How Catalytic Investments Lead to Exponential Impact Courtesy of PabitraKaity on Pixabay. By Menno Moffitt de Block In July 2024, Illai Gescheit, serial entrepreneur and member of Ashoka’s Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur Network, published an open letter to the tech and media community called “Let’s cover grants and catalytic funding as if they were venture capital deals.” A seasoned founder and investor himself, Illai called out the stark difference between media attention for venture capital (VC) investments in startups, and attention for other forms of funding, such as governmen ..read more

Athlete Changemakers: Kelly Davies Courtesy of BorgMattisson on Pixabay. “Everyone in the sports ecosystem could be a powerful contributor whether you’re an athlete, a board member, a fan just viewing sport and consuming sport on the TV. Everybody can contribute in a positive way.” — Kelly Davies The spirit of being a changemaker is rippling through the world of sports, including a resurgence of athlete activism. Athletes are making strides to shift their mindset towards their long-term legacy outside of athletics and acknowledge their ability to inspire others to be involved in ..read more

Sam Parfitt on Redefining the Success Measures of Sport “For sport to truly serve the common good, there must be a reprioritization towards valuing lifelong participation, well-being, and joy.” — Sam Parfitt, Founder of the True Athlete Project Courtesy of Sam Parfitt by Alex Richmond The decline in physical activity participation rates is concerning: 80% of adolescents worldwide are failing to meet recommended activity levels. This decline is influenced by various barriers, including cultural norms and inadequate infrastructure. Moreover, the prevalent “win-at-all-costs” m ..read more

Athlete Changemakers: Lisa Westcott Wilkins LWW digging a Bronze Age monument in Bru na Boinne, Ireland. (Courtesy of DigVentures) by Leah Carey “It has to all come back to that one purpose, one goal. Total respect between players. No personal agendas. We see ourselves very much as coaches, we’re not a blame-oriented, we reject fear culture within our organization.” The spirit of being a changemaker is rippling through the world of sports, including a resurgence of athlete activism. Athletes are making strides to shift their mindset towards their long-term legacy outside of athletics ..read more

Moving Towards Long-Term Impact in Host Cities Courtesy of PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay. by Leah Carey The Olympics have recently concluded, and the Paralympics begin today. These massive events provide us with moments of celebration but also with questions and conversations about the legacy these Games will leave behind. For starters, this year’s Olympic Games was the first year there was an equal number of male and female athletes competing. This served as an apt tribute to the 1900 Paris Olympics being the first Olympics to allow female athletes to compete. Additionally, t ..read more

Exploring cactus farming, agricultural communities, and changing minds with Dunia Bora founder Vincent M. Vincent, photographed at the Dunia Bora laboratory and worksite in Naro Moru town, Kenya. (photo courtesy of Ana Popovich) By Ana Popovich You may never encounter someone as passionate and excited about cacti as Vincent. Specifically, it’s the potential of the cactus plants growing in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands that he sees as a groundbreaking opportunity for innovation in the fashion, food, and beverage industries and for changing mindsets and lives. Vincent’s vi ..read more

Lessons from Social Innovators Advancing Climate Solutions in Sport Background photo courtesy of jarmoluk on Pixabay. Made with Canva. by Alex Richmond The sport ecosystem is constantly reshaping, grappling with questions on how to leverage the resources, athletes, communication, and reach to contribute to the common good. Central to this conversation is how sport contributes to climate action and, more specifically, how sport can activate others to contribute to a more regenerative world. Ashoka Sport for Changemaking and the Green Sport Alliance explored this topic through the ..read more

Scott Strode on Emotional Well-being, Mental Health, and The Phoenix “On challenging days, members can rely on each other for support, much like they would on a difficult climb. This reciprocal relationship helps everyone rise together, creating a resilient and nurturing community.” Courtesy of Scott Strode. by Alex Richmond According to the CDC’s 2019 report on physical activity, social support is positively linked to physical activity participation, building individuals’ propensity towards and confidence to exercise more regularly. More so, physical activity serves as a powerf ..read more

Photo courtesy of Beka Ntsanwisi by Leora Lihach Mentors, advisors, and local leaders. Culturally portrayed as figures of wisdom and tradition, custodians of culture and collective knowledge. Historically, female elders around the world have stepped up to affect mindsets and social norms. In the first story of this series, we see how elder women are stepping up in non-Western cultures, primarily in West Africa, and we learn from Ashoka Fellow Dr. Judi Aubel about the importance of involving these women in catalyzing change. In this next story, we shift to South Africa and see how eld ..read more

Ashoka Fellow Silvia Ziller on the threat of invasive alien species and the importance of collaborations Photo courtesy of Fernanda Greppe. by Silvia Ziller Most people perceive the environment as being “in good shape,” based on visual indicators such as the presence of trees or other plants, or a green landscape. Others, because it looks neat or clear of trash. At The Horus Institute, we see the environment from a technical perspective, which might be closer to the way animals perceive the environment: each plant or animal is an individual with different functions and needs, su ..read more