Social Entrepreneurship

  • The term ‘social entrepreneur’ is used of a person who recognises a social problem and proceeds to solve it by entrepreneurial means. The results of such an effort can be measured either financially or as a social return.

    Our aim is to import the concept of the social entrepreneur to Finland and help Finnish entrepreneurs to build connections and networks with Great Britain and Ireland. How to Change the World - A Blog on Social Entrepreneurship

    REPORT: NEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP - SIX SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN FINLAND (11.8.2010)

    Which companies practise social entrepreneurship in Finland? What industries do they work in and what is the motivation behind their business activity? The Finnish Insitute's report highlights six social entrepreneurs in Finland and tells their stories.

    The objective is to promote the concept of social entrepreneurship in Finland and to highlight the possibilities that it can offer as a business model. The report is based on the Institute's survey conducted in spring 2010.
    Read report (in Finnish).

    PUBLICATION: SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS FOR 21ST CENTURY CHALLENGES (5.5.2010)

    What could be the role of social enterprises in the provision of public services in Finland? Who are the potential social entrepreneurs in Finland and on which sector do they operate? The new report published by the Ministry of Employment and Economy aims to open up discussion on renewining Finnish public service provision.
    Read more

    VOICE10: NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL (25.1.2010)

    Conventional business solutions were challenged in January at the Voice10 conference - the UK's landmark conference for social enterprises. The 2010 event focused on the role of social enterprises in rebuilding a sustainable economy as well as in reforming public services.
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    POP UP HUB HELSINKI (7.9.2009)

    The Pop Up Hub Helsinki was based on the idea of the famous global Hub community; a network of spaces for inspiration and social innovation. The Hubs operate as social enterprises, and they now spread across four continents and 12 cities offering tools, contacts and a platform for people who want to solve global problems.

    The Pop Up Hub Helsinki became a place where design meets social responsibility. For five consecutive days during the Helsinki Design Week 2009 the temporary pop up space served as an office, meeting place and a platform for public innovation in Helsinki's central Market Quaters.
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    HUB LANDED IN HELSINKI (3.8.2009)

    In September 2009 Finland got its first Hub - a global community of people from every profession, background and culture working at 'new frontiers' to tackle worlds most pressing social, cultural and environmental challenges.

    At the time the Finnish Institute had been running its Social Enterprise Programme for a year. It has included a media campaign to change the current social enterprise legislation in Finland, series of talks, visits and a report about social enterprises amongst small and medium sized Finnish businesses.

    Our gut feeling was that the time is ripe for Finland to join an international network of social innovators, so we invited Jonathan Robinson, one of the founding members of the Hub - a famous, international social enterprise - to Helsinki. And we weren't wrong.
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    REPORT: ARE THERE ANY SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN FINLAND? (5.5.2009)

    In 2009 the Finnish Institute in London published a report on small and medium sized Finnish enterprises that aim at solving social problems. The research was executed as a part of a larger survey and just under 4000 enterprises responded.

    The key findings were that 30% of respondents considered their goals to be related to solving social problems. 15% of respondents also stated that they recycle their profit back to the activity as opposed to shareholders. 4% of respondents considered that their goals were greatly related to solving social problems and they recycled their profit back to the activity.
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    SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN LONDON (13.8.2009)

    There are estimated 55 000 social enterprises in the UK. In London, there are estimated 3400 social enterprises. January 2009 The Finnish Institute in London and The Embassy are hosted a visit for government and non-government policy makers to see how social enterprises operate in London and to discuss different models and funding options for social enterprises in Finland.

    The tour encompassed several social enterprises such as Hackney Community Transport, The Hub, Kings Cross, Greenwich Leisure Ltd, Hoxton Apprentice and Coin Street Community Builders.
    Read more


    Recent presentations:
    Future of Public Services - The Rise of Social Enterprises

    Laurea University of Applied Sciences, March 2nd 2010 Yhteiskunnallinen yrittäjyys Britanniassa - Esimerkkejä ja analyysia

    Our previous Society Programme Director Antti Karjalainen discusses Social Enterprises in Suomen Kuvalehti. Read it here (in Finnish).