There’s a new project launched by NOW on PBS covering social entrepreneurs.
Called “Enterprising Ideas,” the project will feature monthly broadcasts on social entrepreneurs, beginning with this Friday. We’ve created an unprecedented five-minute “preview” on YouTube of this Friday’s show, which I like to call “One Million Served:”
Here is the copy from the website about the first show which features a social entrepreneur in Kenya who used the franchise model to deliver affordable healthcare:
Can the quality of healthcare in developing nations be transformed by the same principle that makes fast food such a success here? On Friday, May 25 at 8:30 pm (check local listings), NOW travels to Kenya to investigate an enterprising idea: franchising not burger and donut shops, but health services and drugs in rural Africa. American businessmen are teaming with African entrepreneurs to spread for-profit clinics around the country in the hopes of providing quality, affordable medical care to even Kenya’s poorest people. But can they overcome obstacles like extreme poverty, corruption, fraudulent services, and long distances to establish a sustained solution to a chronic problem?
NOW is also launching a new website on May 25th at www.pbs.org/now/enterprisingideas that will feature a blog, a contest for social entrepreneurs, tips and tools, and much more.
Additional coverage: Boing Boing- PBS “Now”: Can US entrepreneurial know-how save lives in Africa?
Thanks for touting the new website covering social entrepreneurs. I wanted to let readers know we’re currently accepting nominations for up-and-coming social entrepreneurs. The winner will be profiled on our website: http://www.pbs.org/now/enterprisingideas/index.html
Go here to submit a nomination:
http://www.pbs.org/now/enterprisingideas/project-enterprise.html
It is great to see social entrepreneurs highlighted. It is time to hear more good news! We hope to create and grow more social businsses with our new Green Stock Exchange project.
We are setting up North America’s first social stock exchange connected to a green social network, called the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) at: http://greensx.com, which will be launched in the Summer of 2008 to begin trading. It will trade shares in small social businesses. A social business is a business that makes a profit, but benefits society as well. We have a triple bottom line (economic + social + environmental).
Now, 99% of small businesses do not have access to public funds, yet small business has added 20 million new jobs over the last 15 years to the US economy, using less than 1% of publicly traded equity capital. Therefore, it is obvious that if small businesses had more access to public money via the Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX), they could propel the economy forward in a spectacular fashion.
Financial funding for small green businesses are scarce with public money; SustainAbility, a consultancy and think tank, says ” money remains the main headache for social businesses; 72% of the social businesses surveyed cited raising money as their main challenge”. The Green Stock Exchange (GREENSX) intend to bridge this funding gap.
Since all the listed companies on the exchange are pre-screened, evaluated, and audited according to social and sustainable guidelines set by the exchange, it will make it much easier for green investors to find and support social businesses. The GREENSX provides opportunities for small green Issuers to access public equity capital efficiently, while providing early stage investors, angel investors, and venture capitalists with greater liquidity.
This includes a eBAY.com trading system for carbon credits.
Check it out at: http://greensx.com.