WE Social Enterprise supports entrepreneurs to drive post-pandemic recovery
What will our economy look like on the other side of COVID-19? WE Charity believes that social enterprise — businesses with the purpose of solving social and environmental challenges — holds the key to repairing the damage and fuelling long-term growth.
The pandemic has taken a massive toll on our economy, with record job losses. Small businesses have taken a hit worse than any in a generation. Entrepreneurs have been clobbered when they’re at their most vulnerable, when all their resources have been invested in launching their dream. Yet these innovators have never been more needed. In the post-pandemic world, our economy will depend on small businesses to generate economic activity and create jobs — and to tackle challenges like distance education systems and better solutions to care for seniors.
Meanwhile, many medium-sized and large companies face a different challenge. With the economic slowdown, professionals in all types of businesses have been working fewer hours. An unprecedented government wage subsidy can help reduce layoffs, but it can’t create tasks for law clerks, graphic designers, marketers, accountants and those in similar professions.
These two situations present an extraordinary opportunity to launch the next generation of social entrepreneurs who will tackle the biggest challenges facing Canada. WE has launched WE ScaleUp, a new program to support social entrepreneurs under 35, with skills training, mentorship and cost-free access to resources. The 12-week course provides skills development led by experienced business leaders.
And to help make these social enterprises become viable in difficult financial times, WE has recruited corporate Canada to offer pro bono professional services, such as legal assistance, website design and advice on human resources and structuring. Although cash-strapped businesses may be limited in their ability to make charitable donations at this time, their employees may be working below capacity. As a result, they can offer these cost-free services to benefit the next generation of Canadian start-ups.
The first session of WE ScaleUp began on April 22 with a cohort of 11 aspiring social entrepreneurs, and plans are to welcome more entrepreneurs as resources become available.
Leading the initiative are Hussam Ayyad and Jon Worren, two respected veteran entrepreneurs. Mr. Ayyad helped build the incubation hub DMZ, and Mr. Worren was responsible for creating one of the world’s largest entrepreneurship programs, at the MaRS Discovery District.
“Early-stage enterprises need more support than ever before. WE ScaleUp is a game-changer for enterprises that create not only significant economic value but also incredible social impact to support Canadians through COVID-19,” says Mr. Ayyad.
The enterprises that emerge from WE ScaleUp will be social enterprises, ones that apply a solid business approach to tackling social and environmental issues. As well as creating jobs and generating economic activity, social enterprises exist to solve societal problems such as job creation for at-risk populations, urban food insecurity, support for isolated seniors, medical advancements and delivery of mental health services. The WE ScaleUp curriculum teaches businesses how to do social good, especially in the context of COVID-19 and its recovery, incorporating social impact into a company’s DNA from the designing of the business plan forward.
One of the enterprises in the first WE ScaleUp cohort is Layla Care, a human-first, tech-powered service that makes it faster and simpler for individuals, couples and families to connect with the right therapist in their preferred setting. Through WE Scale Up, Layla will team up with another participating enterprise, Open Screenplay, an online platform that facilitates collaborative screenwriting and brings together writers with content buyers. Together they will support writers telling stories about mental health and COVID-19, to replace stigma with empowerment and isolation with community.
Alongside WE ScaleUp, WE is pressing forward with WE Incubate, a program designed for younger participants to build a new generation of social enterprises. It has already provided thousands of aspiring under-20 entrepreneurs with skills training, curriculum resources and mentorship.
These important initiatives are supported by the generosity of leaders in Canadian business and philanthropy. They include the vision of Thor Richardson, John Manley, Jon Love, the Royal Bank (RBC) and TELUS, as well as funding from the Government of Canada through Employment and Social Development Canada.
Interested companies can sponsor an entrepreneur or provide pro bono services in areas such as operations, legal services, marketing, sales, raising capital, strategy, accounting, human resources and digital technology. Additional information is available at info@we.org.
In the middle of a pandemic, everyone is focused on the here and now. But we need to think about what a post-COVID-19 Canada will look like. Here is an opportunity to plant seeds that will not only help our national recovery but make Canada better in the long term.
Please go to WE.org/scaleup to apply or offer assistance
Advertising feature produced by WE. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.