Social Entrepreneurship and Smart Power

This past Monday, CSIS hosted Jonathan Greenblatt, founder of Ethos Water and former vice president of Starbucks, for a discussion about the role of social entrepreneurship in enhancing U.S. global leadership. Introduced by Erik Peterson, our director at the Global Strategy Institute, Mr. Greenblatt enumerated several trends that are driving the rise of social entrepreneurship, that is, the fusion of public service with the private sector and civil society:

  • Environmentalism;
  • Globalization;
  • Growing inequality;
  • Increasing cynicism about government and business leaders;
  • Technology;
  • Greater transparency;
  • Connectedness; and
  • Consumer desire for authenticity

He went on to outline a new paradigm for entrepreneurship, the “economy of integrity”, which starts with social good, not solely bottom-line profits, as the foundation. The essential elements of this paradigm include:

  • Socially-oriented mission from the outset;
  • Authenticity;
  • Commitment across the value chain;
  • Transparency from the start; and
  • Consumer engagement beyond the cash register

Mr. Greenblatt provided the example of Ethos Water, the company that he cofounded, to illustrate his vision for social entrepreneurship. Founded in 2003, Ethos Water has raised over $6 million to help people in Central America, Africa, and Asia gain access to clean water; thus far, they have reached 400,000 people across the world. To listen to or watch video of Mr. Greenblatt’s talk, please click here.

Related Programs: 
Global Strategy Institute