A Clarion Call to #BeFearless

Posted on July 23, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

As summer is in full swing, it’s easy to put graduation season behind us. But as students across the nation now prepare for the next step in their life journeys—many of them with a passion to turn their idealism into action to create a better world—they have a timeless treasure trove of advice heard across campuses and across the country from esteemed leaders whose wisdom could be summed up in two worlds: Be Fearless. Indeed, the messages in the commencement addresses in 2018 can be a clarion call to ANYONE who wants to make a difference in this world, no matter age or stage. Here are some highlights:

Tim Cook at Duke University

Apple CEO Tim Cook challenged Duke University graduates to Be Fearless saying:

Fearlessness means taking the first step, even if you don’t know where it will take you. It means being driven by a higher purpose, rather than by applause. It means knowing that you reveal your character when you stand apart, more than when you stand with the crowd. If you step up, without fear of failure… if you talk and listen to each other, without fear of rejection… if you act with decency and kindness, even when no one is looking, even if it seems small or inconsequential, trust me, the rest will fall into place. More importantly, you’ll be able to tackle the big things when they come your way. It’s in those truly trying moments that the fearless inspire us. Fearless like the students of Parkland, Florida—who refuse to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, and have rallied millions to their cause. Fearless like the women who say “me, too” and “time’s up”… women who cast light into dark places, and move us toward a more just and equal future. Fearless like those who fight for the rights of immigrants… who understand that our only hopeful future is one that embraces all who want to contribute. Duke graduates, be fearless.

Cook inspired the graduates to stand strong against challenges and stay fearless in their fight for justice, equality and a better world. He ended his speech with fearless words of wisdom from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “The time is always right to do right.”

Abby Wambach at Barnard College

Soccer star and activist Amy Wambach gave a widely heralded speech to Barnard College graduates calling on them to make “make failure [their] fuel,” highlighting her own struggles and the struggles of many women coming up against the wage gap—and her vision of overcoming it.

It is well worth watching as Wambach used the Little Red Riding Hood story to weave in a metaphor for fearlessness, urging the women at Barnard to challenge expectations, to fight the “archaic ways of thinking about women, about people of color,” and to seek leadership positions so they could make a greater impact.

Chadwick Boseman at Howard University

When actor Chadwick Boseman spoke at his alma mater, Howard University this year, he spoke candidly about being typecast and asked to play into a racist stereotype for a TV role early in his career. He shared how he stood up to those who were trying to pigeonhole him—a decision that had an immediate impact on his career, yet paved the way for the iconic roles he’s known for today, like Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and T’Challa. And this journey has given him some great insight about overcoming failure:

Sometimes you need to get knocked down to realize what your purpose is.

Boseman punctuated his speech with an important lesson of perseverance, saying:

Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you.

Jacqueline Novogratz at New York University

Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder and CEO of Acumen, spoke at the New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service 2018 Commencement. She highlighted how in her quest to better the world and philanthropy in her own way, she faced many obstacles where she had to overcome her own fears to persevere.

Novogratz encouraged the graduates to have courage in their own lives. She said,

Remember that each time you practice courage, you gain courage. Think of it is as a muscle you build for when you most need it.

In addition, Novogratz pushed the graduates to become not just professional leaders, but moral leaders, “because we need leaders who care about the world, not just themselves.” In her closing words, she acknowledges the struggle she went through in her endeavors, and invited the graduates to follow. She said,

The work of change is not easy. But you know that already. If you are here, you didn’t sign up for easy.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah took the stage before the students of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Oprah focused on the importance of speaking out against hatred and deceit—a truly fearless task facing today’s journalists. She inspired the graduates to be fearless in their endeavors to spread truth, wisdom and justice through journalism, declaring

You will become the new editorial gatekeepers, an ambitious army of truth seekers, who will arm yourselves with the intelligence, the insight, and the facts necessary to strike down deceit.

Speaking to the soon-to-be-journalists, Oprah reminded the graduates of the power they had to give voice to those who otherwise would be without it, encouraging them to use the platforms they have been given to “give voice to people who desperately now need to tell their stories.”

Mindy Kaling

The actress and comedian spoke at Dartmouth’s 2018 Commencement, integrating her funny, lighthearted style with poignant lessons for the recent graduates and calls to be fearless.

She encouraged graduates to go out into the world with fearless confidence.

“You are entering a world which we have toppled like a Jenga tower, and we’re relying on you to rebuild it (…) I’m giving you permission to root for yourself. And while you’re at it, root for those around you too.”

And Kaling called on the graduates to see themselves as change agents:

Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something, but especially not yourself. Go and conquer the world. Just remember this: Why not you? You made it this far.

In short, she reminded them to Be Fearless.

These leaders told different stories and brought different perspectives, yet they all spoke to the 2018 graduates about being fearless, standing up for what’s right and speaking out about what’s wrong—even when a lot is on the line. As students begin to prepare for the start of another school year and we all look to make a difference, I hope their stories inspire you as much as they inspired me to Be Fearless in pursuit of your audacious goals and ideas.

Stories from Finding Fearless: Conchy Bretos

Posted on May 22, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

Last year, I announced that I was writing a book about the Be Fearless principles featuring remarkable stories of people and organizations that embodied the principles. Simultaneously, we launched Finding Fearless, putting out a call for stories of people who could be featured in the book or in our general Be Fearless work. We had been featuring profiles for many years but wanted to hear what inspires you—whether it’s from your own journey or that of another individual, nonprofit, corporation or startup—and how they put Be Fearless to work.

I was deeply touched by the amazing stories we received. We heard about unique inventions, great discoveries, heartwarming tales and how people all across the country had learned from their failures and overcome their fears to truly transform their lives and the lives of those around them. It was awe inspiring to see how people were investing their time and talent to tackle important problems to change the world.

One such fearless changemaker who came to us through Finding Fearless was Conchy Bretos and we are excited to share her story with you through our latest Be Fearless Show episode.

After arriving in the United States as one of the thousands of children from Cuba during Operation Peter Pan, Conchy ran and lost an election to the Miami-Dade County Commission. Yet she turned her story of adversity into an example of resilience. Learning from her failure, Conchy dedicated herself to creating affordable options for older adults in public housing environments. Starting in 1999 with just 20 residents in one property, she created an award-winning model for public housing assisted living communities that has now grown to 23 facilities in multiple states.

Her system allows residents to receive the care that they need, move freely and live on their own schedules. Through her work at Mia Senior Living, Conchy shows how she learned from setbacks and is a great example for all looking to make failure matter in a way that helps others.

We hope the Be Fearless episode lets you learn more about her story as she continues to pave the way for a healthier, caring and more sustainable future for older adults all over the nation—and that she inspires you to Be Fearless.

Social Good in April: Stories You Don’t Want to Miss

Posted on April 30, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

April was full of breaking news in social good, so we’re bringing you another edition of “This Month In Social Good,” rounding up our favorite stories from our Breaking Good newsletter so you don’t miss anything.

Of particular note this month, we saw a lot of great stories across the podcast circuit. Case Foundation CEO Jean Case talked to Wall Street Journal Podcasts about the importance of fearlessness in her journey to spark innovation in the social sector, and our VP of Social Innovation, Sarah Koch, was on Silicon Hills News and EU Now to talk about the need to support women in tech and entrepreneurship. We also revisited our roundup of Seven Fearless Founder Podcasts for those of you looking to brighten your daily commute.

April also brought us stories about industry leaders attaining B Corp certification, local communities embracing Impact Investing and female founders and investors coming together to change the face of entrepreneurship.

B Corps in the news

This month, a major player jumped into the world of B Corps: Danone North America. The certification, which makes them the world’s largest certified B Corp, comes just one year after Danone legally registered as a benefit company as part of their acquisition of WhiteWave. The North American entity is the eighth company under the Danone umbrella to be certified. The company has long been a proponent of corporate social responsibility and socially conscious business and the speed with which this large company achieved certification is a signal to other companies with social-impact goals that B Corp certification is attainable no matter their size. As an added bonus, the company worked with B Lab to create a case study of the steps they took throughout the year so other multinationals could learn from Danone’s experience and, hopefully, follow in their footsteps.

In April, we also got to hear firsthand about how Greyston Bakery, another B Corp, is making waves. For 30 years, Greyston Bakery has been focused on a big bet: to hire anyone, regardless of their background, as they bake gourmet brownies and cookies, including many of the brownies you see in Ben & Jerry’s Brownie Ice Cream, at their for-profit bakery located just north of New York City. On our latest episode of Be Fearless, we talked to CEO Mike Brady and the Greyston team about the success open hiring practices has brought for their company and their community and how they’re helping other companies do the same.

Impact Investing making inroads in local communities

From Atlanta to Lancaster to Baltimore, local foundations and governments are testing the waters with Impact Investing and alternative funding structures. At the beginning of the month, the Lancaster County Community Foundation announced that they would invest $500,000 in two local organizations aiming for both a social and financial return. The recipients were a housing and neighborhood revitalization organization and a financial inclusion organization. The investment is part of an ongoing effort from the foundation to leverage new funding mechanisms to support their community.

In Atlanta, the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta made a splash with a $10 million impact investment fund—the first local Impact Investing fund in the city. The fund, named GoATL will be distributed over the next two to three years and focused on five impact areas: arts, community development, education, nonprofit effectiveness and wellbeing.

Atlanta also is trying out innovative investing models with efforts to raise $12.9 million for an environmental impact bond through Neighborly, the municipal bond broker-dealer. The funds will go toward minimizing flooding and improving drainage. Baltimore is following suit with efforts to raise $6 million for an environmental impact bond aimed at reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

Seeing communities across the country take on Impact Investing to tackle local but large-scale challenges is a great reminder of the field’s potential to grow and scale globally as it continues to move to the mainstream.

Female founders and the changing face of entrepreneurship in America

In the world of Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Vanity Fair’s April feature gave us both something to celebrate and something to work on. The magazine teamed up with Kathryn Finney and digitalundivided to feature the 26 Black women who have raised $1 million or more in venture funding. And while these groundbreaking women are truly worth celebrating, this was yet another reminder of the need to support all women of color launching business, many more of whom deserve to join the ranks of this “million dollar club.”

Also on the founder side, we heard the stories of inspiring female founders like Maneesha Mukhi, a social entrepreneur who created an online marketplace called ImmiGo to help individuals and businesses find high quality immigration attorneys. We also heard from GirlCrew cofounder, Aine Mulloy, who took to #FacesofFounders to tell the story of launching a platform to connect women across the globe, while fighting for female representation across industries.

Female investors are taking a stand too. April also heralded the launch of AllRaise, a group of 34 women investors—representing over $1 billion in investable capital—who are committed to helping women entrepreneurs raise money. Recognizing that there’s a robust pipeline of female entrepreneurial talent, the group is committed to increasing the percentage of venture funding going to women while doubling the number of female partners at venture firms.

These stories have inspired us and motivated us to get to work this month and beyond—and we hope they’ve inspired you too. To stay up to date on all things social good sign up for our newsletter, Breaking Good. 

Is there anything we missed this month? Tell us about your favorite social good story you saw in April!

7 Fearless Founder Podcasts to Listen To

Posted on March 6, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

Everyone loves a good success story, and entrepreneurs tend to have especially fascinating ones. The road to success rarely goes in a straight line; rather, most successful people have encountered quite a few failures and obstacles along the way.

Learning from these challenges and failing forward is what often leads to breakthroughs. As our Be Fearless principles state, making big bets, failing forward, trying brave experiments, working with unlikely partners and letting urgency conquer fear can be the keys to success for entrepreneurs.

Being fearless isn’t always easy. But seeing stories of fearless entrepreneurs who have braved the path before can be the inspiration capital needed for aspiring entrepreneurs to begin to build their businesses. That’s why telling the stories of entrepreneurs from all backgrounds, and lifting up role models whose stories are not told as frequently in mainstream entrepreneurship coverage, is so important. Our #FacesofFounders campaign has brought together stories of entrepreneurs across race, place and gender, what they struggle with, what they’re building and why inclusivity makes entrepreneurship even stronger. We also regularly share stories of those changing the narrative of who is and can be entrepreneurs in our weekly newsletter, Breaking Good.

But sometimes hearing—not just reading—stories can be uniquely powerful. So, we asked the Case Foundation team to share some of their favorite stories of entrepreneurship, as told by podcasts. While there are many great stories out there, we compiled a list of nine podcast episodes of entrepreneurs who each stand out in a different way. Read on to learn about some of the founders who inspire us and remind us to Be Fearless.

Spanx—Sara Blakely on NPR’s “How I Built This”

Sara Blakely’s story starts with selling fax machines and ends with her becoming the youngest self-made female billionaire in the US. But her journey to get there may be less well-known. She launched Spanx with the money in her savings after seeing a need for an undergarment that incorporates the control top feature of pantyhose without the legs of pantyhose.

Blakely’s journey gathering support from manufacturers, patent attorneys, buyers and even Oprah is an inspiring one for women founders pitching unique and disruptive products. The story of how she convinced a Neiman Marcus buyer to work with her is also a funny reminder that unconventional methods can sometimes be the most effective ones.

Be Visible—Andrea Guendelman, on Backstage Capital’s “Mission and Values”

As fans of Inclusive Entrepreneurship, we loved hearing about the journey of Andrea Guendelman, who co-founded Be Visible. Recognizing a lack of available professional mentoring and networking resources for Latinx professionals, she built Be Visible as a professional social network for the group.

Throughout the podcast, Andrea breaks down the underlying barriers that separate Latinx professionals from many opportunities available to the wider population. She talks about the group’s unique needs and how Latinx Millennials specifically can be supported and encouraged to be engaged and connected citizens. She also has an interesting backstory that crosses countries and industries before launching Be Visible. Listen through the end to hear about where the platform is going and which big client Be Visible just landed.

**Hamdi Ulukaya—Chobani, on Fast Company’s “Innovators Uncensored”**

For a lesson in humble beginnings, hard work and compassionate leadership, listen to Fast Company editor, Robert Safian’s interview with Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani. Ulukaya’s path to success was untraditional, to say the least. He started in a closed down factory in a small town in upstate New York, working with a team of just five people and had no prior formal business, marketing or managing experience.

What was the first thing his team did after opening the factory? It’s not what you’d expect, but Ulukaya’s story bucks tradition from the beginning and you have to tune into to hear it straight from Ulukaya. After Chobani’s massive success, Ulukaya shares how he didn’t let success go to his head, how he has sought to stay accountable to his employees and how he doesn’t shy away from wider issues, like the refugee crisis. Listen to the interview to hear him tell the story of two refugees (of the 600 he’s hired) who found success working for Chobani. Ulukaya’s story is the story of a leader rebelling against assumptions about how businesses are run and putting purpose at the center of his business.

Capway—Sheena Allen, on “VC Cheat Sheet”

Sheena Allen took a non-traditional route to entrepreneurship, launching Capway, a Financial Tech company, from rural Mississippi. Allen talks about her journey to launching the FinTech company, which serves different groups of financially underserved consumers and talks about the unconscious bias that she had to overcome to succeed.

The ‘aha’ moment that led to her launching Capway came in a grocery store, where she saw a long line of people waiting to cash their checks. Through more research, Allen identified the massive gap in financial services for unbanked and underbanked populations—which leads to people cashing checks at nontraditional financial institutions, like grocery and convenience stores. Despite there being a huge market to serve this community, gaining support from investors was a challenge. Allen shares how she’s been able to find success and find the right investors to work with. And she holds nothing back, giving very direct advice to women and other underrepresented entrepreneurs looking to build support and sharing her advice on how to ask for help the right way. Listen to her story for insight into the experience of an entrepreneur building support for a service for underrepresented consumers.

Radio One—Cathy Hughes, on NPR’s “How I Built This”

For some serious entrepreneurial inspiration, you’ll want to listen to Cathy Hughes’ journey to radio success, which involves a fair share of bumps in the road along the way. As a young, single mom, Hughes moved from Omaha, Nebraska to Washington, DC to help launch the radio station at Howard University. She found success there by creating shows that catered to underrepresented communities in DC, but her journey didn’t stop there.

Hughes’s path to becoming a media mogul takes unexpected twists and turns, including a stint of living with her son in the young, struggling radio station she bought. Her story of navigating entrepreneurship, motherhood, success and expansion as a female founder of color is interesting for so many reasons; from the creative to the financial to the personal.

Coss Marte—ConBody, on Gimlet Media’s “Start Up”

Part 1 and Part 2
This is a story about second chances. Coss Marte is an ex-convict who spent four years in prison for selling drugs. Fast forward to today and he’s running a successful fitness business, ConBody.

The inspiration for the company came while Marte was still in prison. Dealing with health problems and the confinement of prison, Marte developed his own workout routines that could be done in small spaces and without weights, and he helped other inmates do the same. In the podcast, Marte shares his story building up a customer base, battling negative perceptions and making sure to hire fellow ex-convicts, who struggle to get jobs after leaving incarceration. The podcast begins and ends with Marte and his cofounder, Jenn Shaw going to a pitch competition where they’re starkly reminded how much they stand out; he being Latino and Shaw being a woman among a crowd of mostly white, Ivy league grads. The story of his journey there, and the results of the pitch competition, will inspire and surprise you.

Mariam Naficy—Minted, on “Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman”

Mariam Naficy is a two-time founder who launched both her companies in uncertain times. She started with Eve.com, the first major online cosmetics seller, which she launched in the late 90’s, a time when the future of the internet was unclear. In fact, to obtain the domain name, she actually had to make a deal with a very powerful five-year-old by the same name. From there, Eve.com raised $26 million in its first year and continued to scale rapidly until she sold the company in 2000.

After moving on from Eve, Naficy moved on to her next venture, Minted, an online stationary store. In this episode, she shares her challenges raising venture capital as a mom entrepreneur, and launching a company in 2008, at the height of a financial crisis. Minted would go on to raise $89 million in Venture Capital and ship to 70 million households, but along the way, Naficy faced a lot of teachable failures, which she shares with listeners.

We hope these podcasts inspire you as much as they have our team. For some more #BeFearless inspiration, check out our Be Fearless hub, and to learn more about how we’re championing entrepreneurship for all through inspiration capital and more, check out our Inclusive Entrepreneurship page and #FacesofFounders series.

This Month in Social Good

Posted on February 28, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

February may be the shortest month of the year, but this February was packed with news in the world of social innovation. In particular, we saw new data, stories and perspectives brought forward in the world of Inclusive Entrepreneurship that we’d like to reflect on and use to power the movement. I spent some time rereading our weekly Case Foundation Breaking Good newsletter to gauge some of the conversation around supporting diverse entrepreneurs this month. Here are some of the articles and trends that stood out to me:

Black History Month is a reminder to uplift Black entrepreneurs—past and present

Every day is a great day to celebrate the achievements of groundbreaking innovators in history and the people who are carrying on their legacies and building their own. But as Black History Month comes to a close, we’re given a renewed commitment to uplift the stories of Black entrepreneurs—sharing both the contributions they bring and the unique challenges they face.

With that in mind, we were inspired by reflections from successful Black entrepreneurs on how they succeeded in a world filled with barriers designed to stifle their progress. One of the Be Fearless quotes that stood out came from Urban One founder, Cathy Hughes:

“[Don’t] let anyone convince you that your dream, your vision to be an entrepreneur, is something that you shouldn’t do. What often happens is that people who are well meaning, who really care for us, are afraid for us and talk us out of it.”

There’s a glaring gap for women entrepreneurs

As reports highlighting data on entrepreneurship from 2017 begin to come out, the statistics on women entrepreneurs are disheartening, to say the least. According to Pitchbook, businesses with all-women founding teams received just 2.2 percent of all venture capital in 2017. Teams with a mix of genders received just 12 percent, and a whopping 79 percent of venture capital went to all-male teams (the remaining 7 percent was unreported).

To change these numbers, there isn’t an easy fix. We know where we can start—more women launching businesses, more women in venture capital, fewer cases of bias at the hands of investors—but none of these alone will solve the problem. Partners are stepping up across industries to build solutions together that will collectively challenge the systemic biases that affect how opportunity is distributed in our culture. Data and storytelling can play major role in that, which brings us to our next trend.

We need to support data and storytelling on underrepresented innovators

Sherrell Dorsey is doing just that. Dorsey founded a daily newsletter called ThePLUG to report on founders, investors and innovators of color. This month, she talked to Vice about the need for more data on Black entrepreneurs. This is one of the many great points she made:

“A lot of times, especially in the black community, when you look at entrepreneurship, there’s been very little data collection—like, the kind of businesses we’re creating, the kind of problems that we’re solving. (…) A lot of times investors are looking for patterns in data, so when that information is not shared in public, you get a knowledge gap.”

To extrapolate out from what Sherrell is saying, if investors don’t have the data they are used to having when making investment decisions, they are less likely to fund initiatives. Therefore, having a more robust dataset on Black entrepreneurship could help spark solutions across the board. That’s something we’re working towards as we champion inspiration capital as a core part of our Inclusive Entrepreneurship work. By uplifting the stories of underrepresented entrepreneurs—stories that share both their challenges and their unique insights—we’re hoping to change widespread assumptions about who is and can be a talented entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship can flourish across in all communities across the U.S.

Another widespread assumption about entrepreneurship we’re working to challenge is the notion that Silicon Valley is the only great place to launch a company. Fortunately, that idea is being challenged by entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem builders across the country. We loved hearing about how Kela Ivonye, founder of connected delivery storage service, MailHaven found Louisville Kentucky, not Silicon Valley to be the best place to build the company.

On the ecosystem side, we’ve been inspired by news about places like Raleigh, where a program is helping formerly incarcerated individuals pursue entrepreneurship. In the Midwest, a variety of organizations are working to support the region’s female entrepreneurs. And in New York, three of the city’s major banks announced plans to give a combined $40 million to programs supporting women and entrepreneurs of color there.

This month, Engine also interviewed an ecosystem builder in Colorado as part of an ongoing series we love, #StartupsEverywhere, where the outlet talks to the people building entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country. And this week’s Kauffman Foundation newsletter poses important questions on how we can build inclusive ecosystems, including a powerful video by Melissa Bradley on her experiences as an entrepreneur, investor and ecosystem builder.

From celebrating past and present Black entrepreneurs and leaders, to building solutions for female founders, to tackling the data gap, to highlighting innovation everywhere—leaders in the world of Inclusive Entrepreneurship are getting to work. The stories we’ve seen this month inspire us and we can’t wait to read and share even more of these informative and inspirational stories. To learn more, sign up for our newsletter, Breaking Good.

Is there anything we missed this month? Tell us about your favorite social good story you saw in February!

What to Look for During the Olympics

Posted on February 5, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

Soon, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games will begin in PyeongChang, South Korea. From February 8^th through the 25^th, we’ll witness athletes come from across the globe to show their skills in 15 different sports. Full of competition and camaraderie, every two years, the Olympics become the culmination of hard work and sport, with eyes from all around the world watching to see which countries’ athletes hoist their home flags and bring home the gold.

But with each event I watch, year after year, I find myself extraordinarily impressed with the personal stories of fearlessness that I see in athletes from all over the world. They come from everywhere, from different backgrounds and stories, overcoming adversity in the hopes to live out their greatest dreams.

Take, for instance, the examples of fearlessness we see every day from Olympians, inside and outside of competition:

Kelly Clark

Veteran snowboarder Kelly Clark has already broken another record before she has even started to compete in PyeongChang. The 34-year-old has hit a milestone of being the first U.S. snowboarder to compete in five Olympic games. But the high of holding the title for the most decorated Olympic snowboarder coincided with the lowest point of her career, crashing at the 2015 X Games in Norway and having to recover from possible career-ending injuries.

It’s not unheard of for athletes to get injured once in a while. But that fall was different from all the others. She had torn her hamstring from the bone and tore the cartilage that kept her femur in her hip joint. That meant going through surgery for repair and then a year of recovery time, a kind of injury difficult for any person, let alone Kelly, the winningest athlete in snowboarding history.

She spent a month in bed with her feet bound together. She had to re-learn how to walk. Months off snow meant that she would have to come back and work harder than ever to make up for all that lost time. But for a determined individual like her—one who refused to let the injury define her career by ending it—the answer was as clear as ever: recover, train and compete not just to win, but to inspire others. As another Olympics loomed, Kelly felt a sense of urgency that helped conquer her fears of being defined by her injury rather than her skill.

By qualifying for the 2018 Olympics, she showed everyone around her what she is made of. Before, Kelly already made big bets and made history, but now in PyeongChang, it’s time to demonstrate how she’s evolved. These games will bring new tests as she goes up against athletes half her age, but Kelly stays motivated by keeping things in perspective and above all else, resolving to boldly keep progressing.

Akwasi Frimpong

The story of Akwasi Frompong begins in Ghana, where he was born. He, and his eight other siblings, were raised by his grandmother. His mother had gone to the Netherlands in order to find a better life for her family. At age eight, he followed her there, but with undocumented immigrant status. That status provided difficulties through the years, as Akwasi found trouble getting into schools as he grew older.

It was the Johan Cruyff Institute that took a chance on the young man. Akwasi was admitted into a program that allowed him to excel in academics and sport all at once. It was there that he began running, earning the name “GoldenSprint” and winning the award for International Student-Athlete of the Year.

But an achilles injury would put his competitive dreams on hold. His immigration status meant that Akwasi wouldn’t be able to find timely medical attention, and, unable to fully recover, the injury would keep him from running for almost three years.

Approached by the Dutch Olympic bobsled coach, Akwasi reached beyond his bubble and decided to take a chance at something brand new. Thirteen years after arriving in the Netherlands, he had become a naturalized citizen and could compete. Believing that the Olympics were a symbol of hope, he joined the team with Sochi 2014 in sight. However, he positioned as second alternate and barely missed the cut.

Unwilling to give up his Olympic aspirations, Akwasi was determined to fail forward, pivoting once again, this time training in skeleton. He founded the first Ghana Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation, and—turning 32 during the games this year—will compete in PyeongChang as the first ever skeleton athlete from Ghana in the Winter Olympics.

By constantly making big bets, Akwasi hopes to make history as the first person to win an Olympic gold medal for the country where he was born.

“What you need for success is already planted deep down inside of you. The root of your success starts in believing in yourself, then it is nurtured with a positive attitude, and then hard work and persistence will bring your success to reality.”
— Akwasi Frimpong

Mikaela Shiffrin

Mikaela Shiffrin has won three straight World Cup titles. The New Yorker called her the best slalom skier in the world. She’s the youngest woman in U.S. history to win a World Championship, and four years ago, she became the youngest person in history to win an Olympic gold in slalom at just 18 years of age.

Her age would tell you that she’s only at the start of her career, but with over 40 World Cup wins under her belt already, anyone can tell that she’s on her way to skyrocketing well beyond that. For context, phenom Lindsey Vonn only had seven career wins at the same age.

But like all of us, Mikaela has her share of challenges. Her achievements don’t come easy, and just weeks before the next Olympic games, she’s coming off of very public falls. As the opening ceremony for PyeongChang quickly approaches, Mikaela is bouncing back from late January failings, where she was unable to finish two World Cup races in a row, falling in one and missing a gate completely in another. For the successful athlete, it was the first time in six years that happened.

But like any fearless actor, Mikaela can make failure matter. With the heavy pressure of the Olympics looming, I’m hoping this bold athlete will fail forward, learning from these mistakes and using them as fuel to propel her Olympic dreams. Mikaela has been favored to win three medals this year, and I hope that she won’t let these recent speedbumps deter her from taking home the gold. And judging by what we see from her in this #BestofUs ad from Comcast NBC Universal, I have a feeling we’ll see big things from her:

These Olympians exemplify the Be Fearless principles the Case Foundation celebrates both in individuals and organizations everywhere. So, as you watch the 2018 Winter Olympic games, think about these athletes, and their fearless stories, as they continue to make big bets and make history, and hopefully provide some inspiration along the way.

Finding Light in the Darkness

Posted on January 10, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

Devastating hurricanes that have taken lives and left untold numbers without power, food and water. A catastrophic earthquake in Mexico that left hundreds dead and thousands more homeless. Deadly fires leapfrogging across regions in California that included populated neighborhood streets, destroying everything in its path. These are just some of the stories of human toll in 2017. Perhaps even harder to grasp are the deadly rampages that cut short the lives of too many people across the world. Add to these truly horrific events that destroyed lives, property and precious natural resources, the revelation that across industries and across continents, sexual harassment and abuse, some targeting the young and vulnerable have run rampant. The political news of our day only adds to an already discouraging sense that the world is aflame.

It’s no surprise that people, even those not personally affected by the events, are struggling to make sense of it all—trying not to let hopelessness or despair set in.

However, to characterize 2017 exclusively from this perspective would be a mistake. There are true rays of hope that shine but are often not given light amongst the more dramatic news of our day.

As we have moved beyond the holidays—known to many as “the season of light”—we would do well to turn our eyes to the inspiring stories of individuals across the globe whose selfless and fearless actions lit a path to bring hope and inspiration in the midst of darkness. And, as this New Year dawns, recognize the heroes all around us. I have written about some of the signs of hope that I saw in the responses of citizens to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and am always inspired by the way that citizens continue to answer the call to provide aid and support when times are tough.

Take, for instance, the courageous and selfless actions of celebrated chef, José Andrés, who upon learning that the island of Puerto Rico was experiencing power outages and food and water shortages, set out to make a difference. José is no stranger to disasters. Since his experience with providing disaster relief following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, José has mobilized an army of chefs ranging from local to world-renowned, as he scaled World Central Kitchen (WCK) he founded, to deliver millions of meals to date, in settings and regions others feared to go. In 2017, WCK delivered 3.1 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, provided 35,000 meals to Californians impacted by this Fall’s fires and over 100,000 meals to the people of Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey while also supporting the first responders and National Guard personnel in the field. The New York Times called WCK “the largest emergency feeding program ever set up by a group of chefs.” WCK has also improved health, increased education rates, provided career skills and has helped to create food businesses in regions where it operates.

When José was asked to give a commencement address at George Washington University in Washington, DC, he told the moving story of coming to America from Spain with just $50 in his pocket. He spoke of coming to the country in pursuit of the American dream. Then he continued: “Today you are doing something much more important,” he said. “You are shaping the new American dream. It’s not about having high paying jobs, big houses, fast cars. There is nothing wrong with that, but the new America Dream is bigger. It’s about how to achieve your success while also making an impact in the world. What you create for yourselves you must also create for others.”

And José is not alone as he embodies a #BeFearless spirit and works tirelessly in times of crisis. You can see that same spirit in the volunteers who mobilized as California’s fires raged, including two women who jumped into action to help rescue 150 horses left behind when their owners had to flee fast moving fires in Northern California; the small business people like “Mattress Mack” who opened his mattress stores to provide shelter those who were forced out of their homes when Hurricanes hit; heroic citizens, like concertgoer Jonathan Smith, who helped others escape America’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history while incurring severe injuries themselves; and even Frida, the trained rescue dog who worked alongside the Mexican Navy following the 7.1 quake that rocked the nation, as she helped save numerous earthquake victims and symbolized the Mexican volunteer citizen rescue groups from working class families that were founded after the 1985 earthquake and now aids in disasters worldwide. I am also inspired by those young individuals like Amanda Nguyen of RISE, who used her own experience as a rape survivor to get unanimous passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights in Congress.

These are just a few of the lights I see shining through the darkness as we turn the calendar from 2017 to 2018. And I look forward to hearing, seeing and featuring more of these positive and inspiring stories throughout 2018. Day by day, across the nation and across the world, it is the fearless and selfless acts of citizens taking action that can inspire hope and allow us to confidently look to the New Year with optimism.

Get in the Arena: 20 People, Groups and Ideas that Inspired Us in 2017

Posted on December 11, 2017October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

In honor of the 20th anniversary of our founding, the Case Foundation dedicated 2017 to “Getting in the Arena.” Inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s call to civic participation in his 1910 “Man in the Arena” speech, we focused on bringing forward ideas, stories and events that highlighted people and ideas that can change the world and encouraged others to do so too. To kick off the year, Steve and I wrote about how, over the initial 20 years of work, we had challenged ourselves and others to get off the sidelines and “Get in the Arena” to address our most pressing challenges. We also recommitted to this ethos moving forward and called on others to share how they were Getting in the Arena. As the year wraps up, we are using the last 20 days of our 20th year to shine the light on 20 people, groups and ideas that inspired us this year.

As part of this celebration, we highlighted many action-oriented change makers tackling issues from entrepreneurship, to the digital divide, to innovation in communities across the US and beyond, to citizen-centered civic engagement.

We also wanted people to share how they were getting in the arena and created a venue to inspire attendees at SXSW in Austin. In addition to creating an environment where SXSW aficionados could learn about how they could make an impact in the Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing spaces, see how VR could be used for good and use a ribbon wall to pledge how they were going to Get In The Arena, the Case Foundation hosted a 360° OrcaVue video that attendees could hop into to “Get In the Arena.” We loved seeing people like Loic Le Meur and Leila Janah and Jeremiah Owyang share their excitement for jumping off the sidelines and getting in the arena—Steve and I joined in too.

In June, we helped bring together young leaders from across the country who want to turn their interest into action at MCON, the marquee event on Millennial cause engagement that we helped found. We partnered with NBCUniversal to host a #GetInTheArena lounge where Millennial attendees shared how they’re turning interest into action. We were so inspired by the hundreds of stories we recorded that we are sharing a few—including Angela Richardson of BUILD, Elizabeth Lindsey of Byte Back and Dan Thiede of CERTS—as part of this 20 day campaign.

While our 20th year may be coming to an end, our commitment to shining the spotlight on those who are changing the world continues. This fall, I announced that I’m writing a book about the Be Fearless principles the Case Foundation have been promoting since 2012. The book will feature stories of fearless people and organizations—big and small, historical and modern—making big bets, experimenting, building unlikely alliances of changemakers, confronting and living through failure and letting urgency conquer fear. And to build on the legacy of work we’ve done on Be Fearless, we launched Finding Fearless where you can post short descriptions of what inspires you—whether it’s from your own journey or that of another individual, nonprofit, corporation or startup—and how they put Be Fearless to work.

Finally, we launched the Be Fearless show on Facebook Watch, featuring profiles of fearless changemakers who embody the Be Fearless principles and are making a difference across the globe. As part of the end of the year celebration, we will highlight some of the many inspiring stories we created, like the story of Pristine Seas, the Special Olympics and the Okavango Delta. Get ready to see those pop back up on our social media channels and stay tuned for even more new episodes in the coming months.

Kicking off tomorrow, we’re excited to spend our last 20 days of 2017 shining the spotlight on the people, groups and ideas that truly embody what it means to #GetInTheArena on the most pressing issues. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and tell us how you got in the arena in 2017 using #GetInTheArena.

Be Fearless Spotlight: Foster America

Posted on November 10, 2017October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

This Spotlight is a part of a special blog series curated by the Case Foundation featuring Be Fearless stories from the field. Follow along with us as we meet people and learn about organizations that are taking risks, being bold and failing forward in their efforts to create transformative change in the social sector. This Spotlight is authored by Emily Ente, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Foster America.

At least one in eight children in America is abused or neglected by the time she or he turns 18. When this happens, the U.S. child welfare system—a network of federal, state, local and nonprofit agencies—provides services to keep children safe in their homes, and, in the worst cases, places them in foster care. But across all key measures, our country is failing these most vulnerable kids. For example, among older youth leaving foster care, only half graduate from high school, one-third experience homelessness, and four out of five young men in this group are arrested. Unfortunately, the child welfare system is stretched beyond its capacity and expertise to change the odds for these kids. We can and must act with urgency to do better.

Sherry Lachman, Founder and Executive Director of Foster America, knows from both personal and professional experience about the challenges that kids face in the child welfare system. Between the ages of six and eight, she was placed in three different foster homes. As Sherry explains, “Ultimately I feel very lucky. Instead of allowing me to view myself as a victim, my fourth-grade English teacher Ms. Owen convinced me that I could someday use the trauma I had experienced to help other vulnerable kids. Ms. Owen’s message changed my life.”

Motivated by her experience and wanting to improve outcomes for other kids in the system, Sherry took a risk in late 2015 and left her job as domestic policy advisor to Vice President Biden to found Foster America, an organization devoted to improving the child welfare system. Sherry first interviewed over 100 experts in the field about critical pain points in the child welfare system and why it has been so slow to evolve. She recalls, “One of the major themes that emerged from these interviews is that there is a shortage of reform-minded leaders in the field with the diverse skills needed to drive change.”

To address this critical gap, Foster America launched a fellowship program, reaching beyond its bubble to build a pipeline of extraordinary leaders with the diverse skills, bringing these seemingly unlikely partners together to tackle the major challenges in the child welfare system. The Foster America program recruits and prepares talented mid-career professionals from business, technology, health and education backgrounds for high-impact fellowship roles at child welfare agencies.

In the short run, Foster America fellows lead reform projects at these agencies, leveraging their professional expertise to develop new approaches to child welfare problems. For example, fellows with expertise in marketing and user-centered design can help child welfare agencies improve the recruitment and retention of high-quality foster families. Fellows with data expertise can develop predictive analytics models that enable agencies to predict and prevent negative outcomes such as child abuse or neglect. Each fellowship project is designed to have a lasting local impact while also informing scalable solutions for the child welfare sector.

In the long run, Foster America’s aim is to build a national movement of fellowship alumni who will move on to higher levels of child welfare leadership and help transform the child welfare system. Foster America is making a big bet and setting an audacious goal: within five years, Foster America intends to recruit more than 100 new leaders, who will reach more than 75 percent of children in foster care. Given the relatively small scale of the child welfare field in the U.S., 100 new leaders can have a major impact on outcomes for kids and families nationwide.

Progress is already underway. Foster America launched a pilot fellowship cohort in Fall 2016. In the process, the organization confirmed there is a high level of demand for the program from both child welfare agencies and prospective candidates. Leaders at 13 child welfare agencies expressed an interest in participating in the pilot and the Foster America team chose three: New York City, Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) and Rhode Island. During the pilot, agency partners invested about $800,000 in the fellows’ salary and benefits, which further signaled their commitment and strengthened the organization’s sustainability and scalability. More than 250 candidates applied for eight fellowship spots in the pilot cohort, resulting in an acceptance rate of only three percent.

In 2018, Foster America will continue to support the first cohort of fellows, who are already making significant contributions on the ground, and add new fellows to the original partner sites. The program will also post fellows in four additional sites, including the child welfare agencies of Washington, DC, Minnesota, Missouri and Washington State. Overall, the organization is committed to fearlessly continuing to bring together nontraditional partners from across sectors and challenging the status quo. This bold experiment, coupled with an organizational culture of continuous experimentation, learning and improvement, positions Foster America, along with its partners in child welfare, to fundamentally transform outcomes for kids and families.

Visit www.foster-america.org to learn more about Foster America and how you can partner with the organization as a fellow, volunteer, donor or corporate partner. If you have any additional questions about how to get involved, contact me, Emily Ente, Foster America’s Director of Strategy and Partnerships, at Emily.ente@foster-america.org.

Feeling inspired? If you’re ready to begin your own Be Fearless journey start by downloading our free Be Fearless Action Guide and Case Studies.

Confronting the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship

Posted on November 1, 2017October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

November is National Entrepreneurship Month, and the irony that the month kicks off with National Stress Awareness Day will not be lost on any entrepreneur.

Throughout the month, we at the Case Foundation will be celebrating entrepreneurs and all of the contributions they bring. When we talk about putting our Be Fearless principles into practice, it’s not surprising that we often turn to startup founders for inspiration. For “Make big bets” you can’t help but think of Sara Blakely and Jeff Bezos; “Let Urgency Conquer Fear” evokes the story of Daymond John; “Make Failure Matter” conjures images of Oprah who was told she wasn’t made for TV, Elon Musk, or Thomas Edison who famously declared, “I haven’t failed, I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.”

But the story of many entrepreneurs, because they can be so inspirational, can also become over-glamorized. What we don’t talk about enough, however, is the stamina — mental and physical — required to be an entrepreneur. It’s an essential part of the narrative of who is and can be an entrepreneur. And since that very notion was the premise of our recent #FacesofFounders campaign, we reached back out to some of those featured founders to take on the topic of stress management.

Head to Faces of Founders on Medium to see what they said.

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