Can Today’s Businesses be Catalysts of Change? They must be!
While it is admirable to build a successful business of any kind, some entrepreneurs do more than just make a profit with the fruits of their labour. Some have social enterprises where helping others, bringing resources, opportunities, training, and other assets to those who need them most, is built into their business model. How? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Social Entrepreneurship are two of the ways business has changed in recent years. Today, many ventures are not only concerned with profits but also in creating a positive impact on people and communities.
If Social Entrepreneurship and CSR are still murky areas for you, have a look at some of the previous Ye! Community blog posts which shed light on these topics:
- The Importance of Social Entrepreneurs. The reasons are endless. Do you aspire to change your social environment? Learn how others have gotten into the game.
- Innovation for Social Good. Why an innovative new business can mean solving a social problem too!
- Corporate Social Responsibility. Everyone is doing it.
- Identifying Social Problems which can become Business Solutions. Learn how to transform your desire to fix a social problem to make a business.
Not convinced?
Here, we highlight three Ye! Community Ambassadors who are using their know-how and business savvy to make the world a better place, showing that successful businesses can truly be socially and environmentally conscious! Moreover, driven by their desire to support other young entrepreneurs, these entrepreneurs work hard to organize meetups and events, build partnerships with other organizations, and facilitate a stronger startup ecosystem in their country.
Social Innovator passionate about maternal and newborn health, Lanre is the Ye! Community Ambassador in Nigeria. He is also the CEO & Co-founder of Babymigo, an innovative startup which connects mothers to experts and verified child care services during pregnancy and the baby’s early years in order to support mothers in making informed health decisions. According to their latest figures, Babymigo has reached out to 7000+ pregnant and new mothers during the first year, and is continuing to save lives.
Lanre’s success has been recognized several times. He was named one of the “100 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs” by SOCAP. In June 2016, he travelled to London to receive the Queens’ Young Leader Award from Queen Elizabeth II herself in Buckingham Palace. As one of the 60 exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth to win this award, he was offered mentoring and training by the University of Cambridge.
Curious to know more about Lanre and his role as a Ye! Ambassador in Nigeria? Read more here!
Aline Uwase | 28
Aline is the Ye! Ambassador in Rwanda! She has always been passionate about making people smile and she achieves this through entrepreneurship; by solving challenges using innovative solutions. She founded HappyNes, a social enterprise which supports artisans in tough economic situations, by offering skills training and market access through her Sunday markets initiative.
Want to read more about Aline’s story and work? Have a look at her profile here!
Paolo Ganis | 30
Pietro Paolo Ganis is the Ye! Ambassador in Italy. Financial expert and passionate entrepreneur, he was born in Johannesburg and then moved to Italy where he founded “Laboratori Fabrici”. As the founder of Laboratori Fabrici Srl, Paolo and his young team created Clairy; the smart flowerpot, that fights indoor air pollution using plants and technology! Laboratori Fabrici designs and produces technological devices that mix nature, technology and design while also helpig people deal with problems related to health and wellness.
Get more information about Pietro and his role as a Ye! Ambassador here!
Ozaal Zesha | 23
Ozaal loves creating new and innovative technologies that solve everyday problems and add value to people's lives. He is the Ye! Ambassador in Pakistan and the founder of ClassNotes. ClassNotes is an edu-tech startup that is providing free, quality educational resources and funds to the students of Pakistan and MENA region. So far they have served more than 150,000 students and their website has been visited more than 2 million times.
Read more about Ozaal here!
Curious to discover more about the Ye! Ambassadors? Read more and discover if you can also become one... here!
Header Image Courtesy of: Pxhere