Leading and organising impact

More than 2 billion people worldwide have a vision impairment and over 50% of these impairments remain undiagnosed or untreated. Untreated vision impairments have significant negative consequences for individuals, including delayed development, poor education attainment, lower rates of employment, and higher rates of depression. The impacts of poor eye health are also societal, resulting in an estimated loss of US$411 billion in productivity annually.  

Founded in 2015, Peek Vision has developed a mobile eye-health screening and referral app that can be delivered in low-resource settings by non-specialists across Africa and Asia. It also offers a comprehensive data intelligence platform that helps NGOs and governments optimise eye health coverage across populations.  

Click on the button to learn more about Peek Vision or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation. 

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Many countries will experience increases in internal migration over the coming decades as rural workers move to cities in search of work. In India, there are  approximately 600 million internal migrants, mostly working in the informal sector, contributing 10% of GDP. But when migrant workers arrive in new cities, they often face high living costs and difficulties applying for social welfare benefits. 

Bandhu was founded by MIT graduate students Rushil Palavajjhala, Jacob Kohn and Darsh Shah in 2020 as part of the MIT DesignX Accelerator. Seeing the gap in information access for migrant workers, they developed a mobile platform that connects workers immigrating to cities with low-cost housing opportunities.  

Click on the button to learn more about Bandhu or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation. 

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship.  

Approximately 1.1 billion people live in slums worldwide, with nearly one-third living in Central and Southern Asia. Inadequate housing contribute to poor health outcomes, impact access to livelihoods and education and exacerbate the exclusion of marginalised communities. Low-income communities rarely have the opportunity to contribute to the design of their own built environment.

Community Design Agency (CDA) was founded by architect Sandhya Naidu Janardhan who conceived the idea of developing and implementing participatory planning processes, working alongside residents to design human-centered housing and work spaces. 

CDA is contracted by governments, philanthropic organisations, and communities to transform existing public housing and design housing communities and workplaces. CDA also creates blended financing solutions that promote ownership and investment by residents in climate-resilient communities. 

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Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship.

More than one-quarter of the world’s population is of reproductive age, yet many do not have access to products maintaining healthy, dignified menstruation. At the same time, modern menstruation products are mostly made with plastic, and conventional pads each contribute the equivalent of four plastic bags worth of non-biodegradable material to the environment. 

Founded by four women living in Auroville, a universal township in Tamil Nadu, India, Eco Femme develops and produces organic reusable cloth pads for menstruation and provides education and subsidised pads to girls and low-income for healthy menstruation. 

Click on the button to learn more about Eco Femme or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Smallholder farming supports the livelihoods of approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide and are well-positioned to address climate change and biodiversity. Yet, many smallholder farmers and their families experience poverty and hunger, despite their contribution to global food production. 

Fairtrasa works directly with organic smallholder farmer cooperatives in Latin America to export and distribute fresh produce to retailers and wholesalers, eliminating intermediaries to ensure that farmers are globally integrated and paid fair prices. 

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Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Many households in Africa use firewood and wood-charcoal in rudimentary, inefficient cookstoves for cooking and heating. These practices are expensive, as well as environmentally unsustainable, contributing to deforestation and increasing CO2 emissions. A recent study has shown that transitioning to clean cooking alternatives could save as many as half a million lives per year in sub-Saharan Africa.

Green Bio Energy (GBE) was founded in 2011 to produce eco-friendly charcoal briquettes by recycling urban waste. Today, GBE also produces improved, clean cookstoves that minimize indoor air pollution and offers consulting services to micro-entrepreneurs seeking to build the market for eco-friendly energy alternatives in other countries. 

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Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship.

Production of global plastic packaging has grown exponentially, reaching nearly 460 million tons of plastic in 2019. While plastic has many useful characteristics, most single-use plastic is produced from fossil fuels, contributing to greenhouse emissions and climate change. Many plastic types are recyclable, but there are significant barriers to recycling. 

Greenhope is a dedicated green social enterprise, developing the partnerships necessary to shift the value chain of plastic packaging production to be sustainable along with positive social impact. Based in Indonesia and serving 15 countries globally, it produces biodegradable resins from bio-based, renewable raw materials sourced from farmer cooperatives operating under fairtrade schemes. 

Click on the button to learn more about Greenhope or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Each year, approximately 1 billion rubber tires are retired from use, yet only a fraction of these tires are recycled. When tires are added to landfills, they release toxins that harm soils and enter water systems. When tires are burned, these toxins are released into the atmosphere. Yet, end-of-life tire recycling can provide a source of raw material for numerous beneficial products and contribute to livelihoods for small businesses who collect tires and connect them to manufacturers.

Founded by two brothers, Manuel and Antonio Laredo, at their parents’ kitchen table in Bolivia, Mamut contracts with local tire recyclers, manufacturing recycled rubber products including flooring, speed bumps, and curbs. The company also carries recycled rubber and other material collection programmes. 

Click on the button to learn more about Grupo Mamut or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

India’s health system has improved significantly in recent decades, yet significant disparities remain between urban and rural areas. Many individuals living in rural and semi-urban areas lack access to accessible, affordable, and quality primary healthcare. 

New technologies and systems improvements that link facilities, professionals, and patients together offer opportunities to deliver primary healthcare in new ways. 

iKure develops and runs rural health clinics through a hub-and-spoke model that is supported by a network of community health workers and a software platform that supports telemedicine, point-of-care diagnostics, and health data management. 

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Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Investments in early childhood development (ECD) have outsized returns for societies and economies. Yet, in South Africa, more than 1 million 3-4 year-old children do not attend early childhood education programmes. 

Instead, parents and caregivers secure spots in home- and community-based programmes that are owned and staffed by local community members, predominantly women. Currently, more than 40,000 of these ECD centres operate across the country through fees paid by families and small government subsidies. With support and training, this largely informal system could be leveraged to provide quality access to early learning for South Africa’s children.

SmartStart works through nonprofit partners (operating partners/franchisors) who recruit, train, and support ECD centre owners (franchisees) to run successful small businesses. ECD centre owners are trained and licensed to deliver high quality, low cost ECD services, and supported to register their centres in order to receive government subsidies. 

Click on the button to learn more about SmartStart or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Nearly half of the world’s population lack access to safe sanitation, and a significant portion of these households lack any basic sanitation services. Lack of safe sanitation is linked to poor health outcomes, risk of sexual assault, and reduced well-being.

Due to a combination of political instability, natural disasters, and colonial legacy, Haiti has the lowest access to water and sanitation in the Americas. Although government and development banks are investing in public infrastructure, there is an urgent need for immediate sanitation services to serve the population immediately, providing a bridge to long-term solutions.

SOIL started by producing self-contained concrete public toilets. After Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, the company developed household models connected to 5-gallon drums that were easier to empty and transport and able to meet the needs of individual households. Today, SOIL has grown into a full-cycle sanitation service, safely treating human waste and transforming it into compost that can support the reforestation of Haiti’s denuded soils.

Click on the button to learn more about SOIL or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship.

Emergency medicine is a critical component of healthcare systems, yet emergency medical services are nascent or non-existent in many countries. Estimates show that in low- and middle-income countries, effective emergency care could relieve more than half of deaths and one-third of disabilities. 

Investments in emergency medical services include specialized training, transport vehicles, equipment and planning and coordination systems. However, in many countries, public sector investments are insufficient and national systems are unable to provide timely care for the entire population. 

Tebita Ambulance was founded by Kibret Adebe, a nurse anaesthetist, as Ethiopia’s first private emergency medical service, receiving the first ambulance license in the country and responding to calls 24-hours a day and 7 days a week from all over the country and neighbouring countries. 

Tebita has also expanded to include manufacture of first aid kits, refitting of ambulances, first aid and safety training as well as a 20-month training for paramedics, a profession which did not previously exist in the country.

Click on the button to learn more about Tebita Ambulance or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

In 2022, the number of global refugees rose more than any year in recorded history, from 27.1 to 35.3 million. Refugee children—especially girls—are far less likely to remain enrolled in school and finish their education. Schools in these contexts are often severely under-resourced and lack access to technology and internet. 

At the same time, consumers and companies throw away 40 million tons of electronic waste, while purchasing 300 million new computers each year. Only a fraction of this waste is recycled and most of it is exported to landfills where e-waste contributes to environmental toxicity.

Thaki distributes thousands of content-enriched refurbished devices at subsidised rates to educational partners in Lebanon and Jordan while providing training to teachers so that they can empower children with digital literacy in the region.

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Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

Governments, multilateral agencies, and local communities can make better decisions for policies and programmes when they have access to quality data and technology. Drones, when combined with data and AI technologies, can transform decision-making abilities in a wide variety of sectors.

Drones and associated technologies are highly regulated and require significant expertise and training. Local experts are best placed to deploy these technologies and inform regulations and policies, combining on-the-ground insights with decision-making. Yet, too often these local actors are disconnected from the international partners and tech firms that offer this expertise.

WeRobotics provides a platform for local drone, data, & AI experts to connect with global organizations and industries. A network of independent Flying Labs provide local expertise in more than 40 countries throughout Africa, Latin America and Asia/Pacific implementing programmes for climate action, disaster, agriculture, STEM/youth, entrepreneurship, and more. 

Click on the button to learn more about WeRobotics or scroll through to explore other social enterprises and their approach to innovation.

Funding for the development of this case study was provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization in the context of the Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promises of Social Entrepreneurship. 

As part of a broader trend toward innovation with more direct social impact, new social entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups have proliferated in recent years. Social entrepreneurs set out to develop and fund solutions that directly address social issues with impact on communities, societies, and the world at large while trying to generate revenue by operating within the confines of the market economy.  

By addressing issues affecting people and places often overlooked by business and government due to misaligned incentives or priorities, social entrepreneurship holds immense potential to generate above-average social returns through the promotion of innovation in the areas that need it most. Traditional innovation models and ecosystem studies have thus far turned a blind eye to these forms of socially motivated, community-based, and localized innovation models. As a result, innovation policy has not been optimally designed to support social entrepreneurship.  

To address these issues, this 2024 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), with in-depth case studies and contributions by experts, puts the spotlight on social entrepreneurship, addressing three critical questions for unleashing the potential of this promising new phenomenon: What is the state of social entrepreneurship globally? How do social enterprises create positive impact, and what role does innovation play? How can policy help to unlock the promise of social entrepreneurship? 

This chapter is part of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2024 and is jointly authored by Marya Besharov, Professor of Organisations and Impact and Skoll Centre Academic Director, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Kevin Miner, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford with Anmol Kaur Grewal and Sacha Wunsch-Vincent from the World Intellectual Property Organization.  

More than ever before, people understand that climate change and biodiversity loss threaten the places, people, and things we love. And they care – deeply. But change isn’t happening at the speed and scale required, leading to feelings of powerlessness and despair. Wider systemic changes seem too slow, and our individual contributions feel too insignificant. And yet, things are shifting, because our individual contributions do matter. How can we rapidly increase the number of people closing the gap between caring and acting so those shifts accelerate?

The Climate Changemaker Playbook is a collection of strategies and tactics for how to move people from caring, which so many do, to acting. With a foreword by Christiana Figueres and case studies of five leading social entrepreneurs who have been activating others around the world, this playbook is for anyone who has wondered how they get the people around them to act.

This playbook is a collaboration between the Skoll Centre and Ashoka.

The Climate Justice Playbook for Business got its start during a regional B Corporation climate gathering in Taos, New Mexico in early 2020. One major takeaway from the convening was that B Corporations cannot be successful in their efforts to help solve the climate emergency without centring all climate action and advocacy on people and justice. Summit attendees also recognised that as a predominantly white, privileged community, they were ill-equipped to close the enormous gap between their good intentions and their lack of Climate Justice awareness and practice. Thus the Climate Justice Learning Task Force was born, and the playbook began to take shape.

This playbook is a collaboration between the Skoll Centre, Climate Action Champions, Provoc, and B Lab Global.

This report proposes a framework and set of strategies for shifting from incremental to catalytic collaboration in the climate action field. It is based on in-depth empirical research, conducted jointly by the Mission 2020 campaign in its final year and an interdisciplinary research team from the University of Oxford. Adopting an organisational perspective on climate action, we conducted interviews, workshops and focus groups and analysed numerous reports and databases to ascertain the current state of the climate action field and identify strategies that can realise the potential of the Decisive Decade.

This report was co-authored by Skoll Centre Academic Director Marya Besharov and Skoll Centre Visiting Fellow Rajiv Joshi, with support from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and the Mission 2020 Campaign.

This report outlines how companies considered sustainability leaders, at the forefront of net zero ambition, are defining and managing their Scope 3 emissions, and using credits, sinks, offsets, and insets to compensate emissions or complement their climate strategies through additional contributions. Our analysis is based on a database of the net zero targets of the Forbes 2,000 largest companies, annual reports, and other public documents, and a set of ten interviews with managers involved in different aspects of net zero targets and strategy implementation in the food and tech/media sectors. 

This report was authored by Oxford Net Zero and the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment, with support from the Skoll Centre.

Nonprofits that wish to integrate revenue-generating activities into their operations must think strategically about who will benefit from them and how they will further their social mission.

This Stanford Social Innovation Review article was co-authored by Skoll Centre Academic Director Marya Besharov and Skoll Centre Postdoctoral Fellow Susanna Kislenko.