Category Archives: Innovation

Making Social Innovation Work

Posted on September 16, 2016 by

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past year, you’ve probably heard of a hackathon, even if you’re not quite sure what it is. Hackathons have become increasingly popular events challenging developers, innovators and changemakers alike to use … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenge, Design Lab, Innovation | Leave a comment

Is Social Entrepreneurship a Distraction?

Posted on July 17, 2016 by

A leader in the social enterprise field, Pamela Hartigan, has written a compelling blog entitled, “Why Social Entrepreneurship has become a distraction: it’s mainstream capitalism that needs change”.  It is a clarion call.  See what you think.

Posted in Challenge, Innovation, social enterprise, Social Entrepreneur, social impact, Social Venture | 1 Comment

Business Model Trumps Product

Posted on June 5, 2016 by

I’ve just finished two days of mentoring eight ventures, most social-mission driven, as part of my work as a facilitator for the LaunchYU Accelerator at York University.  communityBUILD, the social enterprise initiative of ventureLAB and its three partners, has five social … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Model, Innovation, social enterprise, Social Entrepreneur, social entrepreneurs, Social Venture, Startup, Start-Up, ventureLAB | Leave a comment

The Risk of Isolation

Posted on March 27, 2016 by

As a mentor, I occasionally meet entrepreneurs with whom it is difficult to have a conversation about their venture because they don’t want to share their idea.  They’re afraid someone will steal it once it’s revealed.  I can understand the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Model, Competition, failure, Innovation, risk, Social Entrepreneur, Startup, Start-Up, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Recipe for Impact

Posted on March 24, 2016 by

  At ventureLAB we are meeting increasing numbers of social ventures that are focused on issues related to food.  In fact, we seem to be creating a cluster, a community. These entrepreneurs are creating new business models that have the potential … Continue reading →

Posted in Complexity, Food Entrepreneur, Funding, Innovation, Social Entrepreneur, Social Mission, Uncategorized, ventureLAB | Leave a comment

Powering Innovation

Posted on March 6, 2016 by

Magnus Sandberg,Vice President and General Manager for Social Capital Partners in Toronto, expresses his idea of innovation as a World’s Cup sailboat.  He spoke recently at part of our communityBUILD Speaker’s Series where he spoke about, “The Quest for Social Impact – … Continue reading →

Posted in Competition, Innovation, Social Entrepreneur | Leave a comment