UST Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship
University of St. Thomas
Minneapolis Campus
Thursday, October 18, 2012
In Minnesota and across the nation, new businesses ventures are emerging for the sole purpose of “doing good.” These hybrid for-profit/not-for-profit entities, inspired by the belief that society’s challenges belong to all of us, are providing a fresh source of much-needed support for people and for the planet.
The UST Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship will facilitate participants in analyzing various hybrid social benefit models and investigating innovative ideas for forging their own social benefit partnerships.
Business leaders, entrepreneurs, policy makers, philanthropists and nonprofit directors are encouraged to attend this dynamic, applied-learning event to deepen their knowledge and make personal connections with prospective partners.
Only at USTThis program leverages the university’s nationally renowned capabilities in entrepreneurship, ethics, nonprofit management and business. Further, it was designed with the conviction that UST should take a leadership role in developing morally-centered leaders who will support the common good. |
Jessica is a Founder and former Chief Marketing Officer of Kiva, the world's first peer to peer microlending website. Kiva lets users lend as little as $25 to poor entrepreneurs around the world, providing affordable capital for them to start or expand microenterprises. Named one of the top ideas of 2006 by The New York Times Magazine, and praised by Oprah, Bill Clinton and countless others, Kiva is one of the fastest-growing social benefit websites in history. Since its founding in 2005, it has loaned nearly $200 million from lenders to entrepreneurs across 206 countries. (By 2012, total loans on Kiva to the world's working poor are expected to reach $1 billion.) For all its success, Kiva remains focused on a simple mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, one person at a time. Jackley was also a founder and CEO of ProFounder, which joined forces with GOOD in 2012 to create innovative tools and experiences for entrepreneurs to crowdfund. Jackley, a finalist for TIME's 100 Most Influential People in 2009 and a recipient of USA Networks' Character Approved award in 2010, first saw the power and dignity of microfinance while working in East Africa with a microenterprise non-profit. Convinced that social change happens across all sectors, Jackley has worked in public, nonprofit, and private organizations including the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Amazon.com, Potentia Media and many others. Jessica Jackley is the recipient of the 2012 Symons Innovator Award, which recognizes the importance of women's participation in technology innovation and business. |
We are pleased to announce the 2012 UST Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship keynote speaker, Jessica Jackley!