Gains & Gaps at SoCap ReCap: Post 1 of 3: Social Entrepreneur API

Gaps are on my mind having just led the session “Make the Maps, Mind the Gaps, Build the Apps” at SoCap09.  Our session, which included insights from Curtis LeFrandt – a BYU graduate student who is writing his thesis on mapping the field of social entrepreneurship, and Peter Deitz of Social Actions and Social Entepreneur API fame, was a buzz-worthy favorite that also sparked and contributed to a number of follow-on conversations on the final day of the Social Capital conference.

How do social entrepreneurs journey from idea to break-through ventures?  What routes work? What routes should be avoided? What is slowing social entrepreneurs down?  We discussed the barriers to growth, and then talked about the collaborative apps that could be built to reduce friction. As an example of apps to bridge gaps, we introduced the Social Entrepreneur API http://socialentrepreneurapi.org , the first open source database of vetted entrepreneurs. This tool helps social entrepreneurs find each other, helps funders and the media find social entrepreneurs, and helps more people discover the innovative solutions of successful social entrepreneurs. The press release launching the public beta was released at SoCap.

Check it out http://search.socialentrepreneurapi.org – play around with it – search for “water and Africa” or “youth in Cambodia” and you will quickly see the social entrepreneurs working in those areas and the innovative model they are using.  This is early days but you can already see how hugely valuable and time saving it is to have one search engine for vetted social entrepreneurs from several different funders. We’re working on widgets so you will be able to “drop” lists of relevant social entrepreneurs onto your site. Please let us know how you might use the social entrepreneur data so we can build the tools to make it possible.

And then check out our map of the field, possible filters, and model for building collective apps like the Social Entrepreneur API.

Gaps were seen at more than just our session, though.  Check out my next two posts on on take-aways from SoCap – featuring three gains made and three gaps remaining.