Social Ventures go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly…

Some things go better when they are together like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, milk and cookies, Batman and Robin, Simon and Garfunkel, Scotch and soda……the list goes on-and-on.  Granted all are good by themselves, but when partnered with their perfect counterpart they begin to shine and reach their full potential. They become great!  (No offense to Simon or Garfunkel fans).  

Finding the perfect partner is not limited to food, superheroes or music….it can also help social ventures. For example partnerships like Fair Trade and Coffee - helping small coffee farmers receive fair place in the market, while coffee drinkers drink a better and more eco-friendly cup of Joe.  Or One Degree Solar and Coca-Cola – helping bring solar power kits to electricity-poverty rural Kenya, while allowing Coca-Cola kiosk owners increase business hours later into the night and increasing profits. There is the Grameen Bank and international clothing giant Uniqlo – creating local jobs for women in Bangladesh under the umbrella of the well-known and hip clothing brand name.

One of my favorite partnerships can be found here at Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLAB.  CMU’s Luis von Ahn is partnering his cyber security CAPTCHA technology with non-profit literacy organizations to create a better cyber secure websites that ward off hackers while simultaneously digitizing books.  The new technology is called ReCAPTCHA.   

Capital ventures often partner with (or even acquire) other companies to grow their market and profits.  Social ventures need to also embrace this concept when trying to achieve their goals. The perfect partner could help gain access to market, or gain awareness of their cause, or most importantly create a better impact.

So ask yourself what possible partners could help your social venture make to create a better impact? Or what social problems can your for-profit product help solve? Look for the unexpected and maybe in there you might just find your answer.  The possibilities are endless…the key is to find the perfect jelly to your peanut butter.

To watch Luis von Ahn speak more on ReCAPTCHA project watch on Ted Talks visit http://www.ted.com/talks/luis_von_ahn_massive_scale_online_collaboration.html