide them in order to get financing.”

Fernando is keen to apply what he learned at ISEP back in Argentina. “Although Latin America continues to grow economically, there are still a lot of social problems. Everything from providing clean water and housing to dealing with education, violence and crime,” said Fernando. “As a result there is a lot of opportunity for social enterprises to grow, and now having attended ISEP I feel like I have the tools and framework necessary to help others connect and begin working on some of these issues.”

“I have been working for corporations for over 20 years and this move to social entrepreneurship is a huge change for me,” said Fernando. “But I am excited for the adventure ahead and am optimistic that I can make a difference. ISEP provided me with the tools and now it’s time to get to work!”

Fernando Draier

Fernando has more than 20 years experience working for global corporations in business development areas. He is looking forward to increase social impact and tackle poverty in Latin America by addressing new challenges and partnerships.

He is also an entrepreneur business coach, working as a mentor/tutor in business incubators/accelerators.

My next challenges are creating or replicating new innovative social enterprises in Argentina/Latin America, mentoring social enrepreneurs and incorporate social entrepreneurship in Argentinian Business Schools.