OEN Live Sessions: Making a difference through enterprise

How can your small, early-stage venture help tackle big global challenges?

If you’re interested in building something that supports your community, your local area, and the planet — and does more than just turn a profit — this 45-minute online session is for you. 

Explore how small business ideas can tackle big social and environmental challenges through values, innovation and enterprise.

This session marks the first in the OEN Live series, a new programme of online events from the Open Enterprise Network designed to support early-stage businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Each OEN Live session will explore a different topic relevant to starting and growing a venture, from funding and innovation to impact and sustainability.

Join Dr Francesca Calo (Senior Lecturer in Management, The Open University) as she breaks down what social enterprise and social innovation really mean, using real-world examples from around the globe, including ventures that have thrived and those that have struggled. You’ll explore what makes a business truly “social,” the opportunities and challenges founders face, and how even early-stage ideas can contribute to addressing environmental and societal issues.

Whether you’re developing a business idea, running a side project, or simply curious about how purpose-driven organisations create impact, this session will offer inspiring insights and fresh ways to think about how your venture could be part of positive change.

This event is for students, staff, and recent alumni of The Open University.

Reserve your free space at the session via Eventbrite.

For information on how your data will be used, please refer to the OU Eventbrite Policy Notice (PDF, 106 MB).