Weekend Briefing No. 35
Welcome to the weekend y’all! I’m writing to you from one of my favorite cities – Nashville, TN! I’m so impressed by the social entrepreneurship scene down here. A ton of people came out to hear about Profit & Purpose and I got to connect with some old friends (and social entrepreneurs) Patrick Woodyard, of Nisolo, Kyle McCollum, of Everly and Travis Gravette of Red Earth – as well as tour an amazing social enterprise Thistle Farms. Check all of them out.
WEEKEND BRIEFING //
Malala is the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize. Ms. Yousafzai – who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 for campaigning on behalf of girls’ education in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. She was 15 at the time. Since then, she has become a global emblem of her struggle, has been celebrated on television, and is publishing a memoir. She “has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations,” Mr. Jagland said. “This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle, she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.” Read more about Malala in this New York Times article.
Leveraging Nigeria’s tech talent. Andela is a new social enterprise launched by a couple friends Jeremy Johnson and Christina Sass that believe that talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. So they are looking to tap into the tech talent in Nigeria and provide them with opportunities to access a global market by providing global companies with the quality developers they need. Learn more HERE.
Social enterprise impacting economic freedom for women. Shared Trade is a collaborative woman-centered movement started by Rev. Becca Stevens in 2012. Shared Trade was created to help support women's economic freedom worldwide; connecting them directly to customers by distributing and selling products through a custom e-commerce sites and Marketplaces throughout the U.S. Find out more about them HERE.
Why a billionaire is shutting down his $4 billion foundation. Chuck Feeny is committed to doing the most good in the most timely manner with his $4 billion foundation. So, he set up his foundation not to go on into perpetuity, but to give all of the money away by 2020. He is a part of a movement known as “giving while living”. Learn more in this long form article from Fast Company.
How to fail well. Even the most successful entrepreneurs here “NO” multiple times a day. There is a fantasy that success means that everything is easy. I hate to ruin the surprise, but it’s not true. I personally experience this on a daily basis. Read this great post about failing from an amazing social entrepreneur Lisa Curtis, founder of Kuli Kuli.
The key to continuing the journey is to not let failing make you feel like a failure. (click to tweet)
A THING I LIKE //
Tesla’s “D” is a semi-autonomous all-wheel-drive car. Master showman Elon Musk unveiled a faster version of the Tesla Model S sedan, starting at $120,170, that is powered by two separate electric motors. It also has “driver aid features” that use sensors to read and adjust to speed limit signs, and can park itself or change lanes with the flick of a turn signal.
You are super smart, so I’m interested in your thoughts. If you have any story ideas, questions or just want to say hi, feel free to email me. I’m looking forward to chatting with you. If you have friends that would like the Weekend Briefing, please forward it along. They can sign up for free here. Follow me on twitter for updates throughout the week.
Have a restful & thoughtful weekend.