Cambridge Social Ventures supports a wide range of businesses that have positive social impacts. They operate in all in fields including health, transport, housing, ageing and education – from local to global in scale, from technology start up to public sector or university spinout and everything in between.
It is designed for people who will drive their businesses forward to create real, scaleable, lasting social change.
We offer support through two main programmes:
- Social Venture Weekend: two-and-a-half days of intensive world class training for people with an ambition to set up or grow a business dedicated to making positive social impact.
- 12-month incubator programme: a tailored programme of on-going regular business advice and coaching, introductions to networks, free shared workspace if required and support to access debt and equity finance.
Cambridge Social Ventures was established in 2014, a partnership between Allia, Cambridge Judge Business School, Foundation East and Keystone Trust, funded by the UK Cabinet Office.
In 2016, we became part of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge Business School, and continue to work with a range of partners including Allia, whose Future Business Centre in Cambridge remains our base. Sir Harvey McGrath, co-chair of the University of Cambridge campaign, has made a generous donation to the Centre for Social Innovation to support to Cambridge Social Ventures. This gift will support our programmes for the next two years.
Sir Harvey said: “It is vital that entrepreneurship that has genuine social impact should be supported, particularly in its early stages, and Cambridge Social Ventures is extremely effective in providing that support.”
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From 2014-2016, this programme was known as Social Incubator East. We are aware that a different group is using this name and is claiming an association with us. We have no affiliation with anyone currently using the name Social Incubator East.