MCN Update: 17 August 2016
Please welcome the 40 mission-driven social enterprises we’ve invited to participate in our Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration! We’re thrilled to welcome these fantastic social enterprises to the Fall Cohort of …
Patently Wrong International Development
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of medical equipment in some countries is donated or funded through foreign sources, but only 10 percent to 30 percent of the donations are ever put into operation. According to Robert Malkin, a professor of the practice of biomedical engineering at Duke University, “there is a great risk for every medical device donation that it’s going to hurt the recipient”.
https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/patently-wrong-international-development/
Interview: Lumeter Networks (2016)
Dorrit Lowsen from the Mentor Capital Network interviewed Mitra Ardron, the CEO of Lumeter Networks on August 9, 2016. Company Overview Mechanisms for getting paid have been a significant hurdle …
MCN Update: 1 August 2016
Apply by Wednesday, August 3rd for a chance to win up to $25,000 August 3rd is our next deadline for applications to the Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration. Are you developing ways …
Oil from algae: Manta Biofuel wants to change the source of crude
With a licensing deal for the technology in place from University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the startup is working on commercial development of technology for harvesting oil from algae. The system includes growing algae that is then skimmed using solar-powered harvesters. The conversion is completed through a process that exposes the algae to high pressure and temperatures, known as hydrothermal liquefaction.
https://technical.ly/baltimore/2016/07/21/manta-biofuel-algae-oil-sbir-imet/
MCN Update: 6 July 2016
Overview of MCN’s 2016 Partnership with Bethesda GreenIn the Spring of 2016, Mentor Capital Network partnered with Bethesda Green for the third straight year to support ten for-profit, environmentally-focused social enterprises as they worked to grow their …
2016 Bethesda Green Events (Honest Tea, Investor Fishbowl)
HONEST TEA TOUR JULY 6, 2016 – BETHESDA, MD Please join Net Impact and Mentor Capital Network for an evening with Honest Tea. Led by Seth Goldman, “TeaEO” of Honest Tea, you …
MCN Update: 28 June 2016
An Evening with Honest TeaPlease join Net Impact and Mentor Capital Network for an evening with Honest Tea. Led by Seth Goldman, “TeaEO” of Honest Tea, you will have the opportunity to hear from the …
Roads Paved With Pig Manure Could Mean A Cleaner Future
A new video created by the National Science Foundation explains new research into using waste from pigs to create a more environmentally friendly alternative to the petroleum-based asphalt that is currently used in roads today.
https://www.popsci.com/roads-paved-with-pig-manure-could-mean-cleaner-future
New solar powered bench in Norfolk charges phone while you sit
Hampton Roads’ first solar powered bench is being brought to you by the Downtown Norfolk Council, partnering with Aesop Technologies.
https://wtkr.com/2016/06/24/new-solar-powered-bench-in-norfolk-charges-phone-while-you-sit/
With Help of $10M Series A, Back to the Roots Poised to Truly ‘Undo Food’
Back to the Roots, an Oakland, California startup pioneering how families reconnect with food, announced today that it has expanded its January crowdfunding campaign on CircleUp into a $10M Series A. The new investment was led by Acre Venture Partners, Campbell Soup’s venture capital fund for food startups, and also includes funding from S2G Ventures and Red Sea Ventures.
http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/startups/sustainable_brands/help_10m_series_back_roots_poised_undo_food
MCN Update: 16 June 2016
From Mayada Hassanain, our Atlas Corps Fellow: Today marks the end of my nine months journey in the United States as an Atlas Corps Fellow serving with the Mentor Capital …
Education Technology | Launched 2015 | Chile
Brave UP, led by CEO Alvaro Carrasco and COO Robinson Salinas, is an education technology start up with a program and platform for revolutionizing the way school stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, administrators) communicate.
https://brianjacobbell.com/2016/06/16/agora-entrepreneurs/
Interview: RUR Greenlife (2016)
Mentor Capital Network interviewed Monisha Narke, Founder and CEO of RUR GreenLife, a participant in the 2016 Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration in June of 2016. RUR GreenLife’s vision is to …
MCN Update: 8 June 2016
Attention DC-Area Entrepreneurs, Mentors, and InvestorsOur next Investor Fishbowl will be June 20, 2016, in Rockville, MD. It is an opportunity for entrepreneurs behind pre-selected social enterprises to pitch in front of real …
Update Sesolo Mello
Sesolo Mello is a social enterprise aiming to substitute paraffin in South African households with a safer, healthier and cheaper alternative: a biofuel blend that can be used in the same cookstoves as paraffin. Made from waste vegetable oils and produced in small scale production facilities, it also provides a sustainable solution that can stimulate local entrepreneurship and employment.
http://borrelofthepyramid.org/2016/06/08/update-sesolo-mello/
The colorful story behind swinging seats that look good, feel good, and do good.
Launched in 2012, Yellow Leaf trains and employs The Mlabri, a group of people who have previously battled exploitation, slavery, and malnourishment, with safe, dignified work. Most of the weavers are mothers who are given the flexibility to weave at home and make their own schedules. In the past four years, the number of trained weavers has grown from 25 to 200 (with a planned 160 additional jobs to be created this year) and weavers recently send two Mlabri children to university with money saved from their work.
https://www.cb2.com/blog/yellow-leaf-hammocks-backstory/?platform=hootsuite
Turning plastic waste into fencing posts
Nairobi, Kenya, produces more than 2,000 metric tons of waste a day. Find out how one company in the city uses plastic waste to manufacture poles and planks.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2016/06/01/african-start-up-kenya-eco-post-spc.cnn
MCN Update: 25 May 2016
2016 Summer CohortMentor Capital Network’s Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration And just like that, we’re off and running with a new cohort of mission-driven social enterprises who are developing innovative ways to …
A Few Days in the Shoes of a Social Entrepreneur in Haiti
Jess is an amazing social entrepreneur; as an undergrad at Tufts, she worked with The Archimedes Project to develop the idea for her social venture, Kouzin Dlo. Thanks to seed funding from The Resolution Project, Jess was then able to implement the business on the ground, moving to Haiti just 20 days after graduating. Kouzin Dlo trains women as micro-entrepreneurs to sell clean water products in their own communities. This model not only brings Kouzin Dlo’s effective products to communities at a price that’s 90 times cheaper than other clean drinking water options, but it also creates economic opportunities in marginalized communities.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-resolution-project/social-entrepreneur-in-haiti_b_10116824.html
Can Social Innovation & Social Enterprise Startups Be The Answer For A Better Afghanistan?
The SHETAB (meaning ‘accelerate’ in Persian/Dari) Lab is a center for business and social innovation in Afghanistan. Their mission is to facilitate the process of creating successful and impact driven social ventures across Afghanistan and enable the next generation of Afghan entrepreneurs and civic leaders.
https://causeartist.com/social-enterprise-afghanistan/
MCN Update: 22 June 2016
Overview of the Investor Fishbowl It was great to see so many new and familiar faces at Monday’s Investor Fishbowl event in Rockville, MD. Special thanks to our partner, Bethesda Green, for …
MCN Update: 11 May 2016
Mission Hub LLC in San Francisco is hiring a Social Innovation Manager to create and develop programs that can inspire and expand access to the social enterprise and impact investing …
Lighting the Way to Women’s Economic Empowerment
The women of East and Northeast India no longer need to fear the dark. ONergy, an award-winning social enterprise, has developed a number of innovative energy solutions that not only address the dearth of electricity in the region – improving safety in their communities – but also light a path toward economic empowerment for women.
https://3blmedia.com/News/Lighting-Way-Womens-Economic-Empowerment
Leonardo DiCaprio Invests in, Joins Advisory Board of Ecuadorian Beverage Company Runa
DiCaprio participated in an investment round, which includes Marlon Wayans, Adam Rodriguez (“CSI Miami”) and professional tennis players John Isner and Steve Johnson. Channing Tatum was an early investor. Runa products are made from guayusa caffeinated tea leaf from the Ecuadorian Amazon, which is sustainably produced in the rainforest by 3,000 indigenous farming families.
http://variety.com/2016/film/news/leonardo-dicaprio-ecuadorian-beverage-company-runa-1201764711/
Leonardo DiCaprio Just Invested in This $5 Million Beverage Startup
The Hollywood actor, investor, and activist has invested in Runa, an organic tea business, and says he will donate his shares back to Ecuadorian farmers.
http://www.inc.com/zoe-henry/leonardo-dicaprio-invests-in-runa-tea.html?edited
MCN Update: 27 April 2016
Collaboration is the key to building an inclusive community. How can we best support social entrepreneurs and innovators to build an inclusive community in our region and beyond? This was …
TED Talk – A smart loan for people with no credit history (yet)
Trust: How do you earn it? Banks use credit scores to determine if you’re trustworthy, but there are about 2.5 billion people around the world who don’t have one to begin with — and who can’t get a loan to start a business, buy a home or otherwise improve their lives. Hear how TED Fellow Shivani Siroya is unlocking untapped purchasing power in the developing world with InVenture, a start-up that uses mobile data to create a financial identity. “With something as simple as a credit score,” says Siroya, “we’re giving people the power to build their own futures.”
http://www.ted.stfi.re/talks/shivani_siroya_a_smart_loan_for_people_with_no_credit_history_yet?sf=earaad#t-27750
Changing the Way the World Looks at Water with DayOne Response
Disasters happen, whether we are expecting them or not. While they can be chaotic and terrifying, there are companies out there who strive to pick up the pieces afterward and try to help those affected regain some sense of normalcy. DayOne Response is one of those companies who are there to help out when disaster strikes. DayOne Response is unique in that it focuses on ensuring everyone has clean water despite the chaos of the situation.
http://www.bayareaforsale.com/articles/dayone-response-changing-the-way-the-world-looks-at-water
Interview: Realty Sage (2016)
The Mentor Capital Network interviewed Kari Klaus, CEO and Founder of Viva Green Homes, a participant in our 2016 Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration. The company has since changed its name …
Interview: GivKwik
The Mentor Capital Network interviewed Jason Rosado, the CEO of Givkwik, on April 18, 2016. Givkwik participated in the Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration Program in 2013. Givkwik helps companies give …
Interview: Union Kitchen
The Mentor Capital Network interviewed Davita Louie, Director of Development for Union Kitchen, and a participant in the Mentor Capital Network’s 2016 Spring Cohort, on April 15, 2016. Union Kitchen …
Interview: Fredsense
The Mentor Capital Network interviewed David Lloyd, Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of FREDsense Technologies, on April 14, 2016. FREDsense technologies participated in the MCN Sustainable Business Plan collaboration in 2014. …
Interview: Evaptainers
The Mentor Capital Network interviewed Spencer Taylor Co-founder and CEO of Evaptainers, an MCN Alumnus from 2014. Evaptainers’ mission is to provide affordable refrigeration solutions to address the unique needs …
Interview: Vayando
The Mentor Capital Network interviewed Jason Seagle the CEO and Co-founder of Vayando on March 30, 2016. Vayando was a participant of the MCN’s Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration in 2015. …
Wash Cycle Laundry — Up Close And Personal
Wash Cycle Laundry is proving that bikes are commercially-scalable alternatives to trucks for intra-metropolitan freight. Over 3 million pounds of cargo are hauled across Philadelphia and Washington DC since the company began in 2010.
http://untoursfoundation.org/2016/03/wash-cycle-laundry-up-close-and-personal/
WaterWheel: A rolling solution in rural India
This year, American social venture company Wello Water reported that over 2000 WaterWheels have been delivered to different villages in rural India. The WaterWheel is a solution put forward to alleviate the strain water collection has on rural families.
http://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/waterwheel-rolling-solution-rural-india
MCN Update: 16 March 2016
Save My Knees. I am writing you today from Granada, Nicaragua, where I am working with Agora Partnerships and identifying entrepreneurs that the Mentor Capital Network (MCN) should support. A few weeks …
Exo, protein bar made from crickets, raises $4M
Exo, a protein bar company founded by two 20something entrepreneurs, today announced it has raised a $4 million Series A for a packaged food concept whose key ingredient would give most Americans pause: crickets. Or more specifically, cricket powder.
http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2016/03/07/exo-protein-bar-made-from-crickets-raises-4m.html
MCN Update: 2 March 2016
News & Updates Prizes for the 2016 CollaborationBe sure to check out our growing list of prizes that will be available to our top companies from the2016 Sustainable Business Plan Collaboration. The MCN …