Social enterprises targeting the bottom of the pyramid

Building economic opportunity for the bottom of the global economic pyramid is a particularly challenging endeavor, which is probably why it yields such high impact. A few enterprises I have come across recently have been especially interesting to me in both their impact and their potential.

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the StartingBloc All Fellows' Summit, where I met more humbling and fabulous social innovators than I could count. One of them was the founder of Generation Enterprise, who completed the StartingBloc program in 2005. Generation Enterprise is a youth-led network of small business incubators and community hubs that equip street youth to leave life on the streets, start sustainable businesses, and create jobs. Each site acts as an engine of economic development, integrating so-called "unemployable" young people into the formal economy as entrepreneurs, employers, and community leaders.

Last year, I had the pleasure of attending class with a colleague who was attending the Heinz College on a Fulbright Scholarship, and had interned with Listros. Listros takes a very different approach from Generation Enterprise by providing equipment for child street vendors to help them safeguard their money and goods, and also protect themselves from the hot sun. (I'm sure my colleague could describe the venture in greater detail; I myself must work from memory and Listros' German-only website.)

Both short-term solutions and long-term change are necessary to improve the lives of the world's largest people. These two enterprises seem well-matched in this way. To me, it seems that Listros assumes that the systemic change that gets children off the streets is a long way out, and tries to improve their quality of life now, while Generation Enterprise works for that systemic change.

However, I can easily see how people might complain about either solution. One does little to immediately help people, and the other doesn't make people stop needing help in the long-term. Which leaves the lingering question: how can immediate and systemic solutions work together to accelerate social change?