Social enterprise

Startups typically operate with the mentality that growth and profit come first, higher calling comes second. This strategy, however, is misguided. Increasingly,...

The story of how one organization envisioned a future transformed.

Strategies for ensuring stakeholder voices are heard and ESG goals are met.

Satisfied with doing good, too few foundations work strategically to do better.

Only if it is relevant and suitable to the lives of the poor.

Looking ahead to Davos.

Here’s what that means for VCs and entrepreneurs.

A guide for social entrepreneurs

In Iraq and Afghanistan, as an Army Captain, David Hughes flew combat helicopters and was responsible for coordinating hundreds of air missions. At Fort...

Editors’ note: A few weeks ago, HBR asked members of the Poptech Social Innovation Fellows to tell us their management challenges in running socially minded businesses. Our goal in doing so was to expose these challenges to you — the HBR.org community — with the hopes that the community could assist these challenges via conversations […]

Fundraising is the only capacity that multiplies the money put into it.

This season of giving often brings a focus on corporate philanthropy — on giving. But it’s hard to do well. If you wanted to design a corporate philanthropy program to have minimum impact, what would you do? Give out lots of grants in amounts too small to make a real difference. Back pet charities, not […]

A new type of security, called "mission equity," caps investor returns so the company's financial success can help fuel its mission.

Offer star recruits the chance to keep building their skills.

Earning power, education, and medical care became the three legs of the ARZU stool.

Looking for a grand vision to excite imaginations, stimulate investment, and get the economy moving faster? One with potential to improve lives, generate...

Companies that deliver both social benefit and business value rely on five mutually reinforcing elements.

Mueller Chemical Company's biggest customer, Ameriton, demanded that MCC install a total quality management system five years ago. Now, in this fictional...

Business can't thrive in an environment of unhealthy employees, customers, and communities, an at-risk planet, and a fractured society. To transition...

A nonprofit that supports emerging-market entrepreneurs considers expanding to the U.S.

The degradation of the environment has led many governments and customers to pressure businesses to make their operations more nature friendly. The case...

David Heath and Randy Goldberg founded Bombas in 2013 to serve two missions: to deliver the "best socks in the history of feet," and to donate socks (the...

Founder Duncan McIntyre developed an innovative service-based business to electrify transportation fleets for school districts and scale through public-private...

This case traces the development of Canyou Group over 22 years, starting from its origins as a small computer interest club in 1997 to an organization...

Wes Hall founded Kingsdale Advisors and built it into one of Canada's leading shareholder services and advisory firms. Influenced by the Black Lives Matter...

Wateroam is a social enterprise that develops water filtration systems for rural and disaster-hit areas. Since 2014, Wateroam has deployed its water filtration...

Corporate foundations represent a distinctive avenue for companies to channel their resources into social initiatives, often straying from their core...

This case describes the evolution of MHFC, a player in the Indian informal housing sector. As a new entrant offering micro home loans to the financially...

Ye Ji had a dream: to build a unicorn enterprise. Ji, a serial entrepreneur in his forties, had the experience of setting up three businesses as an entrepreneur....

In 2017, Tim Kleinebenne, managing director of Unilever Ethiopia, and Buks Akinseye, senior global sustainability manager in Unilever's Rotterdam headquarters,...

In September 2022, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company CEO Alex Oshmyansky considered the future of the company. Cost Plus Drugs was a retailer for more...

Founded in 2015, Guild Education is an education marketplace that connects employers and universities to provide employees with 'education as a benefit.'...

Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), a set of software and analytical tools designed for the purpose of wildlife conservation, had demonstrated...

Vox Capital was a pioneer as an impact investment company in Brazil, with the purpose of creating a world where businesses can generate positive social...

Set immediately after a December 2019 short-seller attack, the case explores Plug Power's long challenging history. It then focuses on two key issues...

The case is set in spring 2021, immediately after Plug Power made financial restatements dating back to 2018. The case describes the restatements, which...

The case is a narration of the 20-year journey of the All India Society for Electronics and Computer Technology (AISECT), a social enterprise offering...

At the end of 2011, the founders of the China Greentech Initiative (CGTI) wanted to grow the company while respecting its unique hybrid business model...

Pi was a large family office pioneering the concept of 100% portfolio impact investing. Tasked with preserving capital, generating moderate returns and...

Startups typically operate with the mentality that growth and profit come first, higher calling comes second. This strategy, however, is misguided. Increasingly,...

The story of how one organization envisioned a future transformed.

Strategies for ensuring stakeholder voices are heard and ESG goals are met.

Satisfied with doing good, too few foundations work strategically to do better.

Only if it is relevant and suitable to the lives of the poor.

The degradation of the environment has led many governments and customers to pressure businesses to make their operations more nature friendly. The case...

Looking ahead to Davos.

Here’s what that means for VCs and entrepreneurs.

A guide for social entrepreneurs