SEEED is a is a national convening of 500+ business leaders, students, entrepreneurs, policy makers, academics, and impact investors who collectively comprise the social enterprise ecosystem. Together we believe these ecosystem members have the power to advance social enterprise as a core economic development strategy and create sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems.

SEEED 2014 will explore themes central to accelerating the social enterprise sector. Key questions we aim to address include:

• Ecosystem: What are the essential elements of a viable social enterprise ecosystem? How are ecosystem builders improving venture success and the path to scale?
• Metrics: How are social ventures and entrepreneurs tackling the challenge of measuring outcomes and impact? How do you measure an ecosystem?
• Impact Investing & Funding: How are impact investors making investments? What criteria matter? Winning models? How are foundations approaching social enterprise grantmaking or impact investing? Trends and insights?
• Mission/Money Tension: How do social entrepreneurs balance the ever present tension between maximizing profits and achieving mission?
• Talent Attraction: What are the best strategies for attracting the talent social ventures need? How do SEs leverage students, universities, encore careerists?
• Sector Best Practices: Who is knocking it out of the park in food, education, health, and workforce development?

Confirmed speakers for this year’s summit include Dennis Whittle, Co-founder of GlobalGiving and Executive Chair of Ashoka Changemakers; Ira Magaziner the CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative; Jeffrey Hollender, Co-Founder of Seventh Generation and Hollender Sustainable Brands; and Rob Kaplan, Dean for External Relations at Harvard Business School and Co-Chairman of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. Check our website frequently though, as we continue to confirm more speakers every day! In addition to hearing from these distinguished speakers in keynote sessions and guided panel discussions, attendees will have the opportunity to shop for social enterprise goods at the Buy with Heart marketplace, receive one-on-one business coaching from successful entrepreneurs, and attend an evening social event where participants can unwind and network at iconic Providence social enterprise “The Steelyard.”

SEEED will be held on April 25-26, 2014 at Brown University in Providence, RI. Students attending from out of town are encouraged to sign up to be hosted for free by Brown University students. Those who register for the conference and sign up for lodging will receive a follow-up email with further details matching them to a Brown student host. Student ticket prices are $25/one day or $45/both days, and professional ticket prices are $100/one day or $150/both