In this time of rising social concerns, social entrepreneurs – those who want to found a business that meets a social, economic or environmental need and turns a profit – are growing in number. To help them, New Brunswick’s Pond-Deshpande Centre (PDC) has launched a social enterprise accelerator program called B 4 Change.
Starting today, B 4 Change is taking eight companies – six from New Brunswick and two from Nova Scotia – and giving them the kind of training and mentoring usually available to companies that focus primarily on profitability.
“We’re trying to foster the development of socially oriented ventures – the kind that are focused on doing well and doing good,” said Karina LeBlanc, Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre, which is based at the University of New Brunswick.