Santa Clara University

The mission of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society is to accelerate global, innovation-based entrepreneurship in service to humanity. Through an array of programs including its signature Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI™), the Center engages an international network of business, investment capital, and technical resources to build the capacity of social enterprises around the world. As a Center of Distinction at Santa Clara University, the Center leverages its programs to inspire faculty and students with real-world case studies, distinctive curricula, and unique research opportunities, advancing the University's vision of creating a more just, humane, and sustainable world.

Our vertical program themes of social entrepreneurship, frugal innovation, and impact capital have inspired programs like the Global Social Benefit Incubator and Frugal Innovation Lab. These are the key ideas upon which new programs are developed. Education is a feature of all of our programs whether it's for students, social entrepreneur, impact investors, or the general public. Being part of Santa Clara University means that we share the University's mission to education leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion. The Center also chooses sectors to focus on across all of our programming. Since 2009 we have been focused on clean energy technologies for the underserved and will soon expand into mobile technology and health foci. These thematic "sector strategies" allow us to narrow in on certain industries to maximize our understanding of which technologies and business models create the greatest impact.

It is through this combination of vertical and horizontal themes that we are able to gather experience on a number of different fronts, from field operations and engineering to fundraising and marketing, while still being able to synthesize the information and pass it on to entrepreneurs and students working to impact the lives of millions.