Failure Nau

The social business Nau is closing down. Why? It could not raise the capital it needed to keep growing. As the founders write in their going away letter:
“Just as we could not have predicted the sudden groundswell of environmental consciousness that blossomed at the time we launched our business, we did not foresee the current [...]

B Corps first year

B Corporations – first year, 82 companies, $65 million marketplace. This impressive start was just announced by Jay Coen Gilbert of B Lab. Congratulations, B Lab and fellow B corporations!
Disclosure: Blueprint Research & Design, Inc. is a founding B Corporation and I have blogged about B Corps here, here, here, here, here, here, here, [...]

Buzzword 9 – B Corporation

B Corporations are more than a buzzword – they may be a game changer. New organizational structures, new corporate code, and new ways to organize social good – B corporations are the real deal. This is one buzzword that is more than just buzz. Not only will this idea stick into 2008 and beyond, it [...]

Fix it, don’t complain about it

You’ve heard this old refrain before, “Don’t complain about a problem, do something about it,” probably from your mother. The most exciting example that I’ve seen lately of people acting on this advice is the creation of the B Corporation.
What is a B Corporation? It is a new designation for commercial enterprises that actively [...]

Party with a Purpose

The B Corporation folks and Bay Area founding B Corporations are hosting a “Party with A Purpose,” Tuesday Night in San Francisco’s Mission District. The pitch:
The Bay Area Founding B CorporationsInvite you to the 1st B Corporation “Party With A Purpose”.Learn how your peers and leaders in the movement aresetting a new corporate standard in [...]

Capital Market Development

I’ve written about B corporations here and here. This is a new effort to register “public benefit companies” and help solve the commercial/nonprofit hybrid dilemma. And to do much more. This is from B Corporation’s web site on how it plans to support new B corporations.

Capital Markets (access and [...]

Becoming a B (Corporation)

When I founded Blueprint Research & Design ten years ago, the question I asked myself, and everyone asked me was “why didn’t I set it up as a nonprofit?” After all, we provide independent research and strategy advice to philanthropic foundations and individuals – all of our clients are either charitable individuals, philanthropic entities or [...]