Giving Compass' Take:

• The Skoll Foundation recently announced the social entrepreneur winners of the 2018 Skoll Awards. The investment made by the Skoll Foundation can help these businesses reach higher global impact. 

• Why is it important for foundations to honor global social entrepreneurs in this way? How do forums like these encourage entrepreneurship?

• Care about global social entrepreneurship? Read about how to support women entrepreneurs in India. 

As we prepare to head to Oxford for the 15th Annual Skoll World Forum, we are delighted to introduce you to our 2018 Skoll Awardees for Social Entrepreneurship!

The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo, drive sustainable large-scale change, and are poised to create an even greater impact on the world. By investing in organizations when their innovations are ripe for accelerated and scaled adoption, the Skoll Awards help unleash the full global potential and reach of social entrepreneurship.

“Working side-by-side with those most affected by violence, injustice, or exclusion, these six social entrepreneurs—five of whom are women—have drawn upon an array of technologies to design their innovative solutions,” said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation.

  1. Lesley Marincola with Angaza provides a pay-as-you-go technology platform to increase the affordability of clean energy products for the world’s 1 billion off-grid customers.
  2. Jess Ladd with Callisto dismantles barriers to reporting sexual assault through its online platform, which provides survivors with new reporting options and institutions with actionable data to guard against and respond to the problem.
  3. Jennifer Pahlka with Code for America helps build and deploy open-source technology in partnership with governments to make their public services simple, effective, and easy to use by citizens.
  4. Barbara Pierce Bush with Global Health Corps seeds the field of global health with young, non-traditional talent, building a network of innovative future leaders through its distinctive leadership program.
  5. Anushka Ratnayake with myAgro is a pioneering mobile layaway savings model enables smallholder farmers to invest in the high-quality inputs that will improve their harvests and lift them out of poverty.
  6. Harish Hande with SELCO builds a holistic ecosystem that increases the accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of renewable energy for the poor.

Read the full article about global social entrepreneurship at The Skoll Foundation.