Aspiring social entrepreneurs
Get guidance and structure to develop a business plan and explore a new venture.
6-week online professional development course
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Change
Turn your purpose into a plan. Build a venture for social good.
Develop a social enterprise business plan with practical tools, personalized feedback, and a global community of changemakers.
6-week online experienceOptional live sessionsUPEACE Certificate
- Next cohort
- –
- Weekly commitment
- 4–8 hours · Online
- Live sessions
- Saturdays
10:00 AM–12:00 PM EST - Tuition
- $895 · Certificate included
Purpose meets possibility
Your idea can do good.
Give it a business plan.
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Change is a six-week online social entrepreneurship course from the UPEACE Centre for Executive Education.
Explore how to create social value while building a financially viable organization. Work through your idea, examine the challenges of starting and growing a venture, and connect your purpose to practical decisions.
Your final deliverable: a social enterprise business plan for a new organization or a new project within an existing one.
Who is this course for?
For people ready to turn ideas into social impact.
Changemakers inside organizations
Shape a social impact project within your current organization, nonprofit, or business.
Professionals exploring what’s next
Reflect on your strengths and passions as you consider a new professional direction.
Flexible schedule. Personal support.
Make progress on your idea.
Make room for your life.
Plan for 4–8 hours per week. A new module opens each week, bringing together videos, readings, webinars, and discussion forums.
How you’ll learn
FlexibleWork through weekly materials at a convenient time.
LiveOptional Zoom sessions: Saturdays, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM EST.
FeedbackGet personalized feedback and exchange ideas with an international group.
What you’ll gain
Tools to move your idea forward.
Hover over or tap a circle to explore. With a keyboard, use Enter or Space.
Your six-week journey
From a promising idea
to a practical plan.
Explore mission, strategy, impact measurement, growth, and leadership. Bring the course tools together in your final social enterprise business plan.
This course counts toward the Diploma in Social Innovation or Global Leadership Diploma.
Weekly course outline
Week 01Understanding the Landscape: Who are Social Entrepreneurs?
Week 02Mission, Vision, and Legal Status
Week 03Developing a Business Plan: Clarifying Strategy and Structure
Week 04Measuring Impact and Evaluation
Week 05Scaling your Social Enterprise
Week 06Sustaining Positive Change: Leading the Social Enterprise
Course details
Everything you need to plan your next step.
Course facilitators
Abhinav Khanal
Abhinav co-founded Bean Voyage, a nonprofit social enterprise supporting smallholder women coffee producers through training and market access. He also co-founded Little Big Fund, which supports early-stage nonprofit leaders with knowledge, networks, and micro-grants.
He brings experience in social enterprise and community development and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Earlham College.
Alonso Muñoz
Alonso teaches in the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace and coordinates the Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development programme.
His background spans engineering, business administration, consulting, and entrepreneurship, with experience in peace education, migration, environmental impacts, and social enterprises.
Shelley Bragg
Shelley co-founded The Centre of GOOD Travel, a social enterprise focused on transforming travel for a thriving world. She brings two decades of experience leading marketing, communications, and business development across education, tourism, and the nonprofit sector.
Her work includes sustainability consulting and supporting purpose-led organizations. She holds a Master’s in Philosophy in Sustainable Development, with a focus on value creation beyond profit in sustainable and regenerative business models.
Course schedule
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Change
–
Saturdays, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM EST
The six-week course combines weekly learning modules with optional live Zoom sessions. Live participation is recommended for discussion and connection, but it is not required.
Course format
This is a six-week online course with an average commitment of 4–8 hours per week. Each week, a new module opens with videos, readings, and discussion forums that you can work through at a convenient time.
Optional live sessions offer space to discuss the material and connect with other participants. You’ll receive personalized feedback as you develop your social enterprise business plan.
Course cost
$895
Tuition for the 6-week online course
UPEACE certificate included
Upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate from the Centre for Executive Education at the University for Peace, established by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Learn together and save. Enroll with someone else and each receive a 10% discount. Contact us for groups of 3 or more.
Explore financial plan options. If your participation needs a financial plan to be possible, contact Annia to discuss available options.
Frequently asked questions
What will I create during the course?
You’ll develop a social enterprise business plan for a new organization or a new project within an existing organization. The plan brings together the tools covered across the six weekly modules.
Is this course suitable if I’m still exploring an idea?
Yes. The course supports people who want guidance to develop a business plan, start a project, or explore a new professional direction. You can also bring a social impact project from your current organization.
Do I need to attend every live session?
No. Live sessions are optional but recommended. Weekly materials can be completed at a convenient time, with an expected commitment of 4–8 hours per week.
Who awards the certificate?
The Centre for Executive Education at the University for Peace awards a certificate upon completion. The University for Peace was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Can this course count toward a diploma?
Yes. It counts toward the Diploma in Social Innovation or the Global Leadership Diploma.
How do I apply or ask a question?
Start with the enrollment application. For help choosing the course or planning your participation, contact Annia, our program manager, or talk to an advisor.
Trusted By Organizations
Designed by a centre trusted by teams across sectors.
Past participants say
Practical tools. New perspectives.
This is a necessary course if you are thinking about launching an organization or currently working in one. It assists you in selecting the best model. It will point you to factors that are easy to overlook when determining whether your organization is needed or is effective and efficient.
Jadia Jn Pierre
Saint Lucia
Lawyer
This is a fascinating course that blends practical tools with higher-level reflective thinking. The resources are engaging, and the assignments link together very well to guide you through the process of designing a social enterprise. An excellent course for change-makers.
Claire Psillides
United Kingdom
Director of Service Learning
I want to say thank you for this opportunity; I really learned a lot with Professor Bragg, and I thank her for the patience and time she dedicated to the class.
Fanord Ralph Eliodor
United States
Youth Leader and Project Manager
The course transformed my understanding of social entrepreneurship by connecting purpose, innovation, sustainable business models, leadership, impact measurement, and systems change, while equipping me with practical tools to translate ideas into measurable impact.
Sindile Mazibuko
United States
MIT Sustainability Alumni
1 / 4
Ready to take the next step?
Put your purpose into practice.Start with a plan.
Build your social enterprise business plan with the tools, feedback, and community to move your idea forward.
February 13–March 20, 2027 · Six weeks online
