As social investment network AVPN turns 10, its first Asian boss explains how she's translating the foreign concept of venture philanthropy, why the “cloak of joint decision-making” is so powerful – and why she was an unlikely candidate for CEO.
New research collates evidence from seven countries and territories in South East Asia. It reveals that a diverse range of social enterprises are trading across all sectors of economy and that women and young people are taking the lead.
Social unrest and Covid-19 have interrupted Hong Kong’s strong upward trend in the formation of new social enterprises, new research suggests – but experts believe that with the right support the sector can continue to flourish.
Leading scientists at Imperial College London developing a Covid-19 vaccine have chosen a social enterprise structure for “maximum flexibility” and to remain affordable to the world’s poorest.
The region's investors predict “a possible shift from profit supremacy” and say they are “taking this opportunity as a wake-up call”, in advance of AVPN's major online event next week.
There is no shortage of social innovation programmes in Hong Kong’s universities, but new research shows that scholars need to engage in more practical activity and collaborations outside academia to really tackle the territory’s social challenges.
How can cities of the future innovate to improve the lives of their citizens? Social Labs are testing and developing local solutions to big problems – and prompting surprising enthusiasm from civil servants.