Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship is excited to welcome the latest cohort of social entrepreneurs to our alumni community. These ten extraordinary entrepreneurs, with direct impact in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam participated in the 2021 Climate Resilience Asia Pacific Accelerator program, a collaboration between Miller Center and Chevron. This is the second program supporting Chevron’s contribution to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia Pacific region.
According to the World Bank, climate change has not slowed down and its connection with human wellbeing and poverty is increasingly visible. Unchecked, it will push 132 million people into poverty over the next 10 years, undoing hard-won development gains. The Climate Resilience Asia Pacific cohort directly addressed the most significant barriers for the region’s highest potential social entrepreneurs — those solving for reliable, affordable, low-carbon solutions that scale — with high-touch support from our mentor network, local Asia Pacific leaders, and Chevron staff. All of the social entrepreneurs focused on one or more of the following:
- Energy, by providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy
- Water, ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation
- Climate-smart agriculture, implementing sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices to increase productivity and production
After working through six-months of business and impact model curriculum with assigned Miller Center mentors, the program culminated in December with rigorous feedback panel sessions. These sessions, designed to simulate investor diligence meetings, gave participants an opportunity to receive feedback in real-time on their business and fundraising plans. In addition to the assigned curriculum, the program also included special webinars hosted by Chevron experts on the topics of human resources, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), governance, and board management. There was also an opportunity for participants to work with the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) to be featured on their Deal Share Platform.
Miller Center and Chevron worked together to conduct a robust marketing campaign that leveraged social media especially, through a series of videos and here are three examples:
Following a successful pilot program partnership supporting mini-grids in Myanmar and now this Climate Resilience Asia Pacific cohort, Miller Center is excited to continue collaborating with Chevron in further supporting social entrepreneurs who are directly addressing the nexus between the climate crisis and people living in poverty.
Congratulations and welcome to Miller Center’s newest social entrepreneur graduates!
