Entrepreneurship and Social Change
Grinnell College, Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership
Robert Gehorsam ‘76
Email: rgehorsam@gmail.com
Phone: 917.817.8107
9/1/2026 – 10/1/2026
T, Th 1:10 PM – 2:30 PM
Main Campus, JRC 225
Office Hours: T, Th 11:00AM-12PM, or by appointment
Course Description
This five-week, one-credit course addresses the question of how being an entrepreneur can help address the world’s biggest problems in areas such as climate change, inequality, health, education, and good government.
We’re going to dive deep into the several types of business organizations that entrepreneurs can create (and why these choices matter), as well as the ways that investors and other funders can support these entrepreneurs. We will go deeper into each of these problem areas to learn how entrepreneurs are working to solve these global problems in the face of what can be seen as impossible odds. We will also spend time talking to guest speakers, such as entrepreneurs and investors, who can share their own journeys.
Background
A frequent critique of the modern business world is that with its priorities of growth, profit, innovation, efficiency, shareholder returns, and constant demand creation, it is a key driver – rather than a source of solutions – of many of the world’s interlocking crises, including the multiple consequences of climate change, pandemics and declining quality of health, income and wealth inequality, and geopolitical instability.
There are countervailing trends as well. Technology innovation creates new opportunities to deliver effective solutions at speed and scale, and more people have relatively easy and affordable access to technologies that enable rapid innovation. In addition, these very same technologies (networks, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, new types of hardware, etc.) enable learning and knowledge sharing globally both via formal and informal communities of practice.
These two broad dynamics have set the stage for the emergence of entrepreneurship both as an engine for innovation and growth as well as a kind of ethos of character. As Wikipedia points out:
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business) and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones.
An entrepreneur is an individual or small group of individuals who create and/or invest in one or more businesses, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards.
A key element of this definition is how entrepreneurs are motivated to take on risk and reward through both a sense of purpose as well as through the structures of financial incentives, and in this class, we will develop an understanding of entrepreneurship that looks past pure economic return and seeks to create what we might call social value or social impact.
Who should take this course:
Second-year or later students who are interested in entrepreneurial pursuits in impact areas such as climate change, health, education, economic inequality, good governance, and related areas. This course will place a strong emphasis on critical thinking, self-reflection, and writing skills. Technical/programming skills are not required.
Learning Objectives
In keeping with the mission of the Wilson Center, this class aims to:
- Develops Knowledge: students will develop an understanding of the relationship between entrepreneurship and key areas of social innovation such as climate change, inequality, healthcare, and education. They will also develop knowledge about investment into what are called social enterprises as well as the diverse types of business structures that can be used to accomplish impactful goals.
- Encourages Practice: a course-long journal assignment will provide scaffolding for students to integrate ideas and examples from guest speakers into their own entrepreneurial journey.
- Inspires Action: through case studies and guest lectures, students will be inspired to pursue internships, get involved in relevant hackathons, and pursue any employment opportunities that are inspired by the course. The course will establish connections with the community directors of CLS to assist students in exploring any such specific internship or employment opportunities.
- Promotes Reflection: assists students in recognizing their own aptitudes and interests for pursuing entrepreneurial initiatives that have a positive social impact.
- Reveals Synergies: helps students to recognize the common traits between their liberal arts education and leadership and innovation. The course will also help students understand the complex synergies and interactions between critically important domains, such as between climate change and public health or public health and economic inequality. Understanding these complex systems interactions will also help them identify and explore specific entrepreneurial ideas.
- Provides Mentorship and Modeling: Through a robust schedule of guest speakers, the course will introduce students to successful leaders and innovators in a range of impactful entrepreneurial endeavors, with particular attention to our own alumni. Students will meet potential future mentors and learn to model good mentoring skills.
Course Schedule
The course will consist of ten 80-minute classes with out-of-class assignments.
The first third of the course will focus on a broad outline of the types of areas where entrepreneurship can have a societal impact, why entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in those areas, and the types of businesses & organizations that entrepreneurs must consider creating when setting out to build something.
The rest of the course will explore in more detail how entrepreneurship can affect these key societal domains. (Note: Readings and guest speakers are subject to change.)
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
| 9/1 | Introduction | Robert Gehorsam ’76, instructor |
| 9/3 | Business and purpose | Jay Jakub, Economics of Mutuality Alliance, www.eom.org |
| 9/8 | Types of entrepreneurial organizations and their relationship to impact | Robert Gehorsam |
| 9/10 | Media and Journalism | Abby Rapoport ‘08, Executive Director
Media Impact Funders |
| 9/15 | Climate & the energy transition | David Kurzman ‘96, CFO
Exergy Energy |
| 9/17 | Food, Refugees, and Conscious Capital | Wissam Kahi, co-founder
Eat Offbeat |
| 9/22 | Funding your idea | Rick Genzer, former partner
Ben Franklin Technology Partners |
| 9/24 | Social Equity and Organizational Transformation | Tristan Louis, CEO
Casebook.net |
| 9/29 | Repurposing tech for good | Alina Shkolnikov, Chief Partnership Officer, www.polly-labs.org |
| 10/1 | Wrap-up | Robert Gehorsam |
Class Summaries and Readings
What follows is a tentative sequence for our classes. It’s likely to stay as is, but with so many guest speakers to organize, sometimes there’s a last-minute change.
A few overall comments: This is a pass/fail course. There are no quizzes and no final exam. There’s a writing assignment I’ll explain in the first class. Each class will have a set of recommended – not required – readings, but I strongly urge you to find some that particularly interest you and dive in. It will really give you a greater appreciation for the marvelous work of our various guest speakers.
Class One (intro)
This first class obviously will lay out the journey we’ll set out on: we’ll spend some time learning why each of you is taking this class (which is clearly not a typical Grinnell course), I’ll explain why I love to teach it and what got me here, and I’ll go over the schedule for the remaining nine classes, and the expectations for your involvement.
Readings:
Innovating Towards Sustainable Abundance
This brief by a senior partner at the huge consulting firm Deloitte lays out a hypothesis for the future of business organizations that allows them to provide abundance to society and do so in a sustainable way. It is a high-level piece that is most likely intended to signal Deloitte’s thought leadership and attract corporate clients exploring fundamental change.
Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in A Turbulent World, by Alison Taylor
Alison is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and former Executive Director of Ethical Systems. She has spent the past two decades consulting with multinational companies on sustainability, human rights, culture and behavior, stakeholder engagement, and political risk. You can also follow her Substack at https://findhigherground.substack.com/ Highly recommended!
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals are a set of initiatives agreed to by all member states of the United Nations that, if implemented, intend to bring “peace and prosperity to people and the planet.” While often believed to be focused mostly on climate and environmental issues, the range of goals cover every aspect of human life.
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein (optional)
Range is a book for general readers that you can take your time reading over the entire course, or even beyond. Its value to you and applicability to this course will become apparent.
Class Two (Economics of Mutuality Alliance, Jay Jakub guest speaker)
For over 20 years, Jay Jakub was one of the guiding forces behind the Economics of Mutuality Alliance, serving as Executive Director, Economics of Mutuality Foundation; Chief of Staff, Mutual Value Labs & Mutual Value Investments; Board of Directors, Human Flourishing Foundation, all of which are part of the EOM family of organizations.
Jay has been working on the Economics of Mutuality (EoM) since the beginning, first as part of the leadership of the Mars, Inc. internal think tank ‘Catalyst’ from 2007-2020, then as the chief advocacy officer of the movement (2020-2022), and presently as Executive Director of Economics of Mutuality Foundation and Chief of Staff of Mutual Value Labs and Mutual Value Investments.
He has been involved in developing and managing many of the Economics of Mutuality Alliance’s external thought partnerships and education initiatives, including the flagship relationship with Oxford University’s Said Business School since 2014.
Jay is the co-author (with Bruno Roche) of the first book on EoM, Completing Capitalism: Heal Business to Heal the World (Berrett-Koehler, 2017 & CITIC Press Beijing in Mandarin, 2018), and is a contributing co-author of Putting Purpose into Practice: The Economics of Mutuality (Oxford University Press, 2021). He is also the author of Spies and Saboteurs (Macmillan & St. Martin’s Press, 1999).
Jay is a frequent international speaker on EoM, guest lecturing at leading universities, keynoting at conferences, forums, and other professional gatherings, appearing as a panelist, serving as a moderator, and overseeing the organizing of EoM forums.
An American based in South Florida, Jay’s doctorate is from Oxford University (St. John’s College); his M.A. is from the University of Lancaster; and his B.A. is from American University. He is married to Eleni and has two children.
Jay spoke to the class in 2024 and his talk had a huge impact on everyone in the room. To the degree this course intends to encourage you to think about the intersection of business and positive impact in the world (e.g., aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals), this class and the book referenced below comprise the core resource for our time together,
Reading: Completing Capitalism, by Bruno Roche and Jay Jakub (e-book via Grinnell library account), Putting Purpose into Practice, Colin Mayer and Bruno Roche, eds. (free download, chapter 1)
Class Three (Types of entrepreneurial organizations and their relationship to impact)
When you think about the kind of problem (or opportunity) you want to solve with a business, you also must think about the kind of business entity that is best suited to address that problem. In the United States, at least, several types of legal structures create different incentives and disincentives for both investors and entrepreneurs across a range of critical areas. As an entrepreneur, how do you choose a business structure that helps you align your goals with your values, the needs of the business, your potential investors, and the kind of culture you want to have?
Recommended Reading: For Love or Lucre by Jim Fruchterman. A veteran social entrepreneur provides a guide to those who are thinking through the thorny question of whether to create a nonprofit, a for-profit, or something in between. Fruchterman is a MacArthur Fellow, former rocket engineer, high-tech entrepreneur, and social entrepreneur. After starting two successful Silicon Valley for-profit technology companies in the 1980s, he founded Benetech as a deliberately nonprofit technology company in 1989 to develop solutions that respond to market failure in the fields of literacy, environment, and human rights. Fruchterman was a co-founder of the Social Enterprise Alliance and has served on three federal advisory committees in the field of disability.
Class Four (Media and Journalism, Abby Rapoport ’08, guest speaker)
While there is no one specific Sustainable Development Goal that addresses the role of Media and Journalism, it should be apparent that the existence of a vibrant and independent press – and of all forms of human creative expression – is essential for a healthy, innovative society. Simply put, journalism can be considered a public good. But the economics of journalism in all of its forms (print, television, digital) are complex and not always aligned with the public good. In this class, we’ll hear from Abby Rapoport, a fellow Grinnellian who has spent her career deeply immersed in these issues from a variety of roles in journalism.
Abby Rapoport serves as the executive director of Media Impact Funders. Her work has focused on the relationship between communities, media and storytelling. In 2018, she cofounded Stranger’s Guide, a publication that explores how politics, power and culture shape daily life across the globe. It has won numerous recognitions including four National Magazine Awards. She has served on the board of many non-profits and philanthropies including the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation, the Texas Democracy Foundation, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and TYPE Media. Abby began her career as a political reporter at the Texas Tribune, and subsequently worked as a staff writer on politics and policy for the Texas Observer and The American Prospect before serving as Acting Publisher for the Texas Observer. Her writing has also appeared in Glamour, The National Journal and The New Republic among other places.
Recommended Readings: (to come)
Class Five (Climate and the Energy Transition, David Kurzman ’96, CFO, Exergy Energy)
In the public discourse about climate change, it’s frequently assumed that what’s good for the planet is bad for business, and vice versa. But the facts don’t always support that. And while it may not be feasible to completely and immediately eliminate carbon-emitting energy supplies from business activities, managing an energy transition is something that many businesses are interested in, if not for ethical reasons then for financial ones. In this session we’ll hear from Grinnell alumnus David Kurzman about his lifelong dedication to this mission.
David is a finance executive who has dedicated his career to the world of cleantech. He is the Chief Financial Officer at Exergy Energy, an early stage company focused on helping companies manage their transition from carbon-emitting energy sources to renewables and other carbon-neutral sources. Prior to co-founding the firm in 2018, he was Director of Project Finance for Amp where he oversaw credit reviews, underwriting, sourcing debt and equity capital, and guiding projects from concept through to operation. Additionally, David headed NewPath Energy Capital LLC, a private equity and financial advisory firm where he launched, managed, and oversaw all aspects of NewPath’s pools of industrial equipment for investors. He has held several leadership roles as Portfolio Manager at the Leuthold Weeden Capital Management, Managing Partner of a CleanTech hedge fund, and he has held several research positions for private firms, investment banks, and a Registered Investment Company. David earned his B.A. from Grinnell College, completed additional classes in accounting at Drake University, and holds an active Series 7/Registered Representatives license.
And if that’s not enough… David serves on Grinnell’s Alumni Council, and from time to time conducts a webinar for Grinnellians on the subject of personal financial literacy.
Recommended Readings: (to come)
Class Six (Food, refugees, and Conscious Capital)
For several decades, millions of people from regions stricken by war, famine, and climate change have been on the move, seeking better lives for themselves and their families in countries they hope are welcoming and stable. We all know that the arrival of refugees can also cause political turmoil in host countries. But once again…it doesn’t have to be that way. Today’s speaker will tell you about a remarkable company he co-founded in New York City that is a delicious example of entrepreneurs encouraging others to become entrepreneurs themselves.
Wissam Kahi is the co-founder of Eat Offbeat, a NYC-based mission-driven venture creating economic opportunity for refugee chefs. He is also a Board Member of Conscious Capitalism – New York Chapter, where he organizes and moderate sessions on AI ethics and responsible business.
Wissam has twenty-five years of strategy, transformation, and operational leadership across five continents — from a decade at Booz & Company through independent advisory work, to seven years as Digital Transformation & Sustainability executive at United Rentals, North America’s largest equipment rental company. He combines rigorous strategic frameworks with operational depth: AI deployment at enterprise scale, commercial excellence, organizational design, and sustainability.
Recommended Readings: (to come)
Class Seven (Funding your idea, Rick Genzer, guest speaker)
As we learned in Class #3, the type of business structure you set up impacts the types of investment funding you are able to receive. And there are quite a few different types of investors, such as friends and family, angel investors, banks (which typically make loans in certain cases), and so-called institutional investors such as venture capitalists. Not every business idea or business structure is a fit for every type of investor. In this class, we will hear from Rick Genzer, a former partner of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, a not-for-profit venture capital firm based in Philadelphia. Not-for-profit and venture capital are not terms that usually go together, but Ben Franklin’s investments have powered the innovation ecosystem of southeastern Pennsylvania, and in this talk, Rick will explain how this kind of venture development organization works and compare it to other types of investment organizations for start-ups.
Recommended Reading: The Nine Types of Start-up Investors by Chris Neumann. Neumann is a serial entrepreneur-turned-vc, and this guide is a simple, clear taxonomy of who to turn to for start-up funding depending on the type of business you have and the stage it’s at.
Class Eight (Social Equity and Organizational Transformation, Tristan Louis, CEO of Casebook)
Earlier in the class we touched upon a special type of company called a Public Benefit Corporation. Today we’ll dive deeper into that. Tristan Louis is the CEO of Casebook, a software company whose goal is to help eliminate poverty. They provide a software-as-a-service platform for social services organizations. Casebook began as a not-for-profit initiative of a family foundation, and as CEO, Tristan transformed it into a B-Corporation/Public Benefit Company. He will discuss this journey and the reasons why he made these decisions.
Tristan Louis is an Internet veteran who has co-founded six companies, two of which went public and three which were acquired.
For a decade, he served as Chief Innovation Officer for global bank HSBC and head of mobile and internet technology for Deutsche Bank, helping drive early efforts around the emergence of the financial technology industry. He has been widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of cash management and mobile transactional systems.
Mr. Louis advises a number of startups and corporations and continues to write about technology for publications like The New York Times, The (London) Times, Fast Company, Forbes… He’s also a sought-after speaker and TV commentator, frequently appearing on the likes of the BBC, NPR, CBS, and others to help the public understand technological developments.
Recommended Reading: (to come)
Class Nine (Repurposing tech for good, the value of blended capital. Alina Shkolnikov, Chief Partnership Officer, PollyLabs)
Over the past 10-15 years, the rise of impact investing has also led to the creation of a new concept called “blended capital”, a term which describes a process of funding social impact initiatives with a combination of philanthropic, public, private equity, and other types of private funding. In this class we’ll learn how this all comes together in an innovative impact venture studio called Polly Labs. Alina Shkolnikov is Polly Labs’ Chief Partnership Officer, and she’ll talk with us about how they use a blended capital approach to incubate start-ups that repurpose existing technologies for social good.
Alina is an impact expert with a proven track record of driving strategic innovation and purpose-driven growth. She excels at leveraging catalytic and blended capital models to address systemic challenges via multi stakeholder collaborations.
Alina has advised government ministries, funds, foundations, companies and NGOs on aligning financial growth opportunities with social and environmental challenges. She has vast global experience in both the private and public sectors, including positions at the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, where she served as head of the Impact Entrepreneurship Department. Alina served as the Global iCoach Program Manager for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, during which she managed 60+ mentors. Prior to that she was the Director of Content and Programs at PresenTense, and as the European Program Director as well, she established various social and business innovation programs in Israel, Russia, and Latvia, and led multidisciplinary projects, budgets, and teams.
In 2022, Alina founded TAI Consulting, which defines social and environmental impact strategies for investment funds, multinational corporations, and foundations in an effort to align impact and ESG policies with top organizational priorities.
Alina is a graduate of the MUWC of India, and holds a Bachelors in communication and media from Reichman University and Master in Security Policy and Strategy from Tel Aviv University. Alina is also a board member for Seeds of Peace and Forum Deborah.
Recommended Reading: State of Blended Finance 2025,
Tideline’s seminal work: Catalytic Capital – Unlocking more investment and impact (2019)
Catalytic Capital: A key to aligning infrastructure investments with climate mitigation in emerging markets (2023)
Class Ten (Wrap-up)
No guest speakers, no readings. We will spend our time reflecting on what we’ve each learned over the past month. Please be prepared to complete and submit your final journals.
Out of class work expectations
I expect that reading and journal writing will comprise about 4 hours/week during the five weeks of this course. But if you are feeling entrepreneurial, we will have extra resources available to explore.
Journaling: Fundamentally, this course is about exposing you to individuals who have pursued interesting and impactful lines of work, sometimes taking unconventional paths to get there. It is not so much about demonstrating mastery of a body of content.
In general, the journal requirement is that you write 1-2 pages after each class. It is intended to provide you with a way to reflect on what you have heard from each speaker and as a result of each class discussion and think about how it might impact you and both academic and potential career decisions. There may be times where I’ll make the prompt more specific.
Keep in mind that your journaling might – and perhaps should! — include asking questions for yourself for future exploration.
While journaling is typically a solo activity, I’d like to invite you all to share your work with each other for feedback.
Grading and Attendance
This course will be offered on a pass/fail basis. Students who attend class, keep up with journal writing, and are engaged in discussions will pass.
Attendance: Students may not miss more than four unexcused classes.
Journal: Students must submit journal entries within 48 hours of each class. However, I encourage you all to write your journal entries within 24 hours, while the talks are still fresh. Students who do not submit more than seven entries will not pass the course.
Add/Drop/Withdraw Policy
The last day to add/drop, audit, and elect S/D/F grading is by the end of the second-class meeting day. Students may not withdraw from a short course.
Honesty/intellectual integrity expectations
Grinnell College’s Academic Honesty policy can be found at https://catalog.grinnell.edu/content.php?catoid=32&navoid=5208#Honesty_in_Academic_Work. It is the College’s expectation that students be aware of and meet the expectations expressed in this policy. In addition, in this course, it is my expectation that students will collaborate on most assignments but not on the personal journal assignment. If you have questions about how a particular assignment relates to the College’s policy, I will gladly consult with you before the assignment’s due date.
Statement of accommodation for students with disabilities
The College is dedicated to providing full learning opportunities for all students. Details about the College’s policies and procedures in this regard can be found at https://www.grinnell.edu/about/leadership/offices-services/accessibility-disability/students
Preferred manner of handling requests for academic adjustment related to religious holidays
I encourage students who plan to observe holy days that coincide with class meetings or assignment due dates to consult with me in the first three weeks of classes so that we may reach a mutual understanding of how you can meet the terms of your religious observance and the requirements for this course. The College’s formal policy is as follows:
Religious Observance Policy
Grinnell College acknowledges and embraces the religious diversity of its faculty, students, and staff. Faculty and students share responsibility to support members of our community who observe religious holidays. Students will provide faculty members with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent, and this notice would be expected to occur no later than the third week of the semester. Faculty members will make reasonable efforts to accommodate students who need to be absent from examinations or class due to religious observance. Students are responsible for completing any part of the course work, including examinations, they have missed due to religious observance, and faculty members are responsible for giving them the opportunity to do so. (October 9, 2009)
AI Policy
There is no specific AI policy for this course. I am an extensive user of Claude Code and similar tools for a range of purposes, including initial idea generation, editorial processes, synthesis of multiple sources and texts, but rarely for full document production and never for final document production. If you have a particular use case you’d like to explore, please come talk to me.
Additional expectations or “ground rules” for this course
While there is going to be plenty of information to gather from reading and listening to our guest speakers, there is no final exam that will test how much you absorbed. Instead, the purpose of this class is really to get you thinking about yourself. If you are taking this course, there is a good chance you are thinking about big issues affecting humanity and how you might play a role in helping. So be sure to take the time to reflect on what you are learning and how it might impact you and your future decisions, even with your studies.