In just over a decade, the MSSE program has produced dozens of successful social enterprises and catapulted students into high-impact leadership roles at existing firms. New initiatives such as the MSSE Legacy Mentorship program, launched by the MSSE Student Association this past spring, have also provided students with access to career professionals to help refine business ideas and plan their post-graduate trajectories.
Kickul called founder Adlai Wertman “a visionary leader who saw this as an opportunity to consider how we use business acumen to influence communities around the world and how we drive social change for all the persistent problems we face in this world.”
Several alumni-founded organizations were honored at the gala, including Beamlink, a tech infrastructure organization aimed at equalizing internet access; FlexTogether, a telehealth practice aimed at increasing access to pulmonary rehabilitation; and Rebundle, a company that uses plant-based, high-quality materials as alternatives to synthetic hair.
Students are doing their part too. MSSE Student Association President for 2023–24 Raymiro Gomez-Galiano said, “Our students have been addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during and following the program. Each product created by their companies have helped promote achievement of at least one SDG.”
The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by all UN members detailing 17 key areas to impact by 2030. MSSE alumni have designed products and services to address food insecurity, healthcare access, sustainability, mental health, education, and more.
This summer launched the eleventh MSSE cohort, a group that has demonstrated an increasingly global focus on social impact through for-profit business endeavors.
Kickul reminded the audience that the future of entrepreneurship lies in collaboration.
“How do we work alongside communities? How can we incorporate communities to understand what the problems are and give them the tools and empower them to create changes in ways that are meaningful and lasting?” Kickul said.