Social Enterprise
We support business solutions to the world's toughest social and environmental challenges.
We’re honored to have participated in some of the most prominent social venture competitions over the past few years. The organizations sponsoring these competitions work to mitigate some of the toughest challenges of our time through development of social enterprise.
The feedback gained during these competitions helped us evolve our business model, investment products, and Equity Forestry model to where they are now.
SEED Initiative
The SEED Initiative is a collaboration of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Planting Empowerment received a SEED award in October 2009.
Innovation Awards
The Social Venture Network supports the "next generation" of socially responsible business and nonprofit leaders by providing them access to the people and resources to help develop their ideas into successful enterprises. Planting Empowerment was chosen as a finalist for the 2008 Innovation Awards.
Echoing Green
Echoing Green invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions. Two of Planting Empowerment's founders were recognized.
University Competitions
Dell Social Innovation Competition
Planting Empowerment placed second out of over 1000 entrants to the University of Texas at Austin Dell Social Innovation Competition. The University of Texas and Dell seek college students from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation.
Social Venture Plan Competition
The Notre Dame Social Venture Plan Competition fosters a spirit of collaboration between business and social ventures. Planting Empowerment beat out teams from around the world for second place.
Global Social Venture Competition
The Yale Global Social Venture Competition is the first student-led business plan competition that supports and promotes social ventures. Planting Empowerment came away with third place.
Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition
In our first business plan competition Planting Empowerment reached the top five out of 150, and came away with third prize. The University of Washington's Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) engages creative minds around the world to encourage bolder and less conventional business solutions to global poverty.
