Social Entrepreneurs Pitch World-Changing Ideas for Impact

SOCAP22 Social Entrepreneur Cohort Looks to Connect with Investors and Scale Solutions

As they took the stage to pitch their ideas during the final day of SOCAP22, the social entrepreneurs selected for the SOCAP22 Entrepreneur Program reinforced a theme that ran throughout the event: Collaborative action is needed now to shift capital toward projects and partnerships that best tackle the world’s biggest challenges. With their solutions to pressing social, cultural, and environmental issues, the SOCAP22 social entrepreneurs present promising investment opportunities for funders looking to drive positive impact.

Through the annual Entrepreneur Program, SOCAP grants spots in our program to social entrepreneurs from all over the globe — and this year’s winners were selected from a record number of applicants. During their pitches at SOCAP22, the social entrepreneurs conveyed the sense of urgency around scaling up the impact of their innovations to help people who are most vulnerable. As SOCAP Entrepreneur Program Coordinator Sarah Sterling said in introducing the social entrepreneurs, “Part of what we’re trying to develop at SOCAP is a sense of community. … All of us have amazing connections and networks that we can use to bring together and weave into a community of support.”

With investment-ready solutions, the social entrepreneurs represent diverse sectors and are poised for high impact and a high potential for return, Sterling said. “These issues are not going away anytime soon. We need to find funders to support these entrepreneurs who know the issues on the ground and are using their talents and resources to address them,” she said. “There is a lot of value that investors can bring to an enterprise beyond just giving money, which is why they should be more open to meeting with all sorts of entrepreneurs — to connect them with other investors, give feedback on their pitch, and just hear the inspiring stories they have to tell.”

Watch the video below to learn more about each social entrepreneur and their solutions in the areas of Education, Economic Development, Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Action, Health and Wellness, Ethical Fashion, and Financial Inclusion and Services. (For a specific pitch, forward the video to the indicated time.)