There’s the old quote — “You are not here to duplicate and replicate. You are here to innovate and initiate.” But does that advice always work? And is it producing the most effective results to address our social problems? My next guest says: perhaps not, and he is here to explain why. He is Dan Berelowitz, the CEO and founder of Spring Impact.
We have had the good fortune to hear from many extraordinary social entrepreneurs on The Business of Giving, remarkable individuals one and all. But I don’t know if we’ve ever had a person more dissatisfied with the status quo in a good way, and as a result brings an urgency to the work that they do, relentlessly seeking new ways to be more effective and have greater impact. That person is Jordan Kassalow, the founder of VisionSpring. Good evening, Jordan, and welcome to The Business of Giving.
We see all the time the extraordinary impact that startup companies have had on our lives. Uber and Airbnb, to take just two. The same is true in the nonprofit sector. Imagine the social entrepreneurs with fantastic ideas and plans to make our communities and world a better place. But their ability to access capital is often not as clear-cut as it is for their counterparts in the private sector. And that it why it is fortunate that we have Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation to help address this urgent need. And with us this evening is their President and CEO, Jim Bildner
In this segment, Laura Callanan describes how Upstart Co-Lab got its start and how it works to create opportunities for artists as innovators, collaborators, and agents of social change. The New York group links artists addressing issues like criminal justice, the environment, and urban resiliency with entrepreneurs, impact investors, and sustainable companies in an effort to attract capital for creativity.