Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

For decades, nonprofits have relied on the same narrow funding playbook. Donations spike at year end. Grant cycles are slow and unpredictable. Teams spend enormous time fundraising instead of delivering impact.Meanwhile, trillions of dollars move through global markets every day with no connection to social outcomes.In Episode 235 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we sat down with Martin Simms and Aaron Rafferty, co founders of WYDE Impact Exchange, to explore a bold alternative.What if markets themselves could fund missions automatically.What if trading activity generated real nonprofit revenue And what if transparency and accountability were built directly into the system.WYDE is not another crypto exchange chasing speculation. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

The push to decarbonize the world’s energy systems now overlaps with a long standing problem: what to do with the massive amount of agricultural waste produced every year.Billions of tons of crop residues and animal waste are generated across the globe. Much of it is left to rot or is burned, which adds to air pollution and releases methane.The result is a two sided problem.We face avoidable environmental damage on one side, and a large source of unused energy on the other.A growing group of startups is working to change this. They are building practical technologies that convert agricultural waste into clean energy that farmers and rural communities can actually use.These companies are cutting waste, lowering emissions, and supporting local economies. They are also helping build a circular bioeconomy that treats waste as a resource rather than a burden.Read full post ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

The global move toward cleaner energy is gaining speed, yet two issues continue to shape its future. We need a dependable and sustainable supply of battery materials, and we need storage systems that can carry the grid through long periods of weak wind or sunlight.The surge in electric vehicles and utility scale renewables has put real pressure on both fronts. It has exposed how fragile a linear, mining dependent supply chain can be and how little short duration storage can do when the grid faces extended stress.These gaps must be solved if the energy transition is going to hold up over the long run.A new generation of startups is rising to meet this challenge, fundamentally disrupting both the Circular Economy for battery materials and the Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) market.These innovators are not just fixing problems; they are building the technological and logistical backbone of a truly resilient, decarbonized grid.Read full list ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

Ben & Jerry’s is often celebrated as the blueprint for socially conscious capitalism, a company that set out to prove business could serve both profit and purpose.Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the brand grew from a local scoop shop into a global symbol of activism wrapped in indulgence.Its mission, famously defined as a three-part balance between product quality, economic sustainability, and social justice, positioned the company decades ahead of mainstream corporate responsibility trends.But behind the lighthearted flavor names and progressive branding lies a far more complicated story. Over the past four decades, Ben & Jerry’s has struggled to reconcile its idealism with industrial reality, and its activism with corporate ownership.The 2000 acquisition by Unilever(SEC Filing) marked a turning point, one that gave the brand global reach but also sparked ongoing tension over how far a subsidiary can push social and political boundaries inside a multinational conglomerate.The company’s evolution highlights both the potential and the pitfalls of value-driven business. Its impact programs, from Fairtrade sourcing and regenerative agriculture to refugee employment and racial equity initiatives, have made real contributions to ethical commerce.Yet, the same mission has exposed Ben & Jerry’s to accusations of hypocrisy and partisanship. The gap between its public commitments and operational constraints has grown increasingly visible as global scrutiny around corporate activism intensifies.Today, Ben & Jerry’s stands as both a pioneer and a cautionary tale.Its enduring popularity and strong brand equity demonstrate the power of purpose-driven storytelling, while its public controversies and internal governance conflicts reveal the structural limits of idealism in a profit-driven system.The lessons drawn from its trajectory extend well beyond ice cream, they speak to the broader tension facing any brand that dares to mix business with belief.Full case study ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

Climate action often feels heavy. The headlines focus on crisis, the solutions demand sacrifice, and the average person ends up believing their choices are too small to matter.Robert Luo has been working to break that cycle.As the CEO of Tanbii, he is building a platform that turns climate restoration into a daily habit through play.His team has found a way to turn virtual energy into real world reforestation.The idea is simple.When people enjoy something, they stick with it.When they see the results of their actions, they stay committed.Tanbii uses those truths to make sustainability feel accessible, social, and rewarding.Players plant virtual trees, complete missions, and build worlds within the game.Behind the scenes, every eligible planting triggers a real tree planted on the ground through verified NGO partners.What began as a frustration with the traditional sustainability message has grown into a global early access community with thousands of players and thousands of trees already planted.In this interview, Robert breaks down the origin story of Tanbii, how the platform works, and what it takes to create a climate action experience that people actually enjoy.Full interview ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.