Enterprising alumni pledge their philanthropic support for LSE
LSE is excited to unveil the LSE Entrepreneurs’ Pledge, offering entrepreneurial alumni the opportunity to pledge now to give back to the School when they are in a position to do so. Nineteen alumni entrepreneurs have already made the Pledge as founding Pledgers, including health experts, food and beverage specialists, technology innovators and more.
Boasting a global community of almost 18,000 active founders, LSE is a top producer of startups. By signing the Entrepreneurs’ Pledge now, LSE alumni are making their philanthropic goals an integral part of their business success, demonstrating their commitment to giving back. Pledgers join an exclusive community with access to entrepreneurial support and network opportunities.
The LSE Entrepreneurs’ Pledge has been designed in collaboration with LSE Generate, the School’s award-winning home for entrepreneurship. Each year LSE Generate supports over 2,000 LSE students, alumni and staff to build and scale businesses in the UK and around the world. Several of the founding Pledgers have worked with LSE Generate to develop their socially-responsible businesses. This year Generate was on the list of Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs by the Financial Times.
Commented on the launch of the Entrepreneurs’ Pledge, Professor Larry Kramer, LSE President and Vice Chancellor said:
It is amazing to see how LSE alumni shape the world through entrepreneurship. But then again, LSE has always been a training ground for students to use social science to create new ventures. This makes it all the more exciting to launch this new Entrepreneurs’ Pledge, enabling today’s LSE innovators and entrepreneurs fund tomorrow’s by committing now to provide support in the future, when they are in a financial position to give.
LJ Silverman, Head of LSE Generate explained:
For us the Entrepreneurs’ Pledge reflects our commitment across the School to fostering a culture of innovation and giving back. With this Pledge, we empower our global community of founders and investors to make a lasting impact, supporting and inspiring the next generation of leaders who will continue to drive transformative change. It is our firm belief that entrepreneurs drive the transformative ideas that contribute to the “betterment of society”.
Julian Buschmaas (MSc Development Management 2019), Co-Founder of be/impact, a platform that supports businesses with engaging more meaningfully with the not-for-profit sector, shares why he’s made the Pledge:
I am committed to enabling more students to experience what I did at LSE. Every visit to the campus and engagement with LSE Generate reignites my inspiration. Supporting the entrepreneurial spirit at LSE can only benefit society, fostering innovative solutions to global challenges.
Kanupriya Batra (MSc Management 2020), Co-Founder and CEO of Speek Health, an organisation equipping parents with the support they need to help their children break the cycle of self-harm, comments on the Pledge:
LSE gave me the skills, the network and the grounding I needed to go out and build a business that is making a real difference in the world. Why wouldn’t I plan on giving back to the place that made me?
LSE has a vast entrepreneurial support infrastructure. As well as Generate, there are entrepreneurial degree programmes, executive education programmes, and accelerators such as 100x at the Marshall Institute and GAP at Generate. Houghton Street Ventures, an alumni-founded investment fund, works in formal partnership with the School to nurture later-stage founders all over the world.
LSE welcomes all entrepreneurial alumni to join this growing community through the Entrepreneurs’ Pledge. To find out more, please visit the information page or email Harry Hughes, Philanthropy Manager, at: a.hughes2@lse.ac.uk. To keep up to date with how Generate can support your business, register here.