The Positive Impact of Social Entrepreneurship

An experienced investment professional and attorney, David Colin Burke serves as the chairman and CEO of Selby Lane LLC. Experienced in managing assets in excess of $20 billion, David Colin Burke also works to promote social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurs seek out innovative business ideas with the goal of improving society. A hallmark of social entrepreneurship involves connecting with customers beyond the buying and selling aspects of economic transactions. The goal of this type of work is to effect positive change that benefits people or whole communities, as opposed to operating with a singular focus on sales figures and stock prices.

One way to turn a problem into a business opportunity is by protecting or improving the environment. For instance, a refinery in India that was struggling with pollution problems had the idea to convert the wasteland around its facility into a mango orchard. The orchard now grows more than 200 different species of the fruit and has beautified the community.