1. DESIS UK Network
Enterprise & Employability
“Social Entrepreneurship on the rise”
A National Perspective
Ellen Shipley
Partnership and Support Manager, UnLtd HE Support
Programme

2. Overview
 UnLtd: past, present, future
 Higher Education: how we work with partners
 Supporting an Ecosystem
 Priority areas for the future

3. UnLtd:
FROM SEEING
PROBLEMS TO SEEING
SOLUTIONS
Supporting social entrepreneurs

4. OUR VISION
UnLtd reaches out and unleashes the energies of people
who can transform the world in which they live.
We call these people social entrepreneurs.
UnLtd is a charitable company, and is also the trustee of
the Millennium Awards Trust, endowed with funds from
the UK National Lottery, and overseen by a Protector of
the Trust
A world where people act to make it better

5. OUR WORK
We back around 1000 people each year to start their
own ventures for social or environmental benefit, with a
mix of cash, development support and networking.
We then support around 50 per year to get to scale, with
more intensive support.
We support other agencies in the UK and internationally
to develop their own start up social entrepreneur support
programmes, creating a learning network.
Backing social entrepreneurs

7. WHO ARE...
People with:
• Potential to make positive change
• Passion to solve a social problem
Who have:
• An idea for a solution
• Entrepreneurial qualities
Who are:
• Resilient and resourceful
• Determined to make their idea a reality
Social entrepreneurs?
238,000
People in UK trying to
start a social venture
(0.4% of population)
1.7mLeading one now
(2.8% of population)

8. OUR AWARDS
Designed around the journey
TRY IT
• Up to £500
• To test an idea
• To develop
confidence and
entrepreneurial
skills
DO IT
• Up to £5,000
• For exceptional
people to start
their
journeys, buildin
g
entrepreneurial
skill and
capacity
BUILD IT
• Up to £15,000
• For existing
ventures
ambitious to
grow, but not
necessarily to
national scale
FAST
GROWTH
• Up to £20,000
• Can be given to
ventures at any
stage of
development
• For people
ambitious to
scale rapidly

9. OUR INCUBATORS
Scaling up and investment readiness
Big Venture Challenge:
Cohorts of 10 high potential social
entrepreneurs, intensive support plus patient loan
funds to match external “angel” investors
Wayra UnLtd:
A partnership between UnLtd and the
Telefonica Wayra network to create an
intensive incubator platform for early
stage, high potential digital and mobile
tech social ventures

10. Our Higher Education Work
The HE Support Initiative – Phases 1
and 2

11. Social Entrepreneurship and the HE Sector
• Social entrepreneurs are more likely to be graduates and come
from disadvantaged backgrounds – “talented disadvantaged”
• Students and staff more socially conscious than ever – attracted to
a more blended life : earning a living and doing good.
• World Class Business Schools to more vocationally oriented
universities; social venture competitions and incubator
programmes are springing up to tap into this energy
• HE sector provides a rich vein of talent and authentic social
innovation – fertile ground for social value creation.

12. UnLtd and HEFCE Partnership – Phase 1
• HE SE awards programme ran very successfully 2009-2011
• 200 new social ventures created by staff and students in 70 HEIs
• Startling achievements after just 12 months each social venture
achieved on average 500 beneficiaries, 2 jobs,12 volunteers, and
£5,800 in additional income raised
• Evaluation showed social entrepreneurship adds value to HE
through enhanced teaching, research impact, knowledge
exchange, staff development, benefits which multiplied as they
passed to students.

13. HE Support Programme – Phase 2
• Create an effective HEI led eco-system of support for staff and student
social entrepreneurs
• Facilitate collaboration and peer to peer learning opportunities for HEIs
to develop effective support for social entrepreneurs, developing
resources and sharing best practice
• Identify and directly build capacity of HEIs to establish
systems, tools, methods and processes needed to find, fund and support
social entrepreneurs
• Develop networks and collaboration opportunities between HEIs and the
private sector, brokering pro bono support for staff and student social
entrepreneurs

14. Flexible Support Package
• Dedicated Partnership Support Manager
• Star Partner Network
• Support and Training
• Resources
• Systems, Tools, Processes, Methods and Values
• Toolkit
• Online Case Studies Brochure
• Learning and Networking
• Private Sector Support and Relationship Building
• Final Conference

15. Ecosystem Development – Phase 3

16. ECOSYSTEM
Supporting other agencies in the model
Higher and further education:
Supporting 56 universities and 23 further education colleges, to develop their own start up
social entrepreneur programmes
Disadvantaged communities:
Working with the Big Local Trust to build capacity in 150 of the most
disadvantaged communities in England, over a 10 year period. UnLtd supports
social entrepreneurs in these areas, and works with local organisations to help
them start their own programmes of support.
Spark:
Already 60% of social entrepreneurs support others, and 20% provide more intensive support eg
resource raising. The Santander Spark programme is testing out how we can help more people to
deliver better quality support in this viral, peer to peer approach.
Navigation and data commons:
As the ecosystem of support develops, these become ever more important
factors. UnLtd is leading a consortium of 42 support agencies in the UK to map
the sector and develop common metrics.

17. Phase 3
Outcomes so far:
 Over 700 award winners funded and supported
 20% Undergraduate 1st and 2nd year, 30% Staff, 50% 3rd, 4th
year, PG and PhD
 56 SE-ready institutions
 National learning network
 Local, regional, national, international partnerships formed
How can we create maximum impact?
1. Institutionally, regionally, nationally
2. Networks, know-how, funding
3. Thematically, geographically

18. Phase 3
What is next as part of Phase 3 and what is coming?
• ‘Interim’ Phase 2.5 – 6 months to do more of the same and
embed this work whilst thinking and preparing for Phase 3
- Up to £9.5k, min. £5k as continuation funding or ‘catch-up’ funding
for new HEIs to catalyse culture change
- Increased focus on partnerships and collaborations
- 15th October successful HEIs announced
• Phase 3 – step change, over to you…
- Partnership & collaboration, innovation, investment,
mass engagement and mobilisation
- Ultimately strategically and operationally developing and
embedding an eco system of support to enable social
entrepreneurs to thrive

19. Phase 3
Proposed key themes:
Funded streams:
Scaling up
Regional and thematic clusters
Innovation Partnerships
Graduate Placement schemes
Ecosystem development:
PSM and staff expertise
Mentoring and Networks offer
National learning network and Data learning centre
Training and leadership programme
Influencing and demonstrating to effect policy change

20. Phase 3
10 key future priorities:
1. Capacity-building
2. Scaling up infrastructure and targeted investments
3. Strategic leadership and planning
4. Physical presence and identity
5. Learning network – offline and online
6. Sustainable long-term investment
7. Embedded within the Curriculum
8. Partnerships locally, regionally, nationally, internationally
9. Joined-up ecosystem – communities within communities
10. Demonstrating impact and influencing change