The Social Venture Network SVN is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco that has been around for 25 years, working toward a just and sustainable economy by connecting, inspiring, and supporting influential entrepreneurs who are committed to a just and sustainable world.
The world is just now starting to catch up with SVN’s ideologies surrounding wholesome business practices, and long-term investment in value-driven business that creates a positive effect on the world.
"Twenty-five years ago it was a radical idea," said Executive Director Deb Nelson.
SVN was founded in 1987 by Wayne Silby and Josh Mailman as a small group of value-oriented entrepreneurs and leaders who gathered for a meeting at Gold Lake Ranch in Colorado.
"We decided to build a new paradigm: one in which business operates to add value to society without compromising the well-being of future generations," Mailman said.
Some of SVN’s earliest members were Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s and Anita Roddick of The Body
Shop. Today, SVN has over 500 members, including business leaders, social entrepreneurs and investors, such as Joe Glorfield of Numi Tea; Melissa Bradley, CEO of Tides Foundation; Margot Fraser of Birkenstock; and Tom Szaky of TerraCycle, Inc.
Member Mark Finser, the founder of RSF Social Finance who helped create a green community bank in San Francisco has a philosophy which seems to epitomize SVN. “I am a student of philosophy and endeavor to find the spiritual in all that I do. I am driven by my desire to explore and bring to light the spiritual significance of money and the redistribution of wealth,” Finser said.
On November 13, SVN will honor 25 of the most influential and innovative leaders of the socially responsible business movement in honor of the organizations 25th Anniversary. Six categories of honorees, in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, will be inducted into the SVN Hall of Fame during the celebration, which will be held at Gotham Hall in New York City.
Deputy Director Deborah Schoenbaum said that a new generation of innovative members will be honoring original members with awards in a ceremony that will pay tribute to their influence in bringing justice and sustainability to how they do business.
Honorees include Gary Erickson of Clif Bar & Company; Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s; Myra & Drew Goodman of Earthbound Farm; Wayne Silby of Calvert Investments; Josh Mailman of Serious Change Investments; and Paul Newman of Newman’s Own and Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
Each of the honorees has built an enterprise of at least $50 million in annual revenues, and/or equivalent measurable positive social or environmental impact. Every award winner was rigorously evaluated by a panel of 20 judges representing corporate peers, industry experts, and business and organizational leaders.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Sir Richard Branson, of Virgin Group. The Hall of Fame celebration will benefit the Bridge Project, an effort to increase diversity in the socially responsible business space by supporting entrepreneurs of color, young entrepreneurs and women.
The Bridge Project is intentionally focused on diversifying SVN membership and creating programs that enable SVN to bridge to new business leaders and communities that share their vision to build and support a more just and sustainable economy, through business.
The project is instrumental in raising the profile and voices of diverse entrepreneurs, increasing their access to financial and human capital, and bringing diverse opinions, insights, and experiences to SVN’s community and the socially responsible business movement.
Though the founders of SVN have an East Coast heritage, the organization is comprised of the leading entrepreneurs throughout the world who work together to create transformational innovation and who chose San Francisco as their headquarters.
“There is just so much innovation in San Francisco!” said Nelson. Approximately 75 percent of SVN members are leaders of and investors in some of the nation's most innovative socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Approximately 25 percent of SVN members are founders and directors of nonprofit and philanthropic institutions.
Most SVN members are CEOs, presidents or owners of companies with $2 million to $100 million in annual revenues.
For information on membership, visit http://svn.org/.
