About the Ashoka Globalizer
After defining and developing the practice of social entrepreneurship around the world, Ashoka now aims to leverage its global reach, selection process and network of social and business entrepreneurs to link initiatives ready for global scale to the strategic, intellectual and financial support they require to go global.
Ashoka fellows: creators of the world’s most powerful social innovations
Over the past three decades, Ashoka has developed its fellowship to include over 2,500 individuals in more than 70 countries – the world’s pre-eminent network of social entrepreneurs. Through an internal application process, the Ashoka Globalizer program identifies those fellows within this network with the greatest potential for catalyzing global systems change. Upon being nominated as “on track to globalize” by their local fellowship representative, Fellows are integrated into a new on-line community, using Ashoka’s proven changemakers.com collaborative model to leverage insights from the broader fellowship and further refine their leading social innovations. They outline their global scaling plans in official applications to be reviewed by the Globalizer Leadership Team, 25 leading Fellows are selected as “ready to globalize”, and their scaling plans are collaboratively refined with input from the entire Globalizer online community. They also receive pro-bono support from Ashoka’s leadership and partner organizations to develop strategic and communications plans on par with their global ambitions. Finally, these Fellows are aggressively marketed throughout the Ashoka network to ensure that their compelling social innovations are recognized by the broadest possible global audience.
The Globalizer Panels: a unique platform for accelerated global growth
The Globalizer Panels, held in Vienna from July 31 to August 2, match these “ready to globalize” innovations with the resources they need to rapidly and effectively achieve global scale. Several dozen leading global entrepreneurs from the business and citizen sectors support each participating fellow in Accelerator Panels – sharing their insights into proven strategies for rapid global growth, and crystallizing the key needs and challenges associated with each fellow’s plan. Each panel is chaired by a representative of Ashoka’s senior leadership, to fully leverage the power of the rigorous Ashoka panel process. This process supplements each fellow’s plan for achieving global scale with the insights of the world’s leading global entrepreneurs. These refined plans are shared with the world during the Panels’ closing session, along with clear metrics by which to gauge each entrepreneur’s progress towards achieving their vision.
Ashoka Mindshare: a dynamic community of globally-minded entrepreneurs
The close of the Globalizer Panels marks the launch of Ashoka’s Mindshare community, allowing fellows and panelists to continue their collaboration and contact each other on-line or in person - to accelerate implementation of the plans hatched in Vienna. As they work towards these goals, fellows use the Ashoka Mindshare platform to re-engage Globalizer panelists in helping them overcome their greatest obstacles to achieving global scale. Each panelist commits a number of Mindshare hours to the community, which fellows can redeem for targeted problem-solving conversations on their most challenging issues. The Mindshare platform also leverages Ashoka’s broader network of fellows, continuously enhancing the Globalizers’ plans with their collaborative input.