Twitter cofounder raises money from Jack Dorsey, Bono, Al Gore for mysterious startup Jelly

May 16, 2013 10:58 AM Rebecca Grant

In a blog post today, Biz Stone announced closing a funding round led by Spark Capital with participation from SV Angel. An elite group of individual investors also contributed, including Jack Dorsey, Bono, Reid Hoffman, Steven Johnson, Evan Williams, Al Gore, Greg Yaitanes, and Roya Mahboob.

10 startups put ‘civic lens’ on tech to drive change in communities

May 10, 2013 9:56 AM Rebecca Grant

Rebecca Grant

Points of Light has selected the second class of startups for its civic accelerator program. The program is entirely focused on 'civic ventures' and entrepreneurs working to strengthen communities.

HopeMob founder’s latest project uses celebrity influence for social good

May 2, 2013 2:03 PM Rebecca Grant

Rebecca Grant

Shaun King founded HopeMob to crowdfund for people in need. Today, he launched Upfront to connect influencers with their audience, and raise money for good on the side.

5 entrepreneurial lessons I learned from Richard Branson

March 15, 2013 11:20 AM Shayan Nahrvar

Guest Post After winning a competition, I had the chance to fly down to South Africa and spend three days with my idol, Richard Branson. Here's what I learned.

Making money and a difference, Social+Capital Partnership confirms new fund

March 4, 2013 3:18 PM Rebecca Grant

Rebecca Grant

On stage at Launch, Chamath Palihapitiya confirms that he has raised $275+ million for the Social+Capital Partnership's latest fund.

Why do we hold green technologies to a higher standard?

December 2, 2012 4:05 PM Tinia Pina

It's not impossible for companies to do social good while remaining good businesses. But why is it so hard to convince the broader business world that this is true?

Startup Spotlight: Hydros battles the global water crisis

November 18, 2012 2:02 PM Rebecca Grant

Rebecca Grant

Hydros takes on the global water crisis with its approach to social entrepreneurship.

Does your startup do good? Intel competition rewards social entrepreneurship

November 10, 2012 1:43 PM Christina Farr

Christina Farr

It's not nearly often enough that we hear about startup ideas that address global hunger, fuel inefficiency, or support the deaf and blind.

Amazing! High-tech nuns team up to build cyber cafes in sub-Saharan Africa

October 17, 2012 12:07 PM Christina Farr

Christina Farr

Editor's Pick The Boston-based Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are putting high tech into high gear with an initiative to bring cell phones, laptops and other tech products to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

LendUp uses ‘big data’ to bring better small-dollar loans to people in need

October 10, 2012 8:49 AM Christina Farr

Christina Farr

Launching today, the San Francisco-based startup is using technology to experiment with lower interest rates, and ensure that loans are a way to help people move up the ladder. Unlike other small-dollar lenders, there are no hidden fees or rollovers, and loan decisions are instant.

U.N. channels tech startup know-how with launch of its first educational game

October 5, 2012 1:30 PM Christina Farr

Christina Farr

In Silicon Valley, we understand how to market a new iPhone app or game to millions of people in a matter of weeks. What if we applied these principles to support a good cause?

Q&A: How Hub Ventures plans to change the world

July 20, 2012 1:03 PM Christina Farr

Christina Farr

There’s something unusual about Hub Ventures.

Certainly there are dozens of Bay Area tech accelerators, but few would exclusively fund startups that make the world a better place. Even fewer would handpick entrepreneurs with no concrete notion of how to …