The mission of Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society (CSTS) is to benefit underserved communities worldwide by promoting the use of science and technology through social entrepreneurship. CSTS implements its mission through education, public engagement, and direct social impact. Our signature program in the area of social impact is the internationally recognized Global Social Benefit Incubator™ (GSBI), which helps social entrepreneurs from around the world measurably increase the social impact and financial sustainability of their ventures through a year-long program of online learning, mentoring, and in-residence skill-building.

Literacy Bridge, Ghana ’10 provides poor, rural communities with on-demand access to locally relevant audio knowledge via “Talking Book,” a simple and durable $10 audio computer that plays, records, and copies spoken messages.

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Center for Science, Technology, and Society

T H E G L O B A L S O C I A L B E N E F I T I N C U B A T O R

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CSTS is one of three Centers of Distinction at Santa

Clara University, bringing together the University’s

students and faculty, the Silicon Valley community, and

international social entrepreneurs who are employing

innovative approaches to tackle the world’s most

challenging problems. Through The Tech Awards and

our own GSBI, the center has worked with more than

300 social enterprises giving us unique insights into

leading technical and social innovations for the

developing world. Treating our interaction with these

entrepreneurs as a “learning laboratory,” we incorporate

the innovations and insights from the GSBI into the

Science and Technology for the Underserved

center’s own public engagement and education

programs to demonstrate how science and technology

can be used for the greater good.

In 2010, CSTS launched a three-year initiative to focus

on renewable energy for the underserved, specifically

addressing the challenges of bringing light to 1.6 billion

people worldwide who have no access to electricity.

Half of the GSBI Class of 2010 will come from the

renewable energy sector and ongoing research will

analyze market intelligence, technology business model

innovations, and barriers to achieving wide-scale impact.

“My experience at CSTS

gives me hope that we

can collectively solve

some of the world’s

most pressing challeng-

es and that my own

career can be part of the

solution.” Jon Rodrigues, SCU MBA student and CSTS research assistant

Mission Goorgoorlu, Senegal ’10 designs and supports local fabrication of an affordable, durable engine which runs on biodiesel.

Center for Science, Technology, and Society The Global Social Benefit Incubator

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“I participated in the GSBI

at the right time. It

equipped me with new

skills in business planning,

market segmentation,

organizational positioning,

telling a compelling story,

professional presentation,

branding, and more.

My confidence and

competence are

strengthened, and the

sky will be my limit.” Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, The Smallholders Foundation Nigeria ’09

GSBI Class of 2009. Social entrepreneurs from 10 countries attended the Augustin-residence program at Santa Clara University.

Our Success Factors• A discovery and selection process that identifies an annual cohort of high-potential social enterprise leaders in

collaboration with global partners;

• Intensive in-residence executive education, facilitated by leading-edge faculty and integrated with distance learning

resources to accelerate learning before and after the in-residence program;

• A cadre of seasoned Silicon Valley executive mentors to provide ongoing coaching, validation of business models,

and development of execution strategies;

• A process for facilitating network learning and best practices in overcoming barriers to sustainability, scale, and

impact, with the related objective of building the field of social entrepreneurship.

Overview of the GSBI ProgramThe GSBI’s unique blend of remote and face-to-face learning, mentoring, and collaboration begins with the application process in January hosted on the Skoll Foundation’s Social Edge website (www.socialedge.org). Once entrepreneurs are accepted into the program, they begin working remotely with their mentoring team to develop and revise key components of their business plan. Structured assignments in online workspaces and via Skype take place over the following three months, helping mentors and entrepreneurs come to a set of shared objectives for what they intend to accomplish in the GSBI.

Santa Clara University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, serves as the setting for an intense two-week in-residence

“boot camp” in August. Classroom sessions led by faculty and leading practitioners complement peer-to-peer

collaboration and executive mentoring. Participants also get an opportunity to “stress test” business plans through

presentation and feedback sessions.

Following the in-residence program, participants are encouraged to continue reaching out to mentors, faculty, staff, and

peers to support their implementation process. The GSBI is continually developing new tools and processes to provide

more value during the implementation phase.

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What does it mean to

scale your social

impact? For the GSBI

it means that ventures

are growing their

beneficiary reach and

they are doing so in a

financially sustainable

way—with positive

cash flows, and

earned or recurring

income growth rates

that are greater than

expense growth rates.

By these and similar

measures of impact

and financial viability,

more than 40 percent

of GSBI alumni

are scaling their

social impact. Jim Koch, GSBI director

The Tech Awards Laureates 2009. Many laureates come from or go on to participate in the GSBI program.

Discovery Partners: We are grateful to Discovery

Partners for helping us in our outreach efforts for the GSBI

program and The Tech Awards. The World Bank

Development Marketplace is a strategic partner of the

GSBI and identifies proof-of-concept social ventures with

the potential to scale. Other organizations that serve as

Discovery Partners include The Tech Awards, Grassroots

Business Fund, DASRA-Social Impact in India, Acumen

Fund, Draper Richards Foundation, Ashoka Foundation,

World Resources Institute, Monterrey Tec (ITESM) in

Mexico, Schwab Foundation, Pop!Tech, Vodafone

Americas Foundation, and the Skoll Foundation.

In-Residence Curriculum: The curriculum has

strengthened each year thanks to input from thought

leaders like Geoffrey Moore in market creation, Regis

McKenna in branding, Jeff Miller in vertical market

strategy, Al Hammond in distribution channels for the

base of the pyramid, IDEO in design for resource-

constrained environments, and Radha Basu in social

venture leadership. The work of earlier successful

graduates provides valuable case study materials and

taps the growing positive network of the GSBI.

Mentoring: Approximately 30 successful Silicon Valley

executives, including high tech entrepreneurs, CEOs,

and venture capitalists, serve as GSBI mentors. They

bring knowledge of business models, organizational

development, and market creation as well as the

entrepreneurial spirit that is a hallmark of this region.

Their work with entrepreneurs begins online three months

prior to the in-residence program, and often continues

years later. The personal attention from the mentors

creates a highly customized program based on the needs

of each entrepreneur.

Specialized Innovation Resources: A number of

resource partners also support the GSBI: Lex Mundi

provides pro-bono legal services to GSBI alumni;

Give2Asia coordinates U.S. funding for social enterprises

in Asia; DASRA-Social Impact provides access to on-the-

ground mentoring follow-up in India; Net Suite offers

pro-bono business process software to alumni; and

Accenture has provided high value-added consulting

services on-the-ground for selected social ventures. This

network of specialized resources continues to be

developed based on the needs of alumni.

SCU Leavey School of Business: Each fall, graduate

students in the Social Entrepreneurship MBA course study

the business plans developed and presented in the August

GSBI in-residence program. The students learn about the

unique challenges of social enterprises by analyzing the

plans from a variety of perspectives (environmental factors,

revenue models, market analysis, cash flow projections,

etc.). They’re also able to share insights and recommenda-

tions with GSBI entrepreneurs to help strengthen their

plans. In addition, business school students play a key role

in advising entrepreneurs on their business plan exercises

throughout the application process.

SCU School of Engineering: With a commitment to

“Engineering with a Mission,” the Santa Clara University

School of Engineering is an important partner in

blending technological innovation with the needs of the

underserved. Through their focus on renewable energy

and a graduate course called Engineering for the

Developing World, the school is an important resource to

the GSBI entrepreneurs and CSTS. SCU’s newly formed

Institute for Frugal Innovation is a joint initiative by the

School of Engineering and CSTS.

Partnering for Social Impact

Center for Science, Technology, and Society The Global Social Benefit Incubator

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Center for Science, Technology, and SocietySanta Clara University500 El CaminoSanta Clara, CA 95053-0470

Naandi Foundation ’08 provides safe water for rural areas in India at a cost of $18 per year for a family of six. More than 2,000 plants in India have already adopted Naandi’s pay-per-use model.

Digital Divide Data (DDD) ’04 provides IT training, education, and jobs to disadvantaged young people in Cambodia and Laos. DDD has generated more than $8 million in revenue by delivering competitively priced IT services to global clients.

SponsorsWe would like to acknowledge the following sponsors for their generous support of the GSBI:

Additionally, our thanks go to the following organizations for their ongoing partnership:

Discovery PartnersAcumen FundAshoka Foundation DASRA-Social Impact, India

Draper Richards FoundationGrassroots Business FundMonterrey Tec (ITESM), MexicoPop!TechSchwab FoundationSocial EdgeThe Tech Awards Vodafone Americas Foundation World Bank Development MarketplaceWorld Resources Institute

Innovation PartnersAccentureLex Mundi Pro Bono FoundationGive2AsiamHealth Alliance NetSuite®

NextBillion.net SVT Group

The GSBI Application Process

Each year, through the Social Edge network (www.socialedge.org), the GSBI conducts an open application process. The application process consists of three business planning exercises: (1) Target Market Statement; (2) Value Proposition; and (3) Business Model (income and expense drivers, critical success factors). Entrepreneurs receive online feedback on each of the three exercises. Of those that complete the exercises, the most promising ventures with potential for scaling are invited to submit a formal application. After further evaluation, about 40 entrepreneurs are interviewed and approximately 20 are then invited to continue in the year-long program. Scholarships (up to the full cost of $25,000) are available for this program, which include online learning, ongoing executive mentoring, and a two-week in-residence program.

Help Support our Work

CSTS relies heavily on external funding for its operations and programs. We welcome your support for our work, and will be happy to discuss naming opportunities for specific events. We provide appropriate recognition for all contributions and gifts can be designated for specific activities, such as the GSBI.

Supporters can make a gift online at www.scu.edu/sts, give a gift of stock, or mail a donation.

If you would like further information about donating to the center, please contact Christine Nichols at 408-554-5442 or e-mail cnichols@scu.edu.

Alumni Profiles

For further information on the GSBI, please contact Sherrill Dale at 408-551-6027 or e-mail sdale@scu.edu.

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The percentage of GSBI alumni that are scaling is more than three times

the rate in conventional for-profit incubators.

Of those organizations that are scaling, 80 percent reported that the GSBI

had a “high” or “very high” impact on the success of their organization.

Manoj Sinha ’09, of Husk Power Systems, said:

Interaction with my mentors was incredibly valuable and I gained

phenomenal insights from the session on operational planning. Our

team used this lesson from the GSBI and devoted two days to zero-in

on our strategy. We are now clearly focused on the activities that

increase our value the most, both financially and in terms of social

impact. We are also on track to increase the number of installed power

plants by 5X within one year of completing the GSBI, allowing us to

directly impact more than 150,000 lives.

Demonstrated Outcomes