We hope your September is off to a great start. With back-to-school season in full swing, we're seeing several stories about how colleges and universities are adapting curriculums for a purpose-driven generation.
Undergrads at Arizona State University are now required to take a class on sustainability, while top business schools like Wharton are building entire programs focused on environmental, social and governance education. Meanwhile, Caltech recently reported that more than half of its incoming undergraduate students are women for the first time in the school’s history — a big breakthrough for gender parity in STEM education.
We’re heartened to read about how schools are preparing students to be more mindful of their impact on the world. Below, we feature more inspiring stories and resources for investors and entrepreneurs who want to drive positive change.
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Meet the High Schooler Working Toward a Cure
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Heman Bekele started creating “potions” with ordinary household chemicals when he was just a small boy, but it didn’t take long for his experiments to evolve into meaningful science. By age 14, he had invented a soap that could one day treat and prevent skin cancer.
Bekele’s soap-making experiments began when he realized how many people are impacted by skin cancer and how expensive it is to treat. He wanted to create a more accessible treatment option for people in the earliest stages of the disease, so he turned to soap — an inexpensive product accessible to all.
Bekele told NPR that he started his experiments in his family’s kitchen, but eventually, the time came when he needed a real lab. Advancing his research forced him to reach outside of his bubble and make connections within the scientific community. Last year, he won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, earning a $25,000 prize that he plans to invest primarily in his project.
Since then, he has been splitting his time between high school and a Johns Hopkins laboratory in Baltimore, where he works with a sponsor to conduct research. Along the way, he has been learning from mistakes and working towards applying for FDA certification.
Recently named Time Magazine’s Kid of the Year, Bekele shows us what’s possible when people are encouraged to follow their dreams.
“A lot of people have this mindset that everything’s been done, there’s nothing left for me to do,” he told Time. “To anybody having that thought, [I’d say] we’ll never run out of ideas in this world. Just keep inventing. Keep thinking of new ways to improve our world and keep making it a better place.” |
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Tools for Incentivizing Impact |
Many impact investors wonder how to discern if their capital will truly help drive positive change. A crucial question can help: are company leaders and fund managers incentivized to create impact? ImpactAlpha recently spotlighted a few funds linking financing terms and profit-sharing to impact outcomes. Meanwhile, a recent World Economic Forum article explains how impact-linked compensation helps fund managers turn intentions into measurable outcomes. |
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INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP |
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Gen X Women Show It’s Never Too Late to Pursue Dreams
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Entrepreneurship is often considered a young person’s game, but recent studies show that Gen X women are starting the highest percentage of new businesses. Leveraging their life experiences, middle-aged women are building businesses that generate financial returns while prioritizing social impact, sustainability, and community development. |
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Inspiring Founders Leading Fast-Growing Companies |
This year’s Inc. 5000 — a ranking of fast-growing, privately held companies — features several stories of immigrant founders who are building the future. Vytalize Health’s co-founders earned the top spot for creating and growing a primary care clinic that produces better health outcomes at lower costs. We’ve also been inspired by the stories of Alex Cyriac, who partnered with a childhood friend to create a more consumer-friendly health savings account, and Liseth Velez, a veteran who founded a construction company with one project and zero connections. |
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How the Paralympics Grew Into a Major Sporting Event
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This week marks the end of the 2024 Paralympic Games, a testament to athletes’ capacity to thrive despite physical, mental or intellectual impairments. A record 4,400 athletes from around the world traveled to Paris to compete in events across 22 sports, from rugby to a triathlon. National Geographic shares the history of how a small archery competition for 16 World War II veterans with disabilities evolved into today’s massive event. |
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