A social entrepreneur is an entrepreneur who works to increase social capital by founding social ventures, including charities, for-profit businesses with social causes, and other non-government organizations. These types of activities are distinct from work of non-operating foundations and philanthropists who provide funding and other support for them.
Notable historical social entrepreneurs + Name Country Social venture founded Focus areas Vinoba Bhave India Founder and leader of the Bhoodan movement, he caused the redistribution of more than of land to aid India's untouchables and landless. David Brower United States Environmentalist and conservationist, the Sierra Club's first executive director and built it into a worldwide network for environmental issues. He also founded Friends of the Earth, the League of Conservation Voters and The Earth Island Institute. Akhtar Hameed Khan Pakistan Founder of grassroots movement for rural communities Comilla Model, and low-cost sanitation programmes (Orangi Pilot Project) for squatter settlements. Maria Montessori Italy Developed the Montessori approach to early childhood education. John Muir United States Naturalist and conservationist, he established the National Park System and helped found The Sierra Club. Florence Nightingale United Kingdom Founder of modern nursing, she established the first school for nurses and fought to improve hospital conditions. Frederick Law Olmsted United States Creator of major urban parks, including Rock Creek Park in Washington DC, Central Park in NYC, and Mount Royal Park in Montreal, he is generally considered to have developed the profession of landscape architecture in America. Gifford Pinchot United States Champion of the forest as a multiple use environment, Gifford Pinchot helped found the Yale School of Forestry and created the U.S. Forest Service, serving as its first chief. Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen Germany Pioneer of the rural bond of association as a substitute for collateral in microfinance, and a principal founder of the credit union and cooperative bank sectors that now form a major segment of the European banking system.Verghese Kurien India Engineer and businessman, he planned and executed India's "white revolution", that transformed the milk-importing country into the world's largest produce . Margaret Sanger United States Founder of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she led the movement for family planning efforts around the world. John Woolman United States He Led U.S. Quakers to voluntarily emancipate all their slaves between 1758 and 1800, his work also influenced the British Society of Friends, a major force behind the British decision to ban slaveholding. Sam Pitroda India Chairman, National Innovation Council, India Adhik Kadam India Founder Chairman of Borderless World Foundation. He is on peace building mission, working in most conflicted areas in Asia i.e. Jammu & Kashmir on India Pakistan Border. He is working for the children who lost parents in terrorism and conflict. Arunachalam Muruganantham India Inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine.
Notable modern social entrepreneurs + Name Country Social venture founded Focus areas Fazle Hasan Abed Bangladesh BRAC poverty reduction, banking, food security, education, woman empowerment Ibrahim Abouleish Egypt SEKEM Agriculture Poonam Ahluwalia United States Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Poverty Vagit Alekperov Russia Our Future Foundation Social entrepreneurship Gennady Alferenko Russia Foundation for Social Inventions National relations/Civil diplomacy Zubaida Bai India AYZH Healthcare Scott Beale United States Atlas Service Corps U.S./International volunteering Daniel Ben-Horin United States TechSoup Global Nonprofit support Charles Best United States DonorsChoose Charitable crowdfunding Ela Bhatt India Self Employed Women's Association Poverty Taddy Blecher South Africa CIDA City Campus Education Heather Brandon United Kingdom UnLtd South Africa Social entrepreneurship Nand Kishore Chaudhary India Jaipur Rugs Poverty Bill Clinton United States Clinton Foundation Poverty Vera Cordeiro Brazil Brazil Child Health Health Ann Cotton United Kingdom Camfed Poverty Matt Damon United States Water.org WaterRoland FomundamCameroonGreenHouse Ventures, Youth Action Africa, MoonLight Mining and Restoration CompanyGreenhouse technology, sustainable agriculture and technology Jim Fruchterman United States Benetech Technology Bill Gates United States Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Education, healthcare, ending poverty Abraham George India The George Foundation Poverty Scott Gilmore Canada Building Markets Employment Anshu Gupta India Goonj Clothing, disaster relief Scott Harrison United States Charity: Water Water Catherine Hoke United States Defy Ventures Incarceration and recidivism Jeffrey Hollender United States Seventh Generation Inc. Environment Jessica Jackley United States Kiva Microfunds Poverty, microfinance Adhik Kadam India Borderless World Foundation Peace-building, peace & conflict, women, children, emergency medical services in conflict. Salman KhanUnited States Khan Academy Education Alan Khazei United States City Year Education Craig Kielburger Canada WE Charity / Me to WE Human rightsMarc KielburgerCanadaWE Charity / ME to WEHuman rights Mohammed Mamdani United Kingdom Sufra Poverty Nick Martin United States TechChange Education Ilya Movshovich United States CARMAnation Technology Blake Mycoskie United States Toms Shoes Poverty Jacqueline Novogratz United States Acumen Poverty Jamie Oliver United Kingdom Fifteen Health Raj Panjabi United States Last Mile Health Healthcare Mark Plotkin United States Amazon Conservation Team Environment Bunker Roy India Barefoot College Education Miyoko Schinner United States Multiple Vegan Food and Activism Jasvir Singh United Kingdom City Sikhs Interfaith, social cohesion Param Singh United Kingdom City Sikhs Interfaith, social cohesion Willie Smits Indonesia Borneo Orangutan Survival Environment Piya Sorcar United States TeachAids Health, education Bhargav Sri Prakash India / United States fooya FriendsLearn Digital vaccines for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension & cancer prevention Hanumappa Sudarshan India Karuna Trust upliftment of the forest dwelling tribes Bo Thao-Urabe United States RedGreen Rivers Woman empowerment, poverty reduction Chris Underhill United Kingdom BasicNeeds Health, poverty Christian Vater Germany Deutschland rundet auf Poverty, micro-donation Frederick Yeh United States / China Sea Turtles 911 Environment, Education, Wildlife Conservation Muhammad Yunus Bangladesh Grameen Bank Poverty, microfinance Matthew Spacie Britain Magic Bus Childhood to Livelihood Shaheen Mistri India Teach For India, Akanksha Foundation Education Harish Hande India SELCO Solar energyBam AquinoPhilippinesHapinoy Poverty Reduction
References