23 Conferences on Our Radar in 2018

Posted on January 17, 2018October 25, 2018 by Case Foundation

It’s that time of year! The beginning of a new rotation around the sun when we all start to prioritize our goals for the next 365 days. One of my resolutions this year is to make meaningful connections and expand my knowledge of subjects both known and unknown. There’s no better way to do so then to step out of the office occasionally and travel to a new region for a few days of learning. Our team at the Case Foundation does just that, attending and speaking at dozens of conferences and events across the globe.

Last year we took the stage at events like SXSW, Essence Festival and the Forbes Philanthropy Summit. We had the chance to talk Impact Investing with the masses at gatherings like the first-ever Forbes Impact Investing Summit, the Financial Times Investing for Good, the NYPL Business Leadership Council, Web Summit, Wharton Social Impact Investing Conference and more. And our Inclusive Entrepreneurship team took the stage at key events like the Women’s Global Leadership Forum, Atlantic Magazine’s Social Impact Forum and Black and Brown Founders.

We know that time is precious and there are countless conferences and events for you to consider in 2018 to expand your knowledge. Here’s our take on 23 conferences to attend this year in the world of philanthropy, Impact Investing, Millennial engagement and Inclusive Entrepreneurship:

MAKERS Conference, February 5-7 (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) explores new ways to make shock waves, unleash our collective power and lift each other up as we fight for causes that matter. Last year’s conference included speakers like Gloria Steinem, Eva Longoria, Priscilla Chan, Sheryl Sandberg, Diane von Furstenberg and Gabby Douglas.
Economist Impact Investing Forum, February 15 (New York, NY) join Economist editors and 200 financiers, institutional investors, policymakers, academics, impact investors and philanthropists at the second iteration of Investing for Impact: risk, return and the future of the world. Our CEO Jean Case is scheduled to take the stage with Liesel Pritzker Simmons, co-founder of the Blue Haven Initiative in a conversation on why investing in women founders is the ultimate return.
SXSW Interactive, March 9-17 (Austin, TX) we would be remiss if we didn’t give a shoutout to the conference of all conferences. Tens of thousands of attendees gather for hundreds of sessions on topics related to social good, investing, entrepreneurship, art, music and more. Our Case Foundation team will take the stage at four sessions that week, and we look forward to seeing many of you while in Austin. Speakers this year will include Melinda Gates, Alex Chung, Mark Cuban, Michael Dell, Kathryn Finney, Cindy Whitehead, Ira Glass, Walter Isaacson, Ezra Klein, Megan Smith, Gary Vaynerchuk and many more.
Women’s Private Equity Summit, March 9-11 (Half Moon Bay, CA) brings together more than 500 female private equity and venture capital leaders for discussion and networking.
Skoll World Forum, April 10-13 (Oxford, England) launched by the Skoll Foundation, accelerates entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems by uniting social entrepreneurs in a pursuit of learning, leverage and large-scale social change. Past speakers have included President of the World Bank Group Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Winnie Byanyima of Oxfam International and Hamdi Ulukaya of the yogurt empire Chobani.
Nonprofit Technology Conference, April 11-13 (New Orleans, LA) features over 100 educational sessions, an exhibit hall highlighting the latest nonprofit products and services and networking events each day. Be sure to check out our session on open source philanthropy with our VP of Interactive Strategies, John Jones.
Women in the World Summit, April 12-14 (New York, NY) presents powerful new female role models whose personal stories illuminate the most pressing international issues. Speakers last year included Scarlett Johansson, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Diane von Furstenberg and many more luminaries.
Tech Inclusion, Spring 2018 (Washington, DC) brings the industry together to drive solutions to diversity and inclusion. Attendees include executives, hiring managers, human resources, data scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and diversity and inclusion advocates.
Vanity Fair Founder’s Fair, April 20 (New York, NY) slated for its second year, this gathering highlights the accomplishments of ambitious women entrepreneurs and explores ways to help them unleash even greater growth for their businesses and their brands.
Good Tech Fest, May 22-24 (Detroit, MI) is for anyone using data and technology to drive impact. It’s for the doers and practitioners. The people on the ground. The leaders that are wanting to find innovative ways to leverage technology, and the technologists wanting to apply their skills for real global change.
US SIF Annual Conference, May 30-June 1 (Washington, DC) gives you the opportunity to network with leaders of sustainable, responsible and Impact Investing. Hear from leading investors, CEOs and policymakers, and to learn about new approaches, trends and policy developments in the field.
MCON, June (Washington, DC) join 1,000 passionate individuals who come together to channel their enthusiasm into action for today’s most pressing issues. MCON gathers leaders, entrepreneurs and cause enthusiasts of all generations to discuss problems and find creative solutions to the challenges of today.
Forbes Impact Investing Summit, June 12-13 (New York, NY) this invitation only event for doers and investors who believe in investing in companies that can change the world is a new offering from Forbes and it’s certain to make an impression. Join seasoned impact investors who are moving capital and leading the next generation of investment.
NextGen Summit, June 18 (New York, NY) unites a global community of young entrepreneurs. The 2017 Next Gen Summit welcomed dozens of investors and founders of billion dollar brands and companies, NBA and NFL stars, Shark Tank alums, world-renowned fitness experts and underwater drone creators.
Aspen Ideas Festival, June 21-30 (Aspen, CO) unites leaders and influencers from around the globe for inquisitive discussions on the ideas and issues that shape our lives and challenge our times. Hundreds of award winning journalists, global leaders, scientists and explorers, former secretaries of states, startup founders and investors take the stage each year.
Fortune Most Powerful Women, October 1-3 (Laguna Niguel, CA) MPW has evolved into the world’s most extraordinary leadership community, convening the preeminent women in business—along with select leaders in government, philanthropy, education and the arts—for wide-ranging conversations that inspire and deliver practical advice. The program features one-on-one interviews, panel discussions, interactive breakout sessions and high-level networking.
Communications Network, October 10-12 (San Francisco, CA) brings together more than 500 social sector communications professionals from foundations and organizations across the globe for engaging dialogues on using the power of storytelling to drive social impact, demystifying design and the making of movements.
Global Impact Investing Network Forum, October 30-31 (Paris, France) investors from around the globe convene for the preeminent gathering of active impact investors and those who are interested in building an Impact Investing practice. Hosted by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and PEI Media, the Forum aims to advance and scale the market through insight from industry leaders, leading-edge research and unrivaled networking opportunities.
PopTech, October 31-November 3 (Point Lookout, ME) is a robust gathering of more than 600 scientists, technologists, humanitarians, designers, artists, innovators, corporate and governmental leaders, academics and those who defy tidy categorization.
Inc Women’s Summit, Fall 2018 (New York, NY) unites savvy female business leaders with diverse backgrounds, passions, and pursuits for a day of dynamic exchanges and innovative business ideas. Speakers have included the likes of Spanx CEO Sara Blakely, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, Maria Malcolm Beck of Bluemercury and more.
Blavity Afrotech, Fall 2018 (Silicon Valley, CA) unites founders and employees of some of the fastest-growing tech startups to share the tactics and strategies they use to grow their products and businesses. Conversations range from raising venture funding, combining tech and culture, user design workshops, growth hacking and more.
Washington Ideas, October 2-4 (Washington, DC) is an annual must-attend event bringing the most consequential people and issues to D.C. featuring hundreds of political leaders and those shaping the future of business, science, technology, arts and journalism.
Fast Company Innovation Festival, Fall 2018 (New York, NY) taking place across NYC, the festival features dozens of events in content tracks ranging from tech to design, leadership to creativity, fashion to healthcare and more. CEOs and influencers from companies and organizations like Bloomberg Philanthropies, CARE, DonorsChoose.org, Robin Hood, Swell Investing and more.
Bonus: LIVE anything! Live content from media brands is a hot ticket for 2018 both in person and online. Check out the many upcoming LIVE events from media entities like Forbes, Washington Post, Bloomberg, AXIOS 360 and The Atlantic announced each week.

There are countless other gatherings you can consider like TED, Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen, the Code Conference, the Milken Global Conference, Wharton Social Impact Conference and the Sustainable Brands Conference series. Be sure to check out our past conferences we have featured in our blog from 2017 HERE and 2016 HERE. Many of these events take place year-after-year, so be sure to keep them on your radar in 2018 and beyond.

Jean Case on Forbes: There are No Limits to Innovation in the Steel City

Posted on April 4, 2016March 4, 2024 by Case Foundation

Today, our CEO Jean Case is in Pittsburgh—a city with a long and storied tradition of innovation. And fortuitously, today is also the first day of Pittsburgh’s first-ever Inclusive Innovation Week.

Throughout the day, Jean will have the chance to tour the ALMONO site in Hazelwood, new home to Uber’s self-driving cars testing facility, meet with students at the University of Pittsburgh, join innovators and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto at AlphaLab Gear and more. Through all of this, the message is clear: There are no limits to innovation in the Steel City.

In her piece on Forbes this morning, Jean shares how innovators in Pittsburgh are reinventing their city, helping this steel town experience a resurgence in the form of a technology boom, and how innovation can come from people and places that might surprise you. Read the full Forbes piece, here.

Photo Credit: “Always Shooting” on Flickr.

(panoramichealth.com)

U.S. Department of Labor Announces New Guidance Under ERISA

Posted on October 23, 2015October 31, 2018 by Case Foundation

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced new guidance under ERISA for private pension funds that will enable them to consider social impact in addition to financial return when making investments, which could dramatically increase the amount of capital available for socially responsible businesses and funds. The US National Advisory Board on Impact Investing has released a fact sheet that outlines the changes.

The guidance announced yesterday repeals guidance released in 2008, when the Department of Labor said that pension plan managers could not make investment decisions based on any factor outside of the economic interest of the plan. The 2008 guidance made pension managers wary of considering anything but financial return in their investment decisions, and it has kept a significant amount of assets out of play for socially responsible investments.

The new guidance won’t change behavior right away, but it’s a great example of government removing barriers to capital flowing toward responsible business, and we hope that it provides one more avenue for the private sector to mobilize capital for social good.

Read Jean Case’s take on this news on Forbes.

Social Entrepreneurs Win $1M in Prizes at Forbes Under 30 Summit

Posted on October 9, 2015October 31, 2018 by Case Foundation

This post was contributed by Heather Wise, intern at the Case Foundation.

The Case Foundation recently teamed up with Forbes and several other leading organizations committed to supporting social sector change to host the Forbes Under 30 Change the World Competition, the largest-ever competition for young social entrepreneurs leading both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. More than 2,500 young social entrepreneurs from around the world entered the Change the World Competition and shared with us their disruptive and scalable ideas.

After reviewing the submissions, organizers chose six finalists—who would each receive $100,000—and who would advance to participate in a special pitch competition on stage at the Forbes Under 30 Summit for the chance to win an additional $400,000 in prizes.

This past Tuesday, the finalists took the stage to present their fearless ideas aimed at tackling chronic challenges in the areas of education, extreme poverty, sustainability, global health and other complex global issues. Competing in front of an audience of 1,500 thought leaders, influencers and game changers, the finalists pitched captivating plans in the hope of winning over the judges, which included: Hugh Evans (Founder, The Global Poverty Project), Mike Perlis (CEO, Forbes Media) and Lynn Taliento (Principal, McKinsey and Company). The judges noted that they were looking for ideas that could not only potentially solve problems, but that were also scalable, realistic and world changing.

Kiah Williams, the 29-year-old co-founder of SIRUM, won the grand prize. SIRUM’s co-founders have built a platform for matching unopened, unexpired surplus medication to people in need. So far, with a staff of only five people, they have distributed $4.7 million worth of prescription medications by collecting unexpired medications from pharmacies, hospitals and nursing homes where patients no longer needed them. How do they plan on using their winnings? They intend to scale up so that by 2019, they will have a network of 1,000 donor organizations that are donating a total of $19 million worth of drugs.

SIRUM was the big winner of the competition but the other five finalists proved to be exceptional as well and will be able to use this competition as a springboard for other great opportunities:

Daniel Yu, 22, Reliefwatch– works with health centers in the developing world to manage inventory using simple mobile phone technology.

Amara Humphry, 27, Gooru– Non-profit that helps teachers and students improve educational outcomes through a free data and tech-enabled personalization website.

Govinda Upadhyay, 27, LEDsafari– distributes cheap solar LED lamp kits so kids in developing countries can both learn about physics and have an electric light to study with.

Paul Duan, 23, Bayes Impact– uses big data to help governments and non-profit organizations operate more efficiently.

Heather Concannon and Elizabeth Nguyen, 27, Unitarian Universalist Community Cooperatives– Co-founders of an organization that runs the Lucy Stone Co-Op house in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

The Case Foundation was proud to sponsor this event alongside Forbes, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Pratt Foundation, the Keywell Foundation, Echoing Green through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and entrepreneur Bob Duggan in an effort to support next generation social entrepreneurs. To learn more about the Forbes Competition, check out this blog post by Jean Case in which we announce the finalists and highlight some of the ideas submitted that captured our imagination.

A New Generation of Social Entrepreneurs

Posted on September 21, 2015October 31, 2018 by Case Foundation

Earlier this summer, the Case Foundation teamed up with Forbes and several other leading changemaking organizations to put out a call for the world’s most innovative social entrepreneurs under the age of 30 who are changing the world with their groundbreaking ideas. More than 2,500 of them answered and shared with us their disruptive and scalable ideas in the hopes of winning the Forbes Under 30 $1 Million Change the World Competition.

From this talented pool of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, six finalists were chosen. Each of the finalists represents a bold new idea that has the potential to catalyze solutions in the areas of education, extreme poverty, sustainability, global health and other pressing social problems.

It is awe-inspiring to see what this gifted group of changemakers from all around the world is bringing to life. Determined to tackle the world’s most difficult and chronic challenges, these bright young social entrepreneurs are forging new solutions and creating meaningful impact along the way.

Meet our six finalists and learn about their organizations:

Amara Humphry, Gooru: Humphry, age 27, co-founded Gooru, which helps students in underserved communities where there is a lack of support and limited resources both at home and in the classroom. The Redwood City, CA, based organization provides students with access to crowd-sourced courses, as well as actionable data, enabling immediate insight into their strengths and weaknesses related to learning. Gooru is free and open to anyone, and is currently focused on serving California public schools and planning on expanding to the rest of the US and to the world.

Daniel Yu, Reliefwatch: Yu, age 22, founded Reliefwatch, which provides stock level data for organizations in the developing world. The Chicago, IL, based company uses basic mobile phones for inventory management, overcoming the need for computers or Internet access. Medical stock outs and expirations are a pervasive problem across the developing world, impacting more than $4 billion dollars of medical aid each year. The Reliefwatch platform creates transparency, allowing organizations to prevent stock outs and track expiration dates. Reliefwatch’s platform reduced wasted medication by 90 percent while working with Global Brigades in Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Govinda Upadhyay, LEDsafari: Upadhyay, age 27, founded LEDsafari, a Switzerland-based organization which provides low cost solar LED lamp kits for secondary school students in un-electrified areas of developing countries, enabling children to make and use their own lamps. LEDsafari’s instructions allow for the complete understanding of the physics behind the circuit and the design process. As the penetration of smartphones is increasing, LEDsafari is developing an app that students can use to measure their own impact.

Heather Concannon and Elizabeth Nguyen, Unitarian Universalist Community Cooperatives: These two 27-year-old clergy members co-founded the Roxbury, MA, based Unitarian Universalist Community Cooperatives. The organization offers cooperatively-owned affordable housing communities and opportunities for individual investors or organizations who value cooperation, and justice, but who struggle to find places to invest their money in ways that reflect their values.

Kiah Williams, SIRUM (Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine): Williams, age 29, co-founded SIRUM, an online platform that provides life-saving medications to low-income people. Based in Stanford, CA, SIRUM taps into a new source of medications: unopened, unexpired surplus that would have been destroyed. The company leverages technology to identify surplus medications at institutions like nursing homes and pharmacies, find a matching need and then ship the medications directly to safety-net clinics that serve low-income populations.

Paul Duan, Bayes Impact: Duan, age 23, founded Bayes Impact, which provides technology solutions for improving critical social services around the world. Incubated at Y Combinator, the San Francisco, CA, based Bayes Impact brings data science solutions to governments that have never had access to them before.

These organizations will advance and compete on-stage at the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia on October 6, 2015—where more than 2,000 of the world’s top young entrepreneurs and game changers, as well as world-class mentors will come together to celebrate the next generation of leaders. Each of the finalists will receive $100,000 in awards and the overall winner will walk away with an additional $400,000 in awards. Finalists will also be invited to participate in the Forbes Under 30 Impact Lab—an afternoon during which the attendees at the Under 30 Summit will work with challenge finalists to help them solve problems and accelerate their growth.

Through its global brand and trendsetting reputation, Forbes is actively lifting up the next generation of talented makers and movers. For these finalists, participation in the Change the World competition can provide an important spotlight on their work, as well as access to networks and resources that may ultimately help advance their social enterprises and bring them one step closer to sustainably scaling their ideas. It is our passionate belief at the Case Foundation that this new generation of changemakers holds tremendous promise for building a better world, and it is the reason we are so pleased to sponsor this important competition.

Given this, I would be remiss if I stopped there and only highlighted these six finalists. Indeed, in the review of the 2,500 applicants there were numerous, exciting examples of young leaders with bright, innovative ideas that can change the world. While six may be recognized here today, and one will win this competition, my hope is that this challenge will not only inspire those with big ideas to make them a reality, but also encourage those looking to mentor, fund or champion a next gen changemaker to take action.

Looking for a way to get started? Check out a few of the other revolutionary ideas submitted for the competition that inspired us:

1DocWay provides a platform that enables Americans in remote or underserved areas to access psychiatric care. 1DocWay brings doctors to communities they were not providing care in otherwise through telemedicine, potentially serving millions.

Eko Devices provides the first smartphone-connected stethoscope that integrates with a patient electronic health record for clinicians. Clinicians are helped with diagnosing heart sounds and are able to record, save and analyze them.

LuminAID makes sustainable and space-efficient solar lights that pack flat and inflate into lightweight, waterproof lanterns ideal for disaster relief and more. The portable, waterproof, solar lights are also useful for families living without access to reliable electricity, and LuminAID’s Give Light Program lets anyone contribute to providing sustainable light.

MetaMixis provides biological tools for chemicals and materials producers; to help them transition from petroleum products to biomass (plants and waste). The company has developed a rapid discovery platform that combines biology, computation and automation to harness solutions from nature.

Ensibuuko Tech Limited provides the means for Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) and credit unions to grow and scale rapidly as they reach underserved communities in Uganda. Ensibuuko provides a customized mobile banking software for SACCOS that improves how these institutions manage data and makes possible the use of mobile banking to make financial services accessible anytime.

Kinvolved provides mobile and web apps that enable instant SMS and email communication between teachers and parents of kids in disadvantaged schools. Kinvolved’s technology and coaching improves family engagement through more efficient and effective communication, which has been proven to increase student attendance.

LearnLux provides educated customers for financial institutions. LearnLux educates Millennials for free through an online personal finance hub and connects them to financial institutions able to help them grow and manage their money.

Soko is creating ethical fast fashion and providing sustainable income to artisans in emerging markets. Soko’s virtual factory provides artisans with market research, mobile enterprise tools and an online marketplace to sell their products to a global customer base.

Universidad Mexicana de Innovacion en Negocios (UMIN) provides the best-applied and theoretical education to the Mexican and broader Latin American population. UMIN provides affordable high-quality education to Mexican and Latin American students that combines theory and practice—so that students are more prepared to secure full-time employment when they graduate.

Check back after October 6th to find out which organization won the competition!

The Case Foundation is proud to sponsor this competition alongside: Forbes; the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation; the Pratt Foundation; the Keywell Foundation; Echoing Green through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation; and entrepreneur Bob Duggan.

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