The Conference

Overview of Panel Sessions
Friday, April 23

1:30-3:00pm Sessions

Location: Hotel Shattuck Plaza (2086 Allston Way)

Social Venture Funding: Find the Support You Need in a Down Economy

It's no secret that the economic downturn has tightened purse strings and made the already-challenging task of securing funding for your venture even tougher.  In this panel, we will hear experts in the field of social venture financing discuss strategies for making your venture stand out from the rest and securing the funding you need to succeed.

  • Moderator: Deb Parsons, Investors Circle
  • Panelist: Wes Selke, Good Capital
  • Panelist: Brian Cayce, Gray Ghost Ventures
  • Panelist: Lance Fors, SV2

Legal Issues: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Social Venture (sponsored by Morrison Foerster)

Social entrepreneurs face myriad legal challenges in launching and sustaining their ventures.  Please join us as past GSVC winners and legal experts from Morrison Foerster provide tips on navigating challenging issues such as formation, financing, employment, and intellectual property.  

  • Moderator: Suz Mac Cormac, Morrison Foerster
  • Panelist: Kristin Richmond, Revolution Foods
  • Panelist: James Dailey, Micro Energy Credits
  • Panelist: Eric Tate, Morrison Foerster
  • Panelist: Michael Ward, Morrison Foerster

Location: David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way)

Choosing the Right Business Model for Your Social Venture

For-profit? Non-profit?  Hybrid?  One of the key challenges faced by any social entrepreneur is choosing the right business model for his or her venture.  Come hear successful entrepreneurs and experts in the field discuss how you can balance issues such as sustainability and impact in designing a model that's right for you. 

  • Moderator: Ann Marie Burgoyne, Draper Richards Foundation
  • Panelist: Siddharth Sanghvi, World of Good
  • Panelist: Laura Pappas, Sound Goods
  • Panelist: Jason Kibbey, PACT

Apples to Apples: What the Standardization of Social Impact Metrics Means for Social Entrepreneurs and Investors

How are experts in the fields of metrics and investing currently comparing social ventures addressing widely varying issues? Are we moving closer towards a common set of social impact metrics and measurement/assessment methods? Whether you are an entrepreneur, investor, or metrics geek, this discussion will help you understand what metrics standardization could mean for your venture's social impact assessment.

  • Moderator: Brad Presner, Acumen Fund
  • Panelist: Jackie Khor, Imprint Capital
  • Panelist: Beth Sirull, Pacific Community Ventures
  • Panelist: Maya Chorengel, Elevar Equity

3:30-5:00pm Sessions

Location: Hotel Shattuck Plaza (2086 Allston Way)

The Business Drivers for Social Responsibility: Putting CSR on the Map and Making a Real Difference

Corporations are increasingly coming to recognize the business and social benefit that can be achieved by engaging in authentic and strategic CSR efforts.  Come hear panelists from companies both big and small talk about how social responsibility is integral to their business and making a real difference in the world.

  • Moderator: Kellie McElhaney, Haas School of Business
  • Panelist: Alice Quan, Walmart
  • Panelist: Rachel Lichte, The Clarity Project
  • Panelist: Mark Dwight, Rickshaw Bags

Trends in Global Health Social Entrepreneurship: The Power of Private Sector Solutions

The global health field is fraught with some of the world's most complex social issues, further exacerbated by weak or corrupt public sectors that fail to provide health care to those who need it most.  In this panel, leaders in the field will explore how innovation by social entrepreneurs can create significant change and transform lives. 

  • Moderator: David Zapol, FSG Social Impact Advisors
  • Panelist: Joe Speicher, Living Goods
  • Panelist: Gargee Ghosh, Catalyst Impact Advisors
  • Panelist: Suzanne Gilbert, Seva Foundation

Location: David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way)

Forming the Future: Three Views on Education Entrepreneurship

Educational entrepreneurs are playing a critical role in shaping the future of social entrepreneurship.  Come hear how three leaders in this space are changing paradigms, bringing innovative education reform ideas to scale, and using technology to tackle educational challenges.

  • Moderator: Erik Brown, Aspire Public Schools
  • Panelist: Chuck Rosendahl, Edmodo
  • Panelist: April Chou, New Schools Venture Fund
  • Panelist: Scott Morgan, Education Pioneers

Trends in Environmental Social Enterprise

Environmental issues have been brought to the limelight as companies and consumers alike realize the necessity of immediate action.  Please join us as we hear leaders in the environmental field discuss the emerging trends and challenges they face in protecting the Earth’s future.

  • Moderator: John Danner, Haas School of Business
  • Panelist: Jim Collins, IDEO
  • Panelist: Lili Steifel, Steifel Family Foundation
  • Panelist: Dan Cherian, Nike