Starting a company isn’t always just about making money.
More and more UNC students have recently decided to begin startups that focus on fixing modern problems in the world.
These “social startups” are often created by undergraduate students and grown through UNC facilities such as 1789 Venture Lab and the Campus Y’s CUBE social innovation hub. Once students decide on business plans, they can look to campus entrepreneurship contests for funding.
“I think the interest in social entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon, and universities are catching up to the phenomenon,” said Judith Cone, special assistant to the chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship.
“I think most thoughtful people — and that’s really reflecting of college campuses — see the issues that we face as a global community.”
One student, junior Nikhil Jyothinagaram , decided in high school that he wanted to better the experience of donating to charity organizations in India by creating a website, Kliink.com where donors could directly interact with beneficiaries.
“I realized I had no idea how to do it,” he said.
Jyothinagaram, an entrepreneurship minor, said the Campus Y and 1789 allowed him to connect with other social innovators and build a team.
He joined forces with fellow UNC students Cody Owens , Kevin Jang and Paige Sferrazza to help build his project, and the team is a finalist in the Carolina Challenge startup competition, the next round of which takes place March 26. He expects the site to go live in June.