SUS 7305S: Social Entrepreneurship

The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Information
Instructor: Gabriel Foreman

gforeman@ccny.cuny.edu

Course Code: ECO 31107/SUS 7305S

Course Dates: Fall 2024
8/28/24 - 12/27/24

Course Schedule: In person
Classroom: X
T/Th 2:00 - 3:15PM

Weekly on-line asynchronous instruction will complement the weekly in-person instructional component.

Office Hours: 3:15-4:15pm Thursdays & by appointment. Email to schedule.

Textbook: The Social Entrepreneur's Playbook, Expanded Edition: Pressure Test, Plan, Launch and Scale Your Social Enterprise (2013), Ian C. MacMillan & James D. Thompson. Wharton School Press. Bookstore

Course Materials: Assignments and case study readings are available in Blackboard.

Professor Bio: Gabriel Foreman is a co-founder of Duro UAS, a Bronx-based developer of affordable environmental monitoring technology, and Duro Workforce, a provider of STEM work-based learning programs for middle and high schools. He is an adjunct professor in social entrepreneurship and executive in residence at City College, and has lectured at Cooper Union, Parsons, and Barnard.

His work in climate tech and workforce development has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, NY1, and the Brooklyn Paper. He holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management from Baruch College and a BA in Political Science from SUNY Purchase College. Baruch College Alumni Magazine profile: World Warriors. Baruch Blog profile: Deep Dive.

Course Description

Social entrepreneurship – the practice of addressing social needs utilizing business principals – is an exciting and dynamic field. The Social Entrepreneurship course will introduce you to the strategies and skills needed to launch an enterprise aligned with your personal and professional interests.

In the course, each two-student team will design and pitch a business model that addresses challenges in areas that can include education, environment, health, LGBTQ+, social justice, and more. Course readings and assignments will provide a framework to the team’s startup concept development in preparation for the final pitch video competition.

Major themes of the course include startup “bootstrapping”, i.e., the practice of launching a startup with minimal investment; systems thinking; and pitching your ideas. No experience required.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Understand key principles of social and traditional entrepreneurship.
• Apply entrepreneurial strategies to address commercial and social needs.
• Develop effective marketing and partnership strategies for your ideas.
• Interpret social entrepreneurship case studies.
• Start a career in social entrepreneurship, if so desired.

Assignments and Grading
Each team will complete the business model ideation, business canvas, pitch deck, and pitch presentation together and have the team leader submit. Reading Reflections are completed individually. All assignments are submitted through Blackboard.

Pitch Competition
For the final, each team will pitch their business model. The winning team will have designed the model best able to generate both impact and revenue and an effective pitch deck and presentation.

Student Expectations

• No AI plagiarism. You may not use AI, including ChatGPT, to write your assignments for you. Any assignments plagiarized using AI will receive a “0.”
• Contribute to your team. Entrepreneurship is best performed by a team that is invested in the outcome.
• Be creative. Try to think of new ideas that haven’t already saturated the market.
• Submit assignments on time. Assignments are due on Thursdays at 12pm.
• Use professional formatting, grammar and spelling. This is required in business and will be graded following the first assignment. Use the spellcheck feature.

Class Schedule

Grading Rubric

Instructor Commitments

• Accessibility: Office hours are 3:15-4:15pm Thursdays. Flex-time office hours are also available. Please email me ahead of time to schedule.
• Responsiveness: All emails will be responded to within 24 business hours.
• Transparency: Grades and feedback will be posted before the following class.
• LinkedIn Profile Assistance: It is recommended that students maintain a professional LinkedIn profile to support their career development.

Course Readings

• Textbook: The Social Entrepreneur's Playbook
• Case Study I: TOMS – One for One business model
• Case Study II: Patagonia – Don’t Buy This Jacket campaign
• Case Study III: FTX & Theranos – Drivers of unethical decision-making
• Case Study IV: Oatly – Communicating sustainability
• Case Study V: WeWork – Corporate governance

Assignments for Master of Science (MS) Students

MS students are required to complete additional work, seen highlighted in blue in the Class Schedule above. These consist of longer reflections covering additional material and completing the questions for a B Corp certification to rate the impact of your model at the end of the course. However, all students may review the extra material and complete the longer reflections if they choose to. Links to the articles and videos are included in each reflection and will be available in the Blackboard Content folder for those who would like to review the content but not complete the MS-level reflections.

• Video I: A Path to Sustainable Entrepreneurship
• Article I: 5 Cleantech Startups That Didn’t Survive to See 2024
• Video II: Negotiation: Getting What you Want
• Article II: From Unicorns to Zombies: Tech Start-Ups Run Out of Time and Money
• Video III: Steve Jobs: Think Different
• Video IV: Greenwashing: When Companies Aren’t as Sustainable as They Claim
• Article III: Sustainability Partnerships
• Article IV: How to Create a Marketing Strategy for a Sustainable Brand
• Article V: How OpenAI's Origins Explain the Sam Altman Drama
• Article VI: An Inconvenient Truth About ESG Investing
• Video VI: The Secret to Successfully Pitching an Idea
• Video VII: How to Choose the Right Career Path in 7 Simple Steps

Accessibility & Campus Resources

At City College, we strive to make all our classes accessible to every student, regardless of any disability (visible or non-visible; physical, cognitive, emotional, or learning) or any other special circumstances (such as a medical, personal, or housing emergency; family responsibilities; financial difficulties; legal difficulties; or immigration status) that may affect your ability to attend class and complete the coursework. Please speak to your professors in office hours or via email early in the semester or as soon as you’re aware that you may need accommodations. 

In addition, City College offers resources to students in a wide range of circumstances. Please share this information with your friends and classmates at CCNY. We want all students to succeed and to take advantage of all the support the college has to offer.

Please let your other professors know if you have registered with the AccessAbility Center/Student Disability Services (AAC/SDS) or have any special needs, learning differences, or medical conditions that may affect your coursework so that we can make the appropriate accommodations. If you believe you may need an accommodation, please do get in touch with the AAC/SDS (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/accessability). You can reach the AccessAbility office via email ( disabilityservices@ccny.cuny.edu ) or through their Zoom virtual front desk (https://ccny.zoom.us/j/9018003301?pwd=dlRQTkgxRGluZDUyUjQ5RXdqQ1FQUT09).

If you need a computer, tablet, or wi-fi, you can request them through an online form (https://portal.ccny.cuny.edu/depts/oit/cuny_loaner/login.php). You can also contact the iMedia Center (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/it/imedia)  via email ( imedia@ccny.cuny.edu ) or via their Virtual-Conferencing Service Support Bridge, by appointment (https://ccny.zoom/us/j/2126505480), passcode: 5480. For other technical support, visit the Office of Information Technology in NAC 1/301 or visit their website (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/it/students)

If you have any questions or concerns about your immigration status or that of your family members, please consult the CCNY Immigration Center (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/we-are-one-ccny/city-college-immigration-center) for free and confidential advice via phone (212-650-6620) or email ( meetu.dhar@cuny.edu ).

If, for any reason, you are struggling with personal issues, anxiety, depression, or stress, there are a number of resources on campus.

The Student Counseling Center in the Health and Wellness Center provides remote counseling that is free and confidential to students. You can contact them via phone (212-650-8222) or email ( counseling@ccny.cuny.edu ). To be immediately connected with a Crisis Counselor, text CUNY to 741741. This Crisis Text Line is a free and confidential service that assists in problem solving and safety planning during moments of crisis and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They also have links to a number of resources on their website (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/counseling). 

The Psychological Center, located in the NAC Building, 8th Floor offers a range of in-person psychological services at low cost, including individual and group psychotherapy, couple’s therapy, and psychological testing. All services are confidential. To schedule a psychological screening, please call 212-650-6602 or you can go on the clinic’s website https://www.thepsychologicalcenter.org/ and click on “NEW PATIENT” to begin the process for a psychological screening.

The Colin Powell School also has a new partnership with NAMI-NYC to help you if you are living with mental health challenges or if you care about someone experiencing those challenges. NAMI-NYC programs are services are available FREE of charge and you can be as anonymous as you’d like. Contact NAMI-NYC’s helpline via phone (212-684-3264) or email ( helpline@naminyc.org ).

If you are dealing with food insecurity, please visit Benny’s Food Pantry (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/bennysfoodpantry) in the Hoffman Lounge on the first floor of the NAC. To gain access on weekdays, just make an appointment online (https://calendly.com/bennysfoodpantry/benny-s-food-pantry-appointment-system). 

If you are facing an emergency shortage of funds, please email Ms. Charlene Darbassie ( cdarbassie@ccny.cuny.edu ) or Dean Andy Rich ( arich@ccny.cuny.edu ) in the Colin Powell School Dean’s Office. They will tell you how to apply for an emergency grant. Applying is quick and easy. You can learn more about these emergency grants online (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/colinpowellschool/student-emergency-fund).

If you are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence or violence that is sex-based, gender-based, or sexuality-based; or if you are experiencing or have experienced discrimination because of gender, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, language, religion, disability, or other reasons, please report it to Sheryl Konigsberg in the Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance, and Diversity (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/affirmativeaction) via email ( skonigsberg@ccny.cuny.edu ) , phone (212-650-6310), or in-person (Shepard Hall 109 A-D). For a confidential discussion of these and related issues, please contact Sophie English via email ( senglish@ccny.cuny.edu ) or phone (212-650-8905).

The Health and Wellness Center offers resources to survivors of gender-based and sexuality-based violence as well as to all members of the LGBTQIA+ community at CCNY. You can learn more about these resources online (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/health-wellness/gender-resources)  or via phone (212-650-8222), via email ( genderresources@ccny.cuny.edu ), or in person at the Safe Space Resource Room located in the LGBTQ+ Student Center (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/lgbtq-student-center) in NAC 1/101B.

If you are struggling in any of your classes, don’t hesitate to get extra academic support. There are various student tutoring services through CCNY Tutoring Services (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/academics/tutoring) or City Tutors (https://www.thecitytutors.org/). The Colin Powell School also offers free peer mentoring with trained upperclassman students to help motivate, focus on academics, and support students in achieving their goals. To sign up, simply fill out the form (https://airtable.com/appbIX4GFdKGDMLwL/shrWHKbV8QKh3017A). Learn more through the Colin Powell Office of Student Success Mentoring (https://cps-oss.ccny.cuny.edu/mentoring/).

The CCNY Writing Center (www.ccny.cuny.edu/writing) offers individualized writing support to all students. 

To receive information and support about securing internships and planning for your post-college career, please contact Debbie Cheng ( dcheng@ccny.cuny.edu ), Ashif Hassan ( ahassan@ccny.cuny.edu ), and Maya Gutierrez ( mgutierrez1@ccny.cuny.edu ) in the Colin Powell School Office of Student Success (https://cps-oss.ccny.cuny.edu). Also, take a look at the new Career Handbook to help you start thinking about career and professional development (https://issuu.com/colinpowellschool/docs/the_career_handbook). City College also offers assistance with internships and jobs through the College’s Career & Professional Development Institute (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/cpdi).

A wide variety of student support resources—from mentoring to fellowships, from activist and leadership skills to career planning—is available at the Colin Powell School Office of Student Success. Check out their new website (https://cps-oss.ccny.cuny.edu/). Make sure to stop by their offices on the 6^th floor of the NAC.

If you are a veteran, please know that the Office of Veteran Affairs offers a wide range of resources to support your studies. Information for how to contact that office is on the website (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/veterans/veterans-affairs-city-college).

For general advising questions, contact the Colin Powell School Office of Academic Advisors (https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/colinpowellschool/office-academic-advisors). This office is located in the NAC Building, Room 6/293. At their website, you can use Navigate to make an appointment with one of the advisors (https://ccny-cuny.campus.eab.com/). You can also find their email addresses so you can send them a message.