The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University partners with the Trico Charitable Foundation to tackle social and environmental problems submitted by Calgary’s network of social innovation leaders.
The first biennial What’s Next YYC was held in November 2019 and from the outstanding pool of 10 finalists, Beaverlodge was one out of three Judge’s Choice recipients, receiving $25,000 in prize money. Beaverlodge makes it easier for people to get bulk discounts as they make their homes more efficient. The user follows a series of steps on their phone and they end up with a road map to reduce their emissions by 50%.
Among the 10 impressive What’s Next YYC finalists who are using the power of business models to solve social problems is the Indigenous-run social enterprise Colouring It Forward. Colouring It Forward produces and sells colouring books and other products developed with Indigenous artists and elders to help to share (and preserve) the beautiful artwork and ancestral wisdom of our Indigenous peoples and promote reconciliation through the arts.
It is no secret that ideation is HARD, especially when you are tackling complex issues. That is why Mount Royal University’s (MRU) Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Trico Charitable Foundation are excited to launch the Social Entrepreneurship Sprint this August!
WINS has continued to “think differently” when trying to operate in a difficult economy and navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. WINS had to reimagine how they combined the social and entrepreneurial so they could enhance their revenue and social impact at the same time – the ‘secret sauce’ of social entrepreneurship. Of course, the enhanced revenue, in turn, goes to fund even more social impact.
The Trico Changemakers Studio is home to a diverse group of businesses, organizations, agencies and individuals working on changemaking in various forms. Over the past 2 years, they have been home to 20 organizations from different sectors, including amazing social enterprises.
For students around the world whose lives and studies have been upended by the pandemic, it was important to them to see their projects through to the finish. Over the course of three days, 150 students from all over the world came together virtually to present issues they care deeply about.
On May 28th, 2020, four amazing panelists from social enterprises around Alberta shared how they are finding opportunities to survive and serve as small-medium sized businesses during this unprecedented time of COVID-19.
Amidst all of the changes to everyday life due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Map the System (MTS) Canada had the amazing responsiveness to think differently itself and evolve the program to a virtual competition for the 4th edition of the Canadian finals.
discovering hands is a household name at the Trico Charitable Foundation as one of our favourite examples of a social enterprise that demonstrates a synergistic blend. Based in Germany, this non-profit trains visually impaired women in standardized diagnostic breast exam techniques and then places them in jobs in physicians’ offices or clinics.