Among Social Enterprise Chicago’s early initiatives was the Social Enterprise Certificate program co-developed with the University of Illinois at Chicago. Launched in the of Spring 2019, the program ran twice a year, bringing together social entrepreneurs and socially impactful leaders and business students, from the community and beyond, in a highly successful 16-week program.
SocEntChi supports and partners with Institutions of Higher Education to facilitate social enterprise incubators. While the number in each cohort will vary, we encourage early-stage social enterprises and social enterprises who are ready to scale to participate. The cohorts receive coaching, mentorship, and business templates from the board members and the partners of SocEntChi.
SocEntChi will also help the cohort market their businesses and connect them to others in SocEntChi's network.
At the end of every incubator cohort, SocEntChi will participate in judging a pitch competition with the coordinating partner Institution of Higher Education. The competition will evaluate the soundness of the business model and its viability for successful execution. Competitors deemed sound and viable may be referred for impact investing consideration.
We will be recruiting judges from local businesses, philanthropy, government, and NFP leaders.
More information to come.
Social Enterprise Chicago will be the primary convener of all the players in the social enterprise ecosystem in the metro Chicago region. SocEntChi will support the development of the local social enterprise field through a range of advocacy, capacity building, and networking initiatives.
Social Enterprise Chicago will seek out educational, training, networking, and advocacy opportunities to help Chicago-area businesses effectively deploy market-driven strategies that ensure their financial sustainability while meaningfully impacting their communities. Activities may include:
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