Category: Tech + Social Ventures

Microsoft Tries Its Hand At Affinity Search Marketing

Microsoft feeds the hungry if you download and install their browser: Today, the Internet Explorer Team took over New York City’s Time Warner Center and San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza where local artists used food cans to create sculptures of the Empire State Building in New York and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.… Continue reading Microsoft Tries Its Hand At Affinity Search Marketing

College Students Raise Funds to Bring Clean Drinking Water to African Families

BH2O+ Day of Recap Video from Nuru International on Vimeo. More than 950 students at 11 college and university campuses joined forces the week of April 20 to raise awareness of the need for clean drinking water in Africa. With the generous support of Dry Tears, Living Water International, Radiata Investments and The Franklin and… Continue reading College Students Raise Funds to Bring Clean Drinking Water to African Families

Trouble At Omidyar Network

Omidyar Network, the philanthropic venture capital firm formed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, has laid off several members of its investment staff… Not sure what this all means but waiting to hear more… via peHub.

WaPo: Though Popular, ‘Causes’ Ineffective for Fundraising

The Facebook application Causes, hugely popular among nonprofit organizations seeking to raise money online, has been largely ineffective in its first two years, trailing direct mail, fundraising events and other more traditional methods of soliciting contributions. Only a tiny fraction of the 179,000 nonprofits that have turned to Causes as an inexpensive and green way… Continue reading WaPo: Though Popular, ‘Causes’ Ineffective for Fundraising

MicroMentor 2.0 supports local small businesses by providing entrepreneurs with access to one-on-one mentoring

Check out MicroMentor: “MicroMentor’s commitment to helping micro and small business owners start and grow their enterprises successfully, is directly aligned with the Citi Foundation’s commitment to the economic empowerment of individuals in need, so that they can improve their standard of living,” said Amy Feldman, Program Officer, Citi Foundation. “We are very pleased to… Continue reading MicroMentor 2.0 supports local small businesses by providing entrepreneurs with access to one-on-one mentoring

Launch: GoodCompany Ventures, a Philadelphia-based venture-style incubator program for socially-conscious entrepreneurs

GoodCompany Ventures, a team of social finance investors and start-up experts, today announced the launch of a business incubator targeting entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to unmet social needs. The program will provide facilities, mentoring and access to a network of capital sources to qualified entrepreneurs whose business models offer investors an attractive mix of financial… Continue reading Launch: GoodCompany Ventures, a Philadelphia-based venture-style incubator program for socially-conscious entrepreneurs

Dogpile Search Gets Into Affinity Search

Dogpile.com searchers have raised $100,000 for the Search & Rescue Program, a philanthropic arm that donates money to animal-related charities. The program is on its way to reaching its goal of raising $1 million for the ASPCA by the end of 2009. Link

Lebone Solutions– Developing fuel cells from the bacteria in soil or waste.

“You can just literally make energy from dirt,” said Aviva Presser, a graduate student at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “And there’s a lot of dirt in Africa.” New York Times Link to Lebone website Lebônê Light + Energy = Opportunity Lebônê Solutions, Inc. is a social enterprise working in off-grid energy… Continue reading Lebone Solutions– Developing fuel cells from the bacteria in soil or waste.