2025 Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC

What does it mean to be a social impact venture? How can you start a business that puts mission over money?

The world of social ventures may seem distant and inapplicable to many entrepreneurs, but even for traditional startups, understanding the principles of social entrepreneurship can be useful.

We'll learn the story of four impact-driven ventures in Penn State's Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program that worked to create lasting, sustainable impact in education, farming, and local manufacturing in Kenya. Through the lens of these four ventures, we'll examine key differences between traditional startups and social impact ventures. By comparing these approaches, we'll uncover insights into the social venture process, risk management, empathetic design, and measurement of success that can strengthen any business venture.