The social-venture movement in Rhode Island is a vibrant, if intimate community. In a few weeks there will be an opportunity for more of the state to see just what it is all about when the third Social Enterprise Ecosystem Economic Development Summit takes place April 25-26 at Brown University (an earlier version of the summit took place in 2009 and 2010 at Bryant University).
Social ventures are receiving growing exposure in business schools across the country and got a boost in Rhode Island last year when the General Assembly passed legislation establishing Benefit Corporations as a legal option for enterprises in the state. The B Corp. designation allows the business to take a social mission into account along with building shareholder value.
The summit is driven by the Social Enterprise Greenhouse (previously Social Venture Partners Rhode Island), which has been supporting and accelerating social ventures for a number of years, but the movement has been gaining steam in other ways as well. Additional engagement by the business community at large would benefit us all. •
