Social Entrepreneurship

The BMW Foundation supports social innovation on a variety of levels and promotes the taking of social responsibility. When it comes to solving social or environmental problems, we focus above all on entrepreneurial solutions. We see social entrepreneurship as a new paradigm that can make a crucial contribution to sustainable solutions. We promote the further dissemination of the idea, and the basic understanding, of social entrepreneurship, the professionalization of social entrepreneurs, and the improvement of the infrastructure for budding social entrepreneurs. To this end, we have entered into collaborations with several universities, groundbreaking nonprofit organizations, and media partners.

In cooperation with the Entrepreneurship Centers at the University of Munich (LMU), the Technical University of Munich, the Munich University of the Federal Armed Forces, and the Munich University of Applied Sciences, we actively promote the establishment of a Social Entrepreneurship Academy. In this context, we have also co-developed a lecture series on “Social Innovation.”

In a special cooperation with the LMU Entrepreneurship Center, the BMW Foundation aims to establish the field of Social Entrepreneurship as part of the LMU EC under the auspices of the BMW Foundation and use it for social change.

“Social Enterprise,” an events series held in cooperation with Ashoka and UBS Deutschland AG, presents new forms of social engagement and provides an opportunity to engage in intensive discussions with the presented organizations. The Entrepreneurship Summit of the Entrepreneurship Foundation is a large forum showcasing entrepreneurial solutions to social problems.

The Foundation also participates in the public debate by supporting the independent business magazine enorm.