COURSE INTRODUCTION

Combining innovative mind-sets with the application of entrepreneurial principles, mission- driven ventures can bring social, environmental as well as economic benefits to society. Social entrepreneurship requires visionary entrepreneurs to think out of the box and create new business opportunities. Venture philanthropy and impact investing provide not only the resources to support such efforts, but also impact-driven accountability and results-orientated approaches. This course will teach essential knowledge and tools as well as hands-on skills, so that students can facilitate a real-life social venture partner to address challenges, capture potential opportunities and obtain support from the eco-system to ensure sustainability of the business. Featuring industry leaders as guest speakers during the lectures, the students will learn from both academic and outstanding practitioners of the fields. Students will form teams to work with a chosen social venture partner (“SVP”) in a consulting capacity, and deliver a business presentation on behalf of their social venture partner.