Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

This is the first episode of our new show Intelligence for GOOD. Subscribe here on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . In the inaugural episode of Intelligence for GOOD, I sit down with Andrew Sweet, Vice President of Innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation , to explore how AI is already being used to solve real-world challenges in agriculture, education, healthcare, workforce development, and public se...

In This Episode • Climate tech investment reaches $40.5 billion in 2025 • Why investors remain bullish on clean energy, grid modernization, and industrial decarbonization • How Nimble is reducing electronic waste through circular consumer products • Phoenix Tailings' mission to build a cleaner domestic rare earth supply chain • Clear Robotics and the future of autonomous electric vessels for water...

A new Linux Foundation report shows AI is driving a net hiring effect of +27% across European tech organizations in 2026. The real barrier to AI value isn't the technology itself, t's the foundational readiness to deploy it safely. Key takeaways European organizations expect a +27% net hiring effect from AI in 2026, with smaller organizations trending most positive. Security concerns (51%) and ski...

Rebecca Van Bergen, founder of Nest , joins Causeartist to discuss 20 years of building business and financial infrastructure for artisan and maker economies across 123 countries. The conversation covers how Nest supports micro and small creative businesses, the structure of their accelerator programs, the Makers Future Fund in partnership with Etsy and Pinterest, and why the handmade economy may...

Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast. Today’s episode is a little different. After years of building Causeartist as a media platform spotlighting impact startups, founders, investors, and innovators, we’re entering a completely new chapter. Causeartist is now officially a nonprofit organization. And honestly, this decision came from something simple. The mission became bigger than a media com...

Max Friedman didn't set out to build one of the most widely used fundraising platforms in the nonprofit sector. He and his two co-founders, Ari Krasner and Leon Cohen, started with a simpler observation: the tools available for people who wanted to raise money for a cause were either expensive, hard to use, or both. And the fees were rarely transparent. That was 10 years ago. Today, Givebutter has...

The technology for harvesting critical minerals from the ocean floor has barely changed since the 1960s. Big tracked vehicles. Vacuum dredges. Sediment plumes.  The same architecture, decade after decade. Oliver Gunasekara looked at that and saw an opportunity. He's the CEO of Impossible Metals , a deep tech startup building a fleet of autonomous underwater robots designed to collect polymetallic...

Grove Collaborative is one of the most ambitious experiments in mission-driven consumer commerce of the past decade. Founded in 2012, it started as a subscription delivery service for eco-friendly cleaning products and grew into a publicly traded company with a $1.5 billion peak valuation. Along the way, it became the world's first plastic-neutral retailer, earned B Corp certification, and pioneer...

B Corp certification is a third-party credential issued by B Lab, a nonprofit, that verifies a company meets defined standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. It is not a legal structure. It is not a tax designation. It is a certification, similar in nature to LEED for buildings or Fair Trade for supply chains. To earn it, a company completes the B Impact...

Tony's Chocolonely transformed from a Dutch journalist's investigative project into a $200+ million chocolate company by making supply chain transparency its core competitive advantage. Founded in 2005 after journalist Teun van de Keuken exposed slavery in West African cocoa production, the company built a vertically integrated model that pays farmers 40% above Fairtrade premiums while maintaining...

In episode 238 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, Brittany Christenson, the CEO of AidKit , shares her journey from studying applied math to leading a tech company focused on social impact. AidKit aims to deliver aid with dignity, providing access to emergency relief and public benefits through innovative technology. Brittany discusses the challenges and opportunities in the nonprofit and governm...

Aspiration was a California-based neobank founded in 2013 that positioned itself as the sustainable alternative to traditional banking. The company built its value proposition around fossil fuel-free deposits, automatic tree planting for every transaction, and a "pay what is fair" pricing model that allowed customers to set their own fees. At its peak in 2021, Aspiration claimed more than 5 millio...

The modern retail landscape is currently defined by a structural tension between consumer demands for convenience, the escalating necessity for sustainable practices, and the persistent inflationary pressures affecting household food security. Thrive Market has emerged as a seminal case study in resolving these tensions through a membership-based, digital-first model that integrates social impact...

Eileen Fisher is an American fashion brand founded in 1984 by designer Eileen Fisher, known for its minimalist women’s apparel and pioneering commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. Over four decades, the company has grown from a small startup (launched with just $350) into a medium-sized global enterprise with hundreds of millions in annual sales . The brand is particularly recognized fo...

This Sundance , you’ll have the chance to experience a first look at the film’s sizzle — and to sit with other creators, funders, civic leaders, and artists wrestling with these questions at Power House , a warm and intentional gathering hosted by Powerlines.org just steps from Main Street. Over hot food and drinks, these conversations go beyond festival noise into how stories truly intersect with...

In a fashion industry built on shortcuts, KENT has taken the harder road on purpose. Founded by Stacy Grace , KENT is a super natural basics brand focused on one simple but radical idea, underwear and essentials should be made entirely without plastic. No spandex. No polyester. No hidden synthetics . Just organic, plant based materials that are healthier for people and capable of returning to the...

Healthcare has not changed its patient attire in over a century. That is not an exaggeration. While medicine, technology, and clinical standards have advanced at a remarkable pace, the patient gown has remained largely untouched, often becoming a quiet barrier to care rather than a support for it. Shawn Gibbs knows this firsthand. After 15 years in clinical practice, he repeatedly heard the same s...

For nearly 25 years, One Percent for the Planet has quietly reshaped how businesses think about responsibility, strategy, and long term stewardship. What began as a simple commitment has grown into a global network spanning more than 100 countries and hundreds of millions of dollars in certified environmental giving. In this episode of Disruptors for GOOD, I sit down with Kate Williams , the organ...

Transportation has always shaped how societies function. Who can move, how easily they can get from one place to another, and at what cost often determines access to work, healthcare, education, and community. In the digital age, rideshare platforms have quietly become part of that infrastructure. In a recent conversation, I sat down with Jerry Golden , Chief Policy Officer at Lyft , to unpack how...

For over a decade, Causeartist has published the annual Social Entrepreneurs to Watch list. If you know a founder building a real solution, put them on our radar. What is Causeartist Next? Causeartist Next is our annual list of social entrepreneurs building companies that put impact next to profit, not behind it. We cover founders creating practical solutions across climate, food, health, educatio...

The statistics on marine pollution are staggering: an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans every single year, equivalent to dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the sea every minute. This crisis impacts everything from coral reefs and endangered species to the seafood on our plates. For decades, the fight to save our oceans was led primarily by large, established no...

For decades, nonprofits have relied on the same narrow funding playbook. Donations spike at year end. Grant cycles are slow and unpredictable. Teams spend enormous time fundraising instead of delivering impact. Meanwhile, trillions of dollars move through global markets every day with no connection to social outcomes. In Episode 235 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we sat down with Martin Simms...

The push to decarbonize the world’s energy systems now overlaps with a long standing problem: what to do with the massive amount of agricultural waste produced every year. Billions of tons of crop residues and animal waste are generated across the globe. Much of it is left to rot or is burned, which adds to air pollution and releases methane. The result is a two sided problem. We face avoidable en...

The global move toward cleaner energy is gaining speed, yet two issues continue to shape its future. We need a dependable and sustainable supply of battery materials, and we need storage systems that can carry the grid through long periods of weak wind or sunlight. The surge in electric vehicles and utility scale renewables has put real pressure on both fronts. It has exposed how fragile a linear,...

Ben & Jerry’s is often celebrated as the blueprint for socially conscious capitalism, a company that set out to prove business could serve both profit and purpose. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the brand grew from a local scoop shop into a global symbol of activism wrapped in indulgence. Its mission, famously defined as a three-part balance between p...