Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

16/09/2026

As we look ahead to the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2026, we’re revisiting an important conversation from last year’s meeting in New York.

At our session, Mind the Gap: Financing Social Innovation, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus joined HRH Infanta Cristina of Spain, B20 Sherpa Cas Coovadia, Susan Mang’eni of the Government of Kenya, and corporate leaders Chitkala Kalidas of Bayer and Jennifer Beason of SAP, alongside social innovators from the Schwab Foundation community.

Together, we explored a practical question: how can we get more finance and support flowing to the people developing solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges?

The conversation helped move several ideas forward:
🛒 Using procurement to create demand for social innovation
🤝 Building partnerships that connect health, livelihoods and business value chains
💡 Matching patient and blended finance to the long-term nature of social change
🎯 Exploring results-based financing and tradeable impact
🏢 Making social innovation part of core business strategy

The financing gap is still present, but so are the people, organizations and ideas working to close it.

What would you like to see discussed at this year’s meeting?

14/09/2026

The 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is quickly approaching. This year’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings will be an important opportunity to consider how we can accelerate progress.

From 21–24 September in New York, members of the Schwab Foundation’s community of social innovators and entrepreneurs will join leaders from across sectors to discuss and showcase how new ideas, social innovations and purpose-led business models can help address some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

As the 2030 deadline approaches, where do you see the greatest opportunities for new ideas and collaboration to make a difference?

Follow for more updates and insights from the World Economic Forum's

03/09/2026

On 24 August, Shikshagraha and RCRC, in partnership with the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, hosted The Collective Edge: Re-thinking Impact Beyond Silos in Delhi.

The session brought together social entrepreneurs, practitioners and funders to explore what it takes to move from organisation-centric approaches towards collective action. The conversation focused on the leadership needed to build ecosystems rather than institutions, how to measure impact that cannot be attributed to a single organisation, and how philanthropy and funding practices need to evolve to enable collaboration rather than competition.

Thank you to RCRC, Shikshagraha, Gates Foundation, Bridgespan and Eduweave Foundation for contributing to the conversation.

These questions are also at the heart of the Schwab Foundation’s work on collective social innovation: understanding how diverse actors can work together on challenges that no organisation can address alone.

31/08/2026

Congratulations to Runa Khan, founder of Friendship, on receiving the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award, recognizing her courageous and compassionate leadership in building locally led solutions for remote and marginalized communities.

Since founding Friendship in 2002, Runa has grown the organization from one floating hospital into a social purpose organization reaching more than 7.5 million people through healthcare, education, climate resilience, inclusive citizenship, cultural preservation and sustainable economic development.

A member of the Schwab Foundation community since 2012, when she was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Runa continues to demonstrate the power of empathy, perseverance and locally rooted innovation. We are delighted to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.

Photo: Friendship

27/08/2026

Scaling social impact requires more than a strong business model. It requires an ecosystem that enables purpose and performance to reinforce each other.

On 22 August, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, brought Market Minded, Mission Driven to New Delhi, convening social entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and ecosystem partners.

Across the discussions, a few priorities stood out:

➡️ Patient capital that gives social enterprises time to build sustainable models and demonstrate impact.
➡️ Strong governance and organizational culture that protect purpose as leadership, teams and operations evolve.
➡️ Greater fluency in unit economics and measurable outcomes, without reducing social impact to a single metric.
➡️ Investment in talent, recognizing that mission must be matched by fair compensation and opportunities for professional development.
➡️ An ecosystem approach to scale. No single company, investor, social enterprise or non-profit has the full set of capabilities required to address complex social challenges. Lasting progress depends on cross-sector collaboration.

These insights were shaped by contributions from Shuchin Bajaj, Aniket Doegar, Pranshu Singhal, Nidhi Pant, Vivek Prakash, Yashika Singh, Divya Yachamaneni, Shrashtant Patara, Shiv Kumar, Kanika Pal, Mayur Sirdesai, Nidhi Bhasin, Paresh Vaish, Saloni Malhotra and François Bonnici.

Thank you to Ujala Cygnus, Haqdarshak, Karo Sambhav, S4S Technologies, PepsiCo India, Naandi Community Water Services, Development Alternatives, The Catalysts, Digital Green Trust, EY and Aspire Impact for contributing to the exchange, and to Hindustan Unilever Limited, Somerset Indus Capital Partners and Jubilant Bhartia Foundation for supporting the convening.

The opportunity now is to strengthen the conditions that allow social enterprises to grow while remaining grounded in their purpose.

26/08/2026

Congratulations to Nidhi Pant and S4S Technologies, the 2026 Social Entrepreneur of the Year India Award winner. 🌱

For 17 years, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and Jubilant Bhartia Foundation have worked together to recognize social entrepreneurs across India who are developing innovative, sustainable approaches to some of society’s most persistent challenges.

This year, Nidhi Pant, Co-Founder of S4S Technologies, receives the award for work that connects climate action with economic opportunity.

S4S Technologies works with smallholder women farmers, using solar-powered food processing and market-linked rural entrepreneurship to reduce waste, support sustainable agriculture and strengthen livelihoods.

The award also celebrates an inspiring group of 2026 finalists whose work demonstrates the breadth of social innovation taking place across India:

➡️ Dr. Neha Verma, Intelehealth expanding access to healthcare through open-source, AI-enabled telemedicine.

➡️ Nuneseno Chase, YouthNet Nagaland, advancing youth-led approaches to education, livelihoods, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability.

➡️ Vinay Kumar Reddy Vadde, Sickle Innovations, developing agricultural technologies to improve productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen farmer incomes.

➡️ Vineet Saraiwala, Atypical Advantage, creating employment and skilling opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Since 2008, the Social Entrepreneur of the Year India Award has evolved beyond recognition, connecting social entrepreneurs with greater visibility, networks, mentorship and opportunities for knowledge exchange.

Congratulations to Nidhi and S4S Technologies, and to all the finalists demonstrating what purpose-driven entrepreneurship can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable development.

25/08/2026

We often think of youth as a time for learning. But what if it's also one of our most valuable periods for problem-solving?

At this year's Global Shapers Annual Summit, François Bonnici joined Ilona Dougherty, Kacha (Shogun) Mahadumrongkul and Ashlie Robinson to explore how entrepreneurship can help people respond to rapid social, economic and technological change.

Many young entrepreneurs are building ventures around challenges they have experienced firsthand. From climate change to social inequality, entrepreneurship is becoming a way to turn those experiences into action and create businesses that reflect their values.

The discussion also challenged how we think about youth. While learning matters, young people bring a willingness to question assumptions, take risks and imagine alternatives. The challenge is creating environments where that creativity can flourish rather than fade.

Watch the full panel discussion here, from 28:35:

Youth entrepreneurship is being redefined by a generation determine...

20/08/2026

Young social innovators may share a common ambition to create positive change, but the barriers they face are far from universal.

In some places, complex certification requirements and administrative processes can make it difficult to launch or grow a social venture. In others, corruption can limit access to funding, partnerships and institutional support. Elsewhere, social entrepreneurship carries a stigma because of its association with political actors, undermining trust in the sector itself.

Discussions at this year's Global Shapers Annual Summit highlighted just how different these realities can be. The challenges facing a young entrepreneur in Nigeria are not the same as those facing a community leader in India's border regions or a social enterprise in Eastern Europe.

If the barriers are different, the support offered should be too.

18/08/2026

The challenge isn't always a lack of support. Sometimes it's a lack of access to it.

Incubation centres, entrepreneurship programmes, mentorship networks and funding opportunities exist across economies. Yet many young and grassroots innovators remain disconnected from them because they are difficult to find, navigate or qualify for.

Too often, support is reserved for solutions that fit established and proven models, rather than local needs. As a result, promising ideas can struggle to access the resources designed to help them grow.

Support structures create the greatest value when they are visible, accessible and responsive to the people they are intended to serve. This was a clear takeaway from conversations with young social innovators at this year's Global Shapers Annual Summit.

17/08/2026

In many education systems, the challenge is not access to schooling, but access to learning that meets each student’s needs.

In Brazil, 85% of students attend public schools that are often under-resourced, and only around 10% reach basic proficiency.

Geekie Educação is using AI to address this gap. By applying adaptive assessments and data-driven study plans, its platform tailors learning to each student’s level, helping them catch up and progress at their own pace.

Designed to work within public education systems, the solution has reached around 10 million students and is used across 99% of Brazilian cities.

This case study shows how AI can move beyond content delivery to support personalised learning at system level, particularly where resources are limited.

As AI continues to shape the future of education, examples like Geekie highlight how it can be deployed to improve outcomes, strengthen systems, and expand opportunity.

🔗 Explore the case study:https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Art_of_AI_for_Impact_Geekie_2026.pdf
🔗 Explore all case studies: https://initiatives.weforum.org/global-alliance-for-social-entrepreneurship/ai-for-social-innovation