The Urgency of Now: Supporting Early-stage Entrepreneurs

Despite all the scientific and technological advances the social sector has seen—and the vast amount of capital that has been spent—to address issues like systemic poverty, health care access, basic needs, and education, too much remains left undone. Though there are pockets of improvements, large segments of society are still left on their own, and the world faces increasingly complex problems but lacks the resources to solve them.

We believe early-stage social organizations led by exceptional entrepreneurs are an essential building block for profound social change. Many of these organizations bring new innovations either through technical breakthroughs, or through the creative repurposing of existing technology or applications to solve a different need. Some develop into larger organizations, spreading their solutions through a number of end games that benefit previously ignored populations. But even those that do not scale or fail to achieve maturity also create significant influence and impact, as mature organizations or governments adopt promising aspects of their work.

This series, presented in partnership with the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, shares the perspectives of both entrepreneurs and funders on the role that early-stage support plays in creating long-term social change.