Written by Andrea van Vugt
As a student studying business and social innovation I am intrigued by social entrepreneurship. To me, social entrepreneurship can be described simply as the place where the business and social sectors meet to create meaningful change.
There are a growing number of events connected to social entrepreneurship. Many of them happen in our home city, demonstrating what an incredible hub of activity Calgary is. The Trico Foundation team is pleased to attend many of them and wish we could attend more.
To commemorate the first official Social Entrepreneurship Day in Calgary, Trico Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce $700,000 in local social entrepreneurship programming.
“The existence of the Social Entrepreneurship Day Proclamation as well as the wonderful sentiments it contains (the Proclamation is attached to this News Release) are a fitting testament to the extraordinary momentum Calgary is gathering as a hub for social entrepreneurship” says Dan Overall, Director of the Trico Charitable Foundation. “We are honoured to both celebrate and support that momentum with this commitment to our home city.”
ShelterBox was started in 2000 in the UK by an ex-military serviceman who had seen a need for shelter and supplies to be delivered to families effectively and immediately after a disaster. Since then, the organization has grown into a global leader in providing high-tech shelter solutions and supplies to families in over 100 countries around the world.
Our Q & A with Kody Baker, Founder and CTO of VeloMetro, discusses the founders’ social entrepreneurship journey, “Aha!” moments, the startup lifestyle, their vision that drives them, and much more.
It was an idea Julian Sharpe couldn’t let go – the devastation caused by the 2004 Mega Thrust Earthquake and Tsunami Wave in Indonesia. It didn’t help that the more research he did, the more he learned that this was a global issue, meaning it would happen again and in more places.
We are pleased to announce the five local social ventures that will be competing for $10,000 on September 16 as part of Social Entrepreneurship Day in Calgary (listed alphabetically):
Age-in-Place Laneway House
aGRO Systems
Bundles of Hope
Deepwater Farms
Green Cup
This is part of our series focusing on The World of Social Entrepreneurship, showcasing social impact stories at Beakerhead 2016. Our Q & A with Gavin Armstrong, Founder and CEO of Lucky Iron Fish, discusses his personal social entrepreneurship journey, the joy and challenges of pitching, the art of pivoting and much more.
Imagination is a powerful tool. Partner it with design and engineering and you’ve got a combination that can transform – and solve — the most complex of social issues. This year during Beakerhead, meet six founders, engineers and designers tackling social issues through ingenious entrepreneurial endeavors.
There are a growing number of events connected to social entrepreneurship. Many of them happen in our home city, demonstrating what an incredible hub of activity Calgary is. The Trico Foundation team is pleased to attend many of them and wish we could attend more.