Pushing for Profits and Social Impact

By John Tozzi, Venessa Wong, and Nick Leiber

Pushing for Profits and Social Impact

The social enterprise—a sustainable business that creates social or environmental value alongside profit—is no longer a niche concept. Social entrepreneurs inhabit nearly every sector of the economy, from banking and insurance to energy and manufacturing. That breadth is evident in Bloomberg Businessweek's second annual U.S. roundup of promising social entrepreneurs. The companies profiled here were selected from more than 200 candidates suggested earlier this year by Businessweek.com readers. They range from fresh startups to established, multimillion-dollar enterprises. All share a commitment to using business to create a broader benefit. Flip through this slide show to read profiles of each, then vote for the one you consider most promising at the end of the slide show. Voting ends on June 25. We'll announce the top 5 vote-getters on the Small Business channel on June 29.