People are attracted to social entrepreneurs like last year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus for many of the same reasons that they find business entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs so compelling – these extraordinary people come up with brilliant ideas and against all the odds succeed at creating new products and services that dramatically improve people’s lives.īut interest in social entrepreneurship transcends the phenomenon of popularity and fascination with people.
On the most basic level, there’s something inherently interesting and appealing about entrepreneurs and the stories of why and how they do what they do.
The reasons behind the popularity of social entrepreneurship are many. The term itself shows up frequently in the media, is referenced by public officials, has become common on university campuses, and informs the strategy of several prominent social sector organizations, including Ashoka and the Schwab and Skoll Foundation foundations. The nascent field of social entrepreneurship is growing rapidly and attracting increased attention from many sectors.