Ask HN: Where to find socially conscious Startups? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Where to find socially conscious Startups?

5 pointspmichaud7 comments

My company helps tech startups reach the prototype phase so they can validate their market and begin iterating. We have worked with a couple "green" startups, but we have no way of generating those leads specifically.

We'd like to focus more on startups that help in some way, like sustainably providing services to the poor, or improving the environment, for example.

If you were looking for these kinds of startups, where would you look?

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Not sure about where to look for them, but you can definitely help them find you.

I would be blogging, twittering, etc. about social entrepreneurship. Check out LinkedIn Q&A as well as Groups. Start your own group on there. Build your own community around this, start a Ning network.

Attend tech conferences that focus on social change. Better yet try and speak at those conferences.

Try writing guest posts on various tech and startup sites.

Get your info out to organizations that first time entrepreneurs might go to for help or advice like the SBA, Chambers, Colleges, etc.

I don't know where you're located, but in the RTP (North Carolina) area, there's a local meet-up group for social entrepreneurs: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19139128576

I'd check out local environmental non-profits and ask them to point you to people who are trying to start something up, or ask to give a presentation @ their location for people considering startups.

I'd look at social enterprise coworking spaces and see who uses them, and look at social enterprise targeted funds or events (e.g. SIcamp) as well.

http://clearlyso.com

If you are having such a hard time, it could be easier to help established companies incubated social programs and maybe spin them out when they become successful.

also give crunchbase a try

*faircompanies (http://faircompanies.com) aims to provide information and tools on sustainability.

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