Scaling the Social Enterprise

Lessons Learned from Founders of Social Startups

Jennifer M. Walske, Visiting and Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Management and Organizations, UCLA Anderson School of Management, US, Elizabeth Foster, Portfolio and Investment Manager, Autodesk Foundation and Laura D. Tyson, Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, US

Scaling the Social Enterprise is an ideal text for courses that focus on social entrepreneurship and social innovation, at either the graduate or undergraduate level. Common themes across high growth social startups discussed in the book include:

• building and modifying a management team for growth

• creating and maintaining a dynamic stakeholder network

• choosing corporate form and funders

• moving from idea to pilot, to roll-out, and pivots along the way

• the importance of media magic in building a brand

• developing and refining one’s value chain

• the pivotal role of technology in scaling

Featuring high profile, high growth social startups including Fair Trade USA, Revolution Foods, Sanergy, Kiva, d.light, Back to the Roots, and Grameen America, the chapter on funding social startups also profiles social funders such as Bridges Fund Management and Better Ventures, amongst others.

‘Scaling the Social Enterprise is an insightful and practical guide to the rapidly growing number of purpose-driven businesses and capital-savvy nonprofits that are developing innovative, cost-effective and scalable solutions to the systemic problems that our world faces.’
– Brian Trelstad, Bridges Fund Management