Social Entrepreneurhsip

In last weeks post I briefly covered two of the four different types of entrepreneurship. To simplify entrepreneurship there are four broad categories: small business, startup, large company, and social. Most people outside of this field are probably not familiar with either startups or social entrepreneurship. Since I already gave a brief background to startups, I think its important to now explain social entrepreneurship and provide a few modern examples of it.

According to Ben Casnocha (2011), "social entrepreneurs are innovators who focus on creating products and services that solve social needs and problems." Their objective is to make the world a better place instead of making large profit margins. These companies are normally nonprofit, for-profit, or a mix between the two. A common nonprofit people think of immediately is the Red Cross. The company has a unique relationship with our government and classifies as a nonprofit tax, exempt entity. However, I would like to talk about a modern social entrepreneur with big plans to help clean up the ocean.

At the young age of 22, Boylan Slat has ambitious plans to help clean up one of the five ocean garbage patches. There is approximately 5 trillion pieces (1.4 billion pounds per year) of trash in the ocean. This trash accumulates in five patches, the biggest one being between Hawaii and California. Boylan recognized the need for action to combat this social problem. He is the CEO and founder of The Ocean Cleanup, a company devoted to cleaning up the vastly polluted ocean. Boylan came up with new technology to hopefully clean up half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within 10 years. This ambitious goal could benefit marine life and help eliminate the destruction of coral reefs throughout the ocean. In a world where pollution is becoming more and more prevalent, it is reassuring to see individuals like Boylan Slat who make the difference.

To learn more about Boylan and The Ocean Cleanup visit these two sites:
 1) The Ocean Cleanup
 2) Boylan Slat

Works Cited

Meet the 22-year-old with a big idea for cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (2016, August 17). Retrieved March 03, 2017, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-08-17/meet-22-year-old-big-idea-cleaning-great-pacific-garbage-patch

The Four Types of Entrepreneurship. (2011, February 17). Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://casnocha.com/2011/02/the-four-types-of-entrepreneurship.html