| Field Updates: First, I want to talk about Laureate Education. Unlike most of the companies we talk about, they’re not an MCN Alum. But last week, they became the first Public Benefit Corporation to complete an initial public offering. This is a momentous shift in the history of the public markets. The Mentor Capital Networks’ mission is to find and take amazing social enterprises to scale so that they can have a transformative impact on the world. Laureate’s IPO will serve as an example to all those who aspire towards mission AND margin. MCN Updates: The Mentor Capital Network is currently in the middle of a strategic planning process. For years, we’ve been collecting data on which of our programs are most effective, and now we’re going through that data in detail to build a better and more effective organization. We hope to present our new vision in the next few months, and will resume our Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration programming at that time. A In the meantime, we’re still quite busy. Through our partnership with the School for International Training, we have three new research fellows from west Africa: Henry Tanjong (Cameroon), Saheed Ottun (Nigeria), and Fred Fundo (Liberia). I look forward to working with these gentlemen. Last week we met with some of our peers in the incubator/accelerator field — leaders in Iraq, Palestine, and Kuwait. One of the great joys of being a truly international organization is creating peer-to-peer partnerships between individuals who wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to meet. That is an important part of the network we are creating. Thank you all for the work you are doing. Ian T. Fisk Executive Director The Mentor Capital Network |
| MCN Alumni in the News |
| LuminAID Lab, the Shark Tank Solar Entrepreneurs, with their Next “Bright Idea” Immersed Games making educating fun Runa’s Indigenous Brew: An Amazonian Super-Leaf Saathi makes sanitary pads easier on people and the planet MilkCrate goes Broadband with Comcast Esoko connects smallholder farmers to mobile money |
| Upcoming Application Deadlines for early-stage Social Entrepreneurs |
| Applications for Agora’s July 2017 Accelerator are currently open. Their current program includes #MCNAlum Eco Ola. The Vinetta Project $20K Venture Challenge supports high growth female entrepreneurs as they take their tech businesses to scale. The Global Social Benefit Institute is accepting applications for its online program through February 17th. Their current program includes #MCNalum Tugende & Yellow Leaf Hammocks. Ambassador Corps 2017 will send undergraduate students to Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, India, and Jordan for 8- to 10-week professional internships. The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures provides seed grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social ventures led by Columbia University students or alumni. The Points of Light Civic Accelerator supports early stage for-profit and nonprofit ventures with solutions that increase financial well-being and economic mobility for underserved populations. Climate Ventures 2.0, a global accelerator focused on Agriculture and Water Systems Resilience, is seeking applications for $250,000 of GoodCompany Ventures Impact Grants. The Buckminster Fuller Challenge Prize is for innovators who are addressing the many crises facing humanity and the fundamental systems that support life on Earth. |
| Support MCN The Mentor Capital Network is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and depends entirely on the support of donors like you. If you like the work that we do to support start-up and growing social enterprises around the globe, please contribute today. The Mentor Capital Network is a trade name of the William James Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible. |