GSBI™-2010 Announcement and Application Instructions The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI™), a program developed by Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society, assists social benefit entrepreneurs in developing business plans that enable their organizations to reach increasing numbers of beneficiaries. The GSBI consists of three major components: - An on-line, mentored, application process hosted on Social Edge and based on three business planning exercises designed to benefit all who participate. In the applicants define their organizations value proposition, target market (beneficiaries), and “social business” model (key income and expense drivers).
- 20 organization selected from the application process receive scholarships for an online (4 month) and in-residence (2 week) program that involves “action learning” and mentoring to prepare a sustainable plan for their organization.
- On-going mentoring and collaboration for all who complete the in-residence component.
All who participate in the Business Planning Exercises will benefit from the mentoring and feedback on their application exercises, and 20 organizations will be selected for a full scholarship, valued at US $25,000, to participate in 4-months of online preparation and then to attend the intensive two week in-residence program (to be held August 15-28, 2010). Selection for the GSBI™ scholarships is based on 4 criteria: - value proposition with demonstrated impact on important social issues for the Base of the Pyramid (BOP),
- potential to impact a large target BOP market,
- a business model with potential to scale rapidly while being financially self-sustaining (including contributed income); and
- the application exercises have been completed by the top executive in the organization and that executive commits to completing the pre-work and attending the GSBI™.
Because of the importance of energy for the development at the Base of the Economic Pyramid, GSBI™-2010 will reserve up to 8 selections for organizations with demonstrated solutions for solving the problem of lack of access to clean, reliable, low-cost energy sources, including: off-grid power and light; locally-produced and distributed second-generation bio-fuels; affordable energy-saving devices, such as efficient cook-stoves and more efficient, less-polluting transport vehicles.
Applicants should begin preparing their exercises and post them on Social Edge beginning January 4, 2010. Each submittal is reviewed by a member of the GSBI™ GSBI™ Application Mentoring Team (AMT). Social Edge members also are invited to review and comment on the exercises of any organization. Participants in the 2010 GSBI™ in-residence program will be selected from those organizations that complete all three exercises.
Further Information on the GSBI™ and the application process is given below.
GSBI™ In-Residence Program Overview The four-month on-line preparation and two-week in residence program held each summer (in August) at Santa Clara University in California, is a leadership training program in which the selected social entrepreneurs, working with faculty and mentors, learn key business skills for managing sustainability and scalability, and complete a strategic business plan and one-year tactical plan for their organization.
Over the past seven years, 102 participants in the GSBI™ have developed know-how in critical areas of business planning, including: focused mission/vision, target market segmentation, business models, finance, organizational capacity building, and metrics. After completing the GSBI™ in-residence program, the majority of these organizations have been able to scale their operations, many by factors of 100 or more. Based on these results, we feel that the GSBI™ is a transformational program for people with the power and vision to change the world.
The GSBI™ scholarship covers tuition, room and board for the two-week intensive immersion program and to the network used to support the four-month online preparation. Selected candidates are responsible for their travel expenses and arrangements (airfare, ground transportation, passport, visa). GSBI™ graduates also are provided access to the Social Entrepreneurs Innovation Network (SEIN) for continuing use in collaborating with their colleagues. How to participate in the GSBI™ Application Process
Become a member of www.socialedge.org and complete the following three GSBI™ Business Planning Exercises: - Value Proposition (No Feedback after January 15, 2010)
- Target Market (Beneficiary) Statement (No Feedback after February 4, 2010)
- Definition of a Business Model (No Feedback after February 19, 2010)
The exercises and collaboration are intended to benefit the entire social venture community, accelerating our knowledge sharing and our understanding of foundational principals behind scaling and sustainability. In the description of the exercise, the Aravind Eye Care System is used as an example. A separate full example, BushProof (Adobe Acrobat PDF), also is provided for your review prior to completing the exercises for your organization. Each of the examples has slightly different level of detail. You should use these examples as a guide for completing the exercises, but your answers should focus on the specifics that best characterize your organization. The GSBI™ Application Mentoring Team will review and comment on the exercises of all 2010 GSBI™ applications (submitted by the due dates above). After the application process is over, Social Edge provides a “knowledge repository” for the GSBI™ Business Planning Exercises, enabling Social Edge members to search/access the information in the exercises, and to use this information for collaborating with others. By Monday, March 1, 2010, the GSBI™-2010 Application Mentoring Team will select finalists for the GSBI™ from those applicants who have completed all three exercises. Finalists will be asked to submit (by email) a short application form and a letter of support from their Board (the application form and “pro forma” letter will be available on Social Edge and will be submitted via email). The application form deadline is Friday, March 12, 2010. The participants are selected from the finalists and are expected to be chosen and notified by Friday, April 2, 2010. Best wishes and good luck, Social Edge and GSBI™ | 
GSBI Class of 2009:
Read about the Global Social Benefit Incubator's Class of 2009. * The Scholarship:
The scholarship covers tuition, room, and board for the two-week intensive immersion program focused on venture planning, beneficiary analysis, business models, metrics and successful scaling strategies. Selected candidates are responsible for their travel expenses (airfare, ground transportation, passport, visa). Why apply? “The online application forces organizations to step back and assess the current market and competitive landscape and reconcile their original hypothesis, vocalize their value proposition and business model in the current market climate.”
GSBI mentor Hardika Shah
“The experience of attending GSBI typically results in some major "ah-ha" moments. The collaborative work environment, the care and feeding from the faculty, guest speakers and mentors opens up numerous possibilities that most enterprises did not consider before.”
GSBI mentor Hardika Shah
“[Social Entrepreneurs] experience the kind of isolation that many entrepreneurs face when the weight of your organization's success rests on your shoulders, you're working long hours, and you are so busy with your daily challenges that you don't often get the chance to step back, look strategically at your organization, and get mentoring and support from others. This is a real benefit of the GSBI program.”
GSBI mentor Vicky Mattson “One of the most valuable aspects of attending the GSBI is the mentorship from Silicon Valley veterans. ...The mentors help open doors for funding opportunities, for pro-bono consulting work when the SBEs return, and continue to be available as a sounding board.”
GSBI mentor Hardika Shah “[We], along with our mentoring counterparts, are always quick to say that we gain so much more than we give through the mentoring process. ... Our interactions with the GSBI program and especially with the social entrepreneurs leave us feeling hopeful about a future that is more just, peaceful and equitable.”
GSBI mentor Vicky Mattson |
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