SDI 2019 - Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Award Ceremony

TL;DR

The SDI 2019 ceremony recognizes Schwab Foundation awardees who advance social innovation across the social sector, business, government, and academia. The foundation had nurtured more than 350 leading social entrepreneurs from 70 countries over 20 years and introduced three new award categories to deepen cross-sector collaboration. Read on to understand the awards, the role of technology, and how social innovators seek greater global impact.

Transcript

we are lacking social inclusion we must mobilize individuals who in an entrepreneurial and innovative way tackle the big problems we are faced with now and in the future social innovation is really about the process of change the most obvious and visible expression of it has been social entrepreneurship we have these unique skill sets be the nerve ... Read More

Key Insights

• 👶 Social entrepreneurs drive change, accelerate problem-solving, and imagine new futures through experimentation and innovation.
• ❓ Collaboration and engagement with leaders from different sectors are crucial for social innovation to achieve sustainable impact.
• 🖐️ Technology plays a pivotal role in disrupting existing systems and scaling social innovation globally.
• ❓ The Schwab Foundation Awards highlight the importance of recognizing and celebrating social innovators from diverse backgrounds and sectors.
• 👨‍💼 Social innovation requires visionary leaders in business, government, and academia, working alongside social entrepreneurs.
• 👶 The introduction of new award categories supports the creation of platforms for greater collaboration and sustained change.
• 🍝 The Schwab Foundation has nurtured a global community of social entrepreneurs for the past 20 years.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happened at the SDI 2019 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Award Ceremony?

Hilde Schwab, chairperson and co-founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, announced the foundation’s 2019 awardees. The ceremony recognized social entrepreneurs and social innovation thought leaders while presenting a broader vision of social innovation spanning business, government, academia, and the social sector.

Q: What is the purpose of the Schwab Foundation Awards?

The awards recognize people advancing social innovation and social entrepreneurship across multiple sectors. The recognized social entrepreneurs have an explicit mission to solve social or environmental problems for society, with an emphasis on low-income, marginalized, or vulnerable populations.

Q: How large is the Schwab Foundation’s social entrepreneur community?

The foundation said it had nurtured a community of more than 350 leading social entrepreneurs from 70 countries over 20 years. It also embedded social entrepreneurs into the World Economic Forum network during the last two decades.

Q: Why did the Schwab Foundation introduce three new award categories?

The three new categories reflect the foundation’s view that social innovation requires visionary leaders in every sector. They are intended to engage leaders across the broader ecosystem, build platforms for sustained change, and foster deeper collaboration with social entrepreneurs.

Q: What role do social entrepreneurs play in social innovation?

Social entrepreneurs are described as the most visible expression of the process of social change. They drive change, accelerate problem-solving, imagine new futures through experimentation and practice, and develop methods that others can adopt.

Q: How does technology help social innovation scale?

Technology can help disrupt existing systems and enable successful approaches to be replicated and scaled. The speakers framed this potential as moving from helping 100 people to helping 100 million.

Q: Why is cross-sector collaboration important to the Schwab Foundation’s approach?

The foundation sees social innovation as an ecosystem of pioneering actors with a common purpose rather than the work of isolated social entrepreneurs. It seeks collaboration among the social sector, business, government, and academia, following the World Economic Forum’s multi-stakeholder model.

Q: Who was recognized as a social innovation thought leader in 2019?

The ceremony identified thought leaders as respected experts, academics, and authors who contribute substantially to the knowledge and practice of social entrepreneurship and social innovation. Those announced included Cheryl Dorsey of Echoing Green, Peter Senge of MIT Sloan School of Management, Roberto Mangabeira Unger of Harvard Law School, and Francis Westley of the University of Waterloo.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Schwab Foundation has been nurturing a community of over 350 leading social entrepreneurs from 70 countries for the past 20 years.

• Social entrepreneurs are no longer working in isolation, but are part of a broader ecosystem of actors from business, government, and academia.

• The foundation introduced new award categories to engage leaders across different sectors and foster collaborations with social entrepreneurs.