Alumni Solutions
SUPPORTING SOCIAL ENTERPRISES TO SCALE
When you graduate from the Miller Center Accelerator, your journey doesn’t stop there. We continue to support alumni with high-touch, custom solutions that meet your evolving needs as your enterprise grows. Interested in joining our alumni network? Apply to our accelerator!
Entrepreneurs who fill out Miller Center’s annual alumni survey to update us on their growth and progress are eligible to apply for alumni opportunities and access a continued network of support. Alumni can stay up to date on all upcoming opportunities by visiting the Alumni Opportunities Page, which is updated on a monthly basis.
For more information about upcoming opportunities and resources available to alumni,
contact us at mc-alumni@scu.edu.
Methodology
Following the curriculum and mentorship of the core accelerator program, Alumni Solutions are designed to accompany social entrepreneurs by offering supported deep dives into a range of growth areas through various formats. Objectives may center around direct, short-term investment goals, leadership development goals, organizational capacity-building goals, or a combination.
ELIGIBILITY
Most of our alumni solutions are designed for sustainable, scalable social enterprises whose stage of development falls within our “sweet spot” of post-revenue startups and early growth, and whose mission is centered around women’s economic empowerment, climate resilience, or both.
Opportunities
BUILD YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
Close the gaps in your business to enable sustainable impact and attract funding. All Miller Center alumni are eligible for webinars, workshops, and short courses, as well as self-serve curriculum and resources, including
- 3-part Data Webinar Series with Sopact
- FairTrade Certification Webinar Series
- Pro Bono Legal Resources Webinar with Lex Mundi and Santa Clara Law
- Microgrid and Last Mile Distribution Playbooks
- Sales & Marketing Curriculum On-Demand.
- Design Thinking Curriculum On-Demand.
- ScaleOut Workshop: A Recipe for Expansion into New Markets with MovingWorlds
- And more!
Post-revenue startup and early growth stage social enterprise alumni that have high potential to scale their business and impact are eligible to apply for the fixed opportunities below that involve curriculum, mentorship, and/or student support.
- Impact Measurement and Management. In partnership with Sopact, work through our curriculum with a mentor to define your main outcomes, design impact questions for stakeholders, learn how to collect baseline data, and put together an impact dashboard to help you make informed decisions on your work.
- Marketing Plan. We have teamed up with Santa Clara University Executive MBA students to develop a marketing plan for your social enterprise. The plan can be for your business as a whole, or for a particular segment or product line.
- Graphic Design, Copywriting, and Editing Student Interns. Access specialized support from student interns who are trained and employed by Miller Center. Visit our internal Alumni Opportunities landing page to learn about current student specialties.
- Scaling Research. Miller Center has teamed up with Santa Clara University Leavey Scholar students participating in a global business course (MGMT 80-S) to create consultancy projects for entrepreneurs who are looking to expand to new markets or regions of operation.
- And more!
DESIGN A CUSTOM ENGAGEMENT
For post-revenue startup and early growth stage social enterprise alumni who need tailored support, we offer Bespoke Mentoring, as well as our student Fellowship and Internships and Santa Clara University faculty research projects that you collaboratively design with us.
Bespoke Mentoring
Access customized, time-bound support in key areas that reflect the experience and skills represented within our mentor network. Through a Bespoke Work Plan and diagnostic call, Miller Center staff and mentors collaborate with the entrepreneur to clearly define their needs and determine the scope and timing of the mentored engagement. Contact us at mc-alumni@scu.edu
Miller Center Lewis Family Fellowship
Collaboratively design and conduct a practical research project to advance your mission. We recruit ambitious and enterprising teams of third year undergraduate students who prepare a research proposal, gather data on-site, and provide consultancy-style reports for you and your team. Social entrepreneurs who participate in this 10-month engagement will come away with products of genuine value that support the scaling of your enterprise. To learn more, visit the Fellowship page.
Miller Center Internship
This summer program is designed to provide meaningful work opportunities for Santa Clara University students (undergraduate or graduate, including any year of study or program), while creating a value exchange with alumni social enterprises. All internship opportunities are for a minimum of 3 months and are paid by Miller Center. To learn more, visit the Internship page.
Santa Clara University Faculty Research
Miller Center Scholars represent an interdisciplinary group of faculty who are actively engaged in teaching, research, and service in social entrepreneurship. To learn more, visit the Faculty page.
Leadership
Develop critical skills for effective fundraising and implementing organizational changes.
All Miller Center alumni are eligible for
- Governance Curriculum On-Demand. Learn how to establish a board of directors, optimize the composition of your board, assess your board management and culture, and identify and prioritize improvements.
Post-revenue startup and early growth stage alumni who are the CEO or equivalent of their organization and seeking to develop their leadership skills are eligible to apply for
- Leadership Coaching Program. Hone your leadership skills with 6 months of remote pro-bono one-on-one sessions with leadership coaches who have 20+ years of experience coaching Silicon Valley executives.
- Social Entrepreneur Leadership Circles. Join a small group of other CEOs /Executive Directors of Miller Center alumni social enterprises in this unique peer-to-peer opportunity. Under the guidance of a professional facilitator, share and support each other in developing as leaders and growing your organization. Leadership Circles or CEO Roundtables are a proven and well-established fixture in Silicon Valley. All 12-16 participants commit to attending 2-hour virtual meetings once per month for a minimum of 6 months, fostering a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives. (By invitation only)
Contact us at mc-alumni@scu.edu
Investment Readiness
Prepare to access catalytic capital
Post-revenue startup and early growth stage social enterprise alumni may be eligible for
- In-Residence. Join a cohort of other entrepreneurs at this in-person program featuring mock investor meetings, bespoke mentoring, networking events, and an opportunity to pitch your business and potentially raise investment from Miller Center. (Apply by invitation only)
All Miller Center alumni are eligible for
- Grant Writing Assistance. Santa Clara University undergraduate students work directly with alumni social enterprises to draft a grant proposal.
- Virtual webinars and workshops such as
- Grant Funding Workshop with Connective Impact
- Investor Outreach Tactics Webinar with Duke University’s CASE Smart Impact Capital Program
- Impact Investing Curriculum On-Demand. Explore a series of mini-courses covering different types of impact investments (grants, debt, equity, and structured exits) and how to prepare for investor due diligence.
For post-revenue startup and early growth stage social enterprise alumni who have high potential to scale their business and impact, and who are actively fundraising, you may be eligible for
- Investment Readiness and Facilitation
- Miller Center Invest
For more information, visit the Impact Investing webpage, or contact millercenterinvest@scu.edu
ALUMNI ADVISORY COUNCIL & Excellence Awards
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE ALUMNI ADVISORY COUNCIL
The council provides an ongoing sounding board and focus group — representing the social enterprises we work with globally and providing customer feedback in many areas, including alumni support, investment facilitation, programming, and student engagement. To learn more, visit our Team page.
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE EXCELLENCE AWARD
Each year, Miller Center nominates a select group of social enterprise alumni for the Social Enterprise Excellence Award. Recipients of the award must have
- Scaled dramatically since initial participation in a Miller Center program
- Stayed engaged with Miller Center through multiple touchpoints and participation in other programs
- Fit our current focus areas of climate resilience, women’s economic empowerment, or the intersection of both
- Fit our requirement for an earned revenue model
When selecting a group of alumni to award, the selection team looks for geographic, sector, and gender diversity.
2022 Recipients
- Recipient: Alicia Wallace, Co-Founder and COO
- Alleviating poverty in Africa through job and market creation for artisans through ethically and sustainably made home decor.
- Countries: Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
- Business Type: Hybrid
- Recipients: Elia Timotheo, CEO, and Diana Michael, CFO
- Building the bridge between local farmers and the market through agri-tech to improve food distribution systems.
- Country: Tanzania
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipients: Carl Jensen, Co-Founder and CEO, Changwe Kumalinga, CFO, and Kellan Hays, Co-Founder and Chief of Staff
- Helping rural small-scale farmers reach the middle class by growing high-value legumes for premium markets.
- Country: Zambia
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipient: Manoj Sinha, Co-Founder and CEO
- Providing reliable, renewable, and affordable power to weak-grid and off-grid communities.
- Countries: India, Tanzania
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipient: Galen Welsch, Co-Founder and CEO
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/galen-welsch-8b592358
- Capitalizing and equipping emerging market entrepreneurs to create affordable access to drinking water and other necessities.
- Countries: Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, Bukavu, Uganda, DRC Goma, Tanzania, Burundi
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipient: Lisa Heederik, Co-Founder and Director
- Providing safe, affordable drinking water to low-income households around the world.
- Countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipient: Katherine Lucey, Founder and CEO
- Eradicating energy poverty by empowering women with economic opportunity to bring clean energy to their communities.
- Countries: Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania
- Business Type: Non-Profit
- Recipient: Antonio Nuño, Co-Founder and CEO
- Creating prosperity for indigenous artisans and their communities by integrating traditional techniques with lifestyle products for a global market.
- Country: Mexico
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipients: Dr. Laura Stachel, Co-Founder and Executive Director, and Dr. Hal Aronson, Co-Founder and Director of Technology
- Making solar power simple, reliable, and accessible to give health workers the power to save lives.
- Countries: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zimbabwe
- Business Type: Non-Profit
2023 Recipients
- Recipient: Manuel Wiechers, Co-Founder and President, and Morgan Babbs, Chief Innovation Officer
- Providing affordable solar energy solutions to impoverished rural areas.
- Countries: Colombia, Mexico, United States
- Business Type: For-Profit
- Recipients: Alex Eaton, Co-Founder and CEO, and Madrin Maina, Director, East Africa
- Providing social empowerment and sustainable development through biodigesters.
- Countries: Colombia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda
- Business Type: Hybrid
Alumni Directory & Community
ALUMNI DIRECTORY
Browse, learn, and connect with hundreds of searchable Miller Center alumni