Social Enterprise Initiative

We educate, support, and inspire leaders across all sectors to tackle society's toughest challenges and make a difference in the world.

Discover how we have been influencing practice and advancing the field for 25 years.

Impact Stories

Explore stories about our students, alumni, and faculty making an impact in the field.

Understanding Our Social Impact: 25 Years of Social Enterprise at HBS (PDF)

SPRING 2019 | Harvard Business School

The Social Enterprise Initiative has pioneered the use of innovative business practices and management frameworks to drive sustained, high-impact social change across sectors for 25 years.

MBA Experience

Opportunities for involvement include elective courses, field-based learning experiences, career development programs, the New Venture Competition, and student clubs and organizations.

Hear from real students on our blog

Alumni Engagement

Discover events and local clubs building a powerful network for social impact spanning the globe.

Executive Education

Taught by a team of faculty members from HBS and other graduate schools within Harvard University, our open enrollment and custom programs feature a wide range of management cases and materials.

Faculty Research

Our faculty provide education and expertise rooted in real-world experience, linking theory and practice to shape business practice and train business leaders.

Prime Coalition: Estimating Climate Impact

By: Natalia Rigol, Benjamin N. Roth, Brian Trelstad and Amram Migdal

October 2023 | Faculty Research

A case on CRANE, a tool to help investors and green technology companies estimate the future climate impact of new technologies and products, calle...

Derek Aguirre

By: Leslie Perlow and Hannah Weisman

September 2023 | Faculty Research

Derek Aguirre is the executive director of a nonprofit organization in Detroit, Michigan that uses the sport of squash as a vehicle to support youn...

Plug Power (A)

By: Jonas Heese, Joseph Pacelli and James Barnett

August 2023 (Revised August 2023) | Faculty Research

Set immediately after a December 2019 short-seller attack, the case explores Plug Power’s long challenging history. It then focuses on two key issu...

Clair

By: Lauren Cohen, Grace Headinger and Marcos Quirno

July 2023 (Revised July 2023) | Faculty Research

Clair was founded with a simple mission: to expedite America’s workers access to their hard-earned wages. In the headwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic...

Organizations and professionals from around the world participate in our Executive Education programs, access our research publications, and interact with our students and alumni through field-based projects, recruitment activities, and community engagement programs.