The full version of this article was first published at: Neel Mehta’s 5 Steps to Making a Lasting Impact

By: Blakely Fraasch, Content Creator Intern Though many recent college graduates and experienced professionals find purpose in their careers by working for socially-conscious companies, others CREATE purpose by starting their own venture. Our blog post “Using Your College Degree To Engage In Social Entrepreneurship” shows you how to apply any degree program towards social entrepreneurship, but SEED SPOT alum Neel Mehta goes above and beyond this week by demonstrating how to make a lasting impact in our local communities! Who is Neel Mehta? Passionate about improving the lives of others, Neel Mehta received his Master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics from Arizona State University. Initially, Neel believed that after earning his Master’s degree, he would get his PhD in Biomedical Informatics  and eventually become a professor. That future changed when Neel decided to create his own purpose.  Neel brainstormed ideas with the hopes of creating a start-up company and utilizing it as an outlet into social entrepreneurship. While assembling his team, he partnered with Robert Yao, a fellow innovator fixated on the difficulties of diagnosing epilepsy. After observing Robert’s complex algorithm for diagnosing patients with epilepsy, Neel and Robert took the research and built an app, thus setting the stage for EpiFinder. Lesson #1: Identify your Passions Neel and Robert are passionate about making a difference in the lives of patients with epilepsy. To them, EpiFinder is not just a business venture, but also a way to bring about positive change in the lives of many. When Neel and Robert began…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Demo Day 2016: Showcasing 14 of AZ’s Rising Social Entrepreneurs

By: Bianca Buliga, Content Curator Clear your calendars, cancel your plans, and find a nanny – Demo Day is here! Come join the Phoenix community this Wednesday, December 7th at 6pm to fill Orpheum Theatre and celebrate Arizona’s largest annual pitch event! SEED SPOT’s 7th full-time cohort of 14 social ventures will hit the stage in front of 1,000 people to give their three-minute business pitch. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, NOW is the time; this show WILL sell out! Each year, Demo Day is Phoenix’s opportunity to recognize local dreamers and celebrate their achievements, including innovations ranging from Healthcare Technology to Animal Welfare. After 14 consecutive 30-hour weeks of leadership development, 1:1 mentoring, and pitch practice, these incredible social entrepreneurs get to present their ideas to the community they hope to positively impact. Attended by some of Phoenix’s most influential leaders, this showcase represents a critical acceleration point in each dreamer’s career. So let’s show up and cheer them on! Speaking of the dreamers, here’s a sneak peek into each of their larger-than-life ideas: 1. Jaime Martinez, Schola After struggling through school, Jaime is proud that he was able to grow personally and professionally. His dream is to help students and parents find the right school so they can thrive. Mission: To improve K-12 education by streamlining the recruitment and enrollment process for parents and schools [embedded content] 2.  Stephanie Schull, OOJAAH When she was young, Stephanie watched helplessly as her mother fell ill and lost her will to…
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The full version of this article was first published at: SEED SPOT 101: The 12 Buzzwords We Are Thankful For

By: Jenna Fitzgerald, Market Analysis Intern This Thanksgiving, the SEED SPOT family has a lot to be thankful for. We’ve helped to create nearly 750 jobs by supporting 288 socially-conscious business ventures since our inception in 2012. And most importantly, we have impacted a whopping 1.15 million lives through our ventures! [See the complete 2015-2016 Impact Report here]. This work would have been impossible without our inspirational entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and staff working tirelessly to embody our core values and ensure that this process is accessible to all. If you are new to the startup scene, you probably have experienced the steep learning curve that comes with unfamiliar SEED SPOT and Social Enterprise terminology. From words like “incubator” to “pitch” and coming to understand the importance of twinkle lights, there seem to be tons of unanswered questions and confused looks that are seldom addressed. At SEED SPOT, we know how important it is to feel in the loop when it comes to these things… I mean, we’ve all been there at some point in our startup journey! Below, you will find a list of 10 crucial buzzwords that we use within the SEED SPOT community. We live and breathe these terms. Study them. Appreciate them. Love their uniqueness, and soon enough, you will understand why we value these simple words and phrases and how they truly help to define our mission and core values as a whole at SEED SPOT. The heart and soul of every startup company lies within social entrepreneurs. These folks…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Podcasts: Your New Virtual Mentor?

By: Vid Micevic, Guest Blogger and Co-Founder of 33 Buckets UNSTABLE CONNECTION According to TechCrunch, a startup company is three times more likely to succeed if it has a mentor. More importantly though, mentorship has a stronger correlation with company success than age, experience or background. Innately, I find myself drawn to connect with others—especially in the social entrepreneurship world. The community of social entrepreneurship is so collaborative and helpful to one another because we all have the same mission—to do good by being good. I feel a need to share my passions, have my thoughts heard, get feedback, gain other perspectives and listen to others so we can continue reaching our dreams for a better world. Mentorship has been a key component to my growth as a social entrepreneur. Simply put, a mentor is somebody that guides you to your full potential by sharing his or her own previous experiences. Throughout college it was easy to find a mentor because professors were willing to listen and classmates shared similar struggles. The right mentor was insightful, thoughtful, and patient, while the mentee should be respectful, curious, and attentive. With this expectation, I stepped out of the idyllic college atmosphere ready to take on the “real world” with a smile…the smile quickly vanished. I looked left. I looked right. No one seemed to care, consumed by their own agendas. Quickly I realized that I needed a mentor—a void I’ve struggled to fill since graduation. I reached out to countless people to simply grab…
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The full version of this article was first published at: NI16: The Future Is Ours if We Accept the Challenge

By: Bianca Buliga, Content Curator Yesterday, we all woke up to a new President-Elect. Donald Trump’s unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night had people across the world glued to their TV screens, contemplating the uncertain implications of the outcome. Regardless of individual political affiliations or beliefs, it is imperative for us to come together as one nation and world to create positive change. The weekend before the election, SEED SPOT representatives attended the Net Impact Conference in Philadelphia. Gathering global leaders engaged in sustainable social and environmental impact, Net Impact’s motto was to “Make History”. Liz Maw, CEO of Net Impact, kicked off the three-day conference by stating that NOW is the time for change. Addressing issues from racial equality to climate change, Net Impact’s keynote speakers included: Alicia Garza, the co-founder of the #BlackLivesMatter movement; Chad Dickerson, the CEO of Etsy; Ahmad Ashkar, CEO and founder of the Hult Prize; and Meika Hollender, the co-founder of Sustain Natural, among many other talented souls. Each speaker brought a diverse perspective to the table, and encouraged attending undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals to contemplate their roles in doing well by doing good. Now is the time to support the dreamers, to reach out to community leaders, and to let our voices be heard by solving the pressing issues that need our attention. We CAN create a brighter and more inclusive future. Here’s how: ENGAGE IN RADICAL SELF-CARE   On the pathway to positive social impact there are a number…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Wrapping Your Head around Equity Crowdfunding

By: Bianca Buliga, Content Curator You may have recently read “How to Crowdsurf, I mean CrowdFUND Wisely”, a blog post that summarizes the four major types of crowdfunding. For a quick recap, crowdfunding can be simply defined as the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their resources, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. However, this often transcends financial reassurance and involves mobilizing a crowd of people that believe in a cause enough to assemble, creating a momentum of change-making. The four primary forms of crowdfunding are: equity, lending, reward, and donation, but for the purposes of this article we are going to strictly focus on equity-based crowdfunding.     What is Equity Crowdfunding?   Otherwise known as ‘crowdinvesting’, equity-based crowdfunding enables investors to fund promising startup companies and small businesses in return for equity, or partial ownership of shares. As the startup evolves and becomes more successful, each investor’s piece of the pie increases in value. This contrasts greatly from other categories of crowdfunding, since founders do not relinquish a percentage of ownership in exchange for cash. Are there different types of equity crowdfunding?   Equity crowdfunding evolved over three phases in accordance with the federal government’s passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which encouraged funding small businesses by easing various securities regulations. Equity I Enacted in April of 2012, the initial variation of equity crowdfunding allowed accredited investors to view private investment opportunities only on password-protected websites.…
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The full version of this article was first published at: SEED SPOT Hits the Road

By: Bianca Buliga SEED SPOT’s National Director of Expansion, C’pher Gresham, is hitting the road to visit a handful of cities across the USA. During a two-week voyage from Phoenix to Washington, DC, C’pher will be meeting with economic development groups, entrepreneurs, venture firms, and other leaders in each city. As we expand to new cities, we are mapping entrepreneurial ecosystems and working with the doers and shakers in each city to empower the community to support more social entrepreneurs. As we meet leaders and organizations in cities across the USA, we will learn about their city and region and see how we can help the local ecosystem thrive! Innovation can thrive anywhere. We know that innovation is not determined by being located in a traditional entrepreneurial hub, but by inspirational entrepreneurs tackling a problem they want to fix in their own communities. We are well aware that there are amazing entrepreneurs in every state and region of the world, so during this tour we intend to hear their stories and see the cities they are passionate about. At the conclusion of the tour, SEED SPOT will be publishing ecosystem maps to help tell each city’s story and the opportunities that exist there. Cities SEED SPOT will be visiting: 1) Albuquerque, NM – 10/28 2) Dallas, TX – 10/31 3) Memphis, TN – 11/2 4) Atlanta, GA – 11/4 5) Charlotte, NC – 11/7-11/9 6) Richmond, VA – 11/11 7) Washington, DC – 11/14 If you are in one of those cities…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Net Impact Meets the City of Brotherly Love

By: John Schwarzlose, Social Impact Analyst At SEED SPOT we believe in constantly finding new ways to grow our network to better support all entrepreneurs. We are excited to partner with Net Impact and provide an opportunity to all our ventures and the greater community to attend the 2016 Net Impact Conference, a premier gathering of leaders committed to making a lasting social and environmental change. Net Impact is a global network of the world’s most effective and engaged new leaders, so it is the perfect place to connect with like-minded professionals ready to change the world. This year’s conference will take place from November 3rd-5th in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. Calling all dreamers! We cordially invite all entrepreneurs, students, and interested professionals to join us at this amazing conference. Here are the top three reasons why we think this is a can’t miss event: 1. Inspiration Leads to Learning This conference is unique because Net Impact invites incredible keynote speakers that create the conversations and topics for the day. All centered around change making, these various tracks include Social Entrepreneurship, Impact Investing, Food Systems, Climate & Environment, and Corporate & Social Responsibility, among many others. This creates a scenario that allows you to dig deep in a particular issue and develop an understanding of an area that interests you. This year’s keynotes are visionary leaders, such as Alicia Garza the Co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter; Jay Coen Gilbert, the Co-founder of B Lab; and, Chad Dickerson, the CEO of…
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