Social Impact Startups

In her talk on social entrepreneurship, Sara Thomas discusses how startups can save the world. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about her time on a service learning trip during her second year of Stanford Business school. This program involves business students exploring a social issue and conducting a meaningful project about it. Her issue was social impact entrepreneurship and her goal was to provide as much impact as possible for an early-stage business by working hands-on with the founder of Feelgoodz flip flops.

Her experience on this trip and with the startup afterwards taught her several things outlined in the talk on social entrepreneurship. The first is that hope is a requisite starting point. Founders need to believe in their vision and that it's possible to achieve. Her participation in this stage allowed her to see firsthand the undeniable tangible impact. She was also encouraged by the mission and purpose of being part of something bigger than herself. The main takeaway is that entrepreneurship is at the intersection between business and social change.