Register to be in Jakarta for the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Conference on 16 May 2012 and to stay on in Bali for the ISEP annual reunion 17-18 May 2012. It is our first time in Asia and will be an event not to be missed. The conference will be surrounded by several days of activities including a sustainability investor forum, a student competition, site visits to local social entrepreneurs, and much more... an event not to be missed! More details...

INSEAD’s Dean Dipak Jain signs agreement on March 15 in Portugal with IES to expand INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programmes to all Portuguese Speaking countries in a model “Powered by INSEAD”. The Portuguese Institute for Social Entrepreneurship – IES – was founded in 2008 by alumni of the first ISEP programme in collaboration with the INSEAD Alumni Association and INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship. In 2011, IES established a partnership with INSEAD to develop social entrepreneurship programmes in Portugal. The first ISEP – Portugal was launched in October 2011 for 32 participants. Three “Powered by INSEAD” social entrepreneurship bootcamps were also delivered last year. Given the success of this partnership, IES will now develop “Powered by INSEAD” social entrepreneurship programmes in all Portuguese speaking countries, starting with Mozambique and Brazil in 2012. This is partnership part of INSEAD’s effort to achieve more impact by expanding its social entrepreneurship offerings and build a global and vibrant social entrepreneurship network. Our team is currently discussing partnerships for other regions. If you would like more information on IES, please contact ISEP alum Miguel Martins, founder and executive director of IES at Miguel@ies.org.pt

The report and recommendations of the 2011 INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Conference "An Ecosystem to promote Business for a Better World" are now available for downloading (below). The 44 page report includes the keynote speech by

Dr. Reinhardt Pöllath, full reports from the numerous topic sessions that took place, list of participants and much more. Follow the link below to download a PDF version of the report now. Read the report...

Business schools teach that markets and best practice should be leveraged to increase profits. But can they also be used to create social change? Hans Wahl, Director of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme believes social entrepreneurs the world over are already making this happen.

The development of skills and capabilities in this emerging and important field within social entrepreneurship has been the focus of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme (ISEP) for the past seven years. It typically aims to work with organisations which are at least three to five years old, have a proven concept and are looking to scale up their operations and extend the value of the services they provide.

"The intensive ISEP week focuses on issues of scaling and growth, issues of business model innovation, of leadership, of transition from one level of organisation that is often local or community-based to something that is national and sometimes international," says Wahl. “To succeed at these challenges, we have found they then need some solid business tools and principles and that some lessons and frameworks that come from the corporate and business community can be adapted and applied." Read more...

This year, we are happy to announce the launch of the INSEAD Social Impact Catalyst. The goals of the Catalyst are to make INSEAD the most attractive business school for MBA students who are passionate about social entrepreneurship and to create a central, thriving network linking current MBAs with INSEAD alumni and other industry players involved in social entrepreneurship. Through an integrated sequence of events and workshops, networking opportunities, and projects that will engage MBA students from the start of the programme at INSEAD, we hope that the Catalyst will allow students to understand social entrepreneurship, expand their potential for impact, and act effectively on their social entrepreneurship interests and passions. This program will be seamlessly integrated into the formal MBA curricula of courses and events. Please contact Christine Driscoll Goulay, for more information at christine.driscoll@insead.edu. In her role as Associate Director of the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative, she will be heading up the Catalyst and tying in individuals from our vast and impressive network, including current MBAs, faculty, alumni, participants of our ISEP program, and partners.

What is the role of social entrepreneurship in society? How are social entrepreneurs different from commercial entrepreneurs, social activists or charitable work? Our academic director, Professor Filipe Santos published an INSEAD working paper called "A Positive Theory of Social Entrepreneurship", in which he tackles these issues. He proposes a new conceptual framework for social entrepreneurship based on newly published case studies on Banco Compartamos and Gram Vikas. Read more...

Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) is a social enterprise that works with young people to help them make real changes to their lives and the communities in which they live. RIO offers a wide range of services and products to schools, local authorities, government departments and national partners. These customised packages of diverse, yet complementary initiatives are brought together under an integrated RIO umbrella service plan. All the profits are invested back into RIO’s work with young people “providing them with the opportunity and support to make change happen using their own ideas, energy and ability.” Read more...