This document discusses social entrepreneurship and how technology has enabled social entrepreneurs to solve social issues on larger scales. It notes that to be successful, social enterprises must prioritize creativity, viability and produce good products. It also emphasizes the importance of engaging audiences through mobile platforms and differentiating one's social cause.
Social Entrepreneurs Empower Communities with Technology
1. Social Entrepreneurs are those
individuals with innovative solutions
to society’s most pressing prob-
lems. In today’s society, technology
is a social catalyst that empow-
ers communities at all corners of
the globe to improve their lives
and shape their collective future.
Technology is allowing these social
entrepreneurs to solve issues not
only on both national and global
scales. There are a few things that
social entrepreneurs must keep in
mind while creating their business.
Technology has changed the way
that people think about philan-
thropy and charity. Where previous
generations would mail cheques to
their favourite causes, technology
now allows donations to be sent
with a click. Micro-lending through
websites like Kickstarter, have
allowed social enterprises around
the globe to thrive. By using Kick-
starter, entrepreneurs are forced
to look at what social values they
can provide to communities in or-
der to raise their capital. They are
forced to look beyond the basic
bottom line for corporations and
look at the triple bottom line: which
means looking at not only the eco-
nomic, but the environmental and
social impacts of their businesses.
To be a successful crowd-sourced
enterprise, creators must prioritize
creativity, market viability and
produce a good product before
all else.
All organizations, especially social
enterprises, need to consider how
they will interact with their audienc-
es via mobile devices. In today’s
society, mobile devices such as
smartphones are owned by over
90% of the population. Mobile
strategy doesn’t necessarily mean
having a company website; it can
also be engaging audiences on
the social media platforms such
as Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and
Facebook. These platforms allow
organizations to connect with
audiences in various ways, whether
it is through pictures, articles or
videos. Connecting with audiences
and being able to differentiate
who you are and your cause from
others is the key to successful
social enterprises.
Tadaaki Sun
with help of
Muniba Ahmed
As the Vice President of External
Relations, I have had a lot of
experience relevant to Social
Entrepreneurship, includeing the
Social Entrepreneurship Challenge,
the Social Venture Accelerator
Class, and Vancouver for Acumen
Fund Case Competition where
I placed as a finalist. From this
experience working with students
from various faculties, I realized the
power of sharing perspectives from
different fields. All these distinctive
fields are related with Information
Technology and therefore fostered
to broaden my vision for MISA to
serve everyone who is interested in
the MIS field.
If you are pursuing or thinking of
pursuing an MIS degree, the events
that MISA hosts will expand your
opportunities in terms of skills and
network. MISA is now bringing back
their signature events, CATT Tuto-
rial and MISA Mixer, which will be a
great opportunity for you to gain
valuable skills and networks. MISA’s
CATT Tutorials for the this semester
will include Introduction to Adobe
Photoshop & Illustrator, and
Advanced Excel for those who
want to develop skills beyond
BUS 336 Data and Decisions II.
The theme of the 7th Annual MISA
Mixer Networking event is “IT
Development and Involvement”,
where you can connect with
professionals in the technology
companies as well as those work
in the IT Department at various
industries. We look forward to
seeing a few of you at the event,
the world of IT is growing and we
want you to be a part of it!
13
2. Willyou be the
2013 SFU
Entrepreneur
oftheYear?By Cynthia Su, Co-Program Manager
Six years ago, a small group of students
envisioned a stage where aspiring student entre-
preneurs could pitch their businesses to estab-
lished entrepreneurs from the Vancouver com-
munity while gaining valuable insight and advice
for their ventures.
Today, SFU Entrepreneur of the Year (SEY)
is one of the signature programs hosted by the
not-for-profit student organization, Enactus SFU
(formerly Students in Free Enterprise). SEY con-
tinues to expand as a program and stepping stone
for young entrepreneurs; its goal is to inspire,
support, and develop the next set of Vancouver
entrepreneurs from SFU through two program
components: Jumpstart and the 6th Annual Com-
petition.
Jumpstart is an eight-week accelerator
that takes a knowledge-based approach to pro-
vide aspiring entrepreneurs with the valuable
skills, knowledge, and resources to launch a
basic business idea into a successful
start-up. Weekly sessions are led by local
entrepreneurs and industry professionals
and include pitch practices, deliverables,
and continuous feedback.
After the eight weeks, Jumpstart
teams pitch their businesses and prog-
ress during Demo Day to a panel of judg-
es. The goal of Jumpstart is to provide a
supportive environment and resourceful
network for Jumpstart teams to launch
their business with the support of exter-
nal speakers, mentors, and judges.
On the other hand, the 6th Annu-
al Competition includes four rounds of
judging. The first two rounds of judging
are done online whereas the semi-final
and final rounds take place in person on
November 16, 2013. During the semi-fi-
nal round, 10 student entrepreneurs will
present 20-minute pitches about their
businesses to a panel of judges. The
judges will then evaluate each business
and determine the four most deserving
competitors to enter the final round.
Beyond the prestigious title of “2013
SFU Entrepreneur of the Year,” the
finalists will compete for prizes
such as $3,000, mentoring sessions
provided by industry professionals,
media packages, as well as the op-
portunity to connect with local entre-
preneurs and investors.
SEY founded inspirational
student entrepreneurs such as Mi-
lun Tesovic (Founder of MetroLyrics),
Benjamin Brown-Bentley (Found-
er of Adrenaline Productions), Jor-
dan Gutierrez (Founder of Libreria
LEO), Matias Marques (Founder of
Buyatab Online Inc.), and Michael
Cheng (Co-Founder WittyCookie).
All five entrepreneurs won the com-
petition in their year and went on to
win other exceptional titles such as
ACE Regionals, ACE Nationals, Sur-
rey Board of Trade’s Top 25 under 25,
Global Student Entrepreneur of the
Year and The Next 36.
If you are interested watching the An-
nual Competition, look out for ticket
sales on www.sfusey.com.
“Itsgoalistoinspire,support,and
developthenextsetofVancouver
entrepreneursfromSFU ”
“ Launchabasicbusinessideainto
asuccessfulstart-up”
15
3. Bring Out
theProfessional"you"
The fall semester brings cooler days, changing leaves, and an endless stream of networking events.
For some, networking is synonymous with meeting as many people as possible for personal gain. It’s
no wonder that networking gets such a bad reputation. However, it’s time to change that thinking.
Have a realistic goal: Why put unnecessary pressure on yourself to collect “x” number of business cards? Make it your goal to
leave the event having made a few meaningful connections, and you’ll end up reaching out to people in a genuine and curious way.
Research: Find out which companies and representatives will be attending, and do some research on those that pique your interest. By
preparing some questions in advance, this will help you get the conversation started and ease any nerves.
Know what makes you unique: No two students have the exact same background and experiences. Be able to convey your
story and who you are to stand out.
Attend a workshop: The Career Management Centre will be hosting Networking and Business Etiquette workshops on October
17th and November 2nd (RSVP via Beedie Community).
Follow up: Make it a point to follow up with your new connections within 24 – 48 hours after the event. An email that expresses your
genuine appreciation for the insights this individual has shared and/or comments on the topic you had discussed, can go a long way to
developing a relationship.
Put your skills to the test at the Beedie School of Business’ first-ever BBA Breakfast Reception. The event will take place on Monday, November
4th and you will have a chance to meet with representatives from 40+ companies who are interested in hiring BBA students into co-op, full-time
permanent, part-time, and contract positions. Log in to Beedie Community and go to the “Events” calendar to find out more. Please note that
this event is open to students with 60+ credits.
Bonus! Career Advisors are always available to speak with you and answer any of your networking or career-related questions. Drop by our
office (WMC 2329), book a career advising appointment via Beedie Community, or send us a tweet, @SFUBeedieCMC.
Networking should focus on relationship building and making connections with people. This is the key. Here are five ways to showcase your polished
and professional side at upcoming networking events:
Eunice Koh, BBA Career Advisor (eunice_koh@sfu.ca)
Rochelle Diablo, Manager, MIB & Special Events (rochelle_diablo@sfu.ca)
beedie.sfu.ca/careers