Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

Every rice harvest leaves behind a husk for every grain. While the rice grows, that husk protects it from moisture, pests, and mold. Once the grain is milled, almost none of those husks get used. Most are landfilled or burned.

Modern Mill turns that waste stream into lumber's replacement. The company, which manufactures in Pike County, Mississippi, makes ACRE, a rice hull wood alternative used for siding, decking, trim, porch boards, sheet goods, and millwork.

Founder and CEO Chris Guimond, a plastics engineer by training, spent years working with fillers and polymer blends for composite building products before Modern Mill patented and developed the rice husk technology behind ACRE.

The more useful story is the strategy underneath. ACRE does not ask buyers to accept a tradeoff in exchange for sustainability. It competes on durability, workability, and appearance first.

• Founder and CEO: Chris Guimond, who holds a bachelor's and master's in plastics engineering from UMass Lowell
• Manufacturing: Pike County, Mississippi
• Product: ACRE, a tree-free composite made from upcycled rice hulls blended with polymers
• Applications: Siding, decking, trim, porch boards, sheet goods, and millwork
• Production start: 2021
• Distribution: Two-step channel (manufacturer to distributor to dealer) across New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, the mountain states, and the Pacific Northwest
• Company-reported impact since 2021: 20.5 million pounds of rice husks diverted from landfills, 101,000 softwood trees saved, and 69,000 acres of tropical rainforest preserved
• Recent news: A September 2026 partnership with GameTime to use ACRE in its EverForms playground line

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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.

What if a small business generates little income but still changes the life of the person running it?

In this episode of Disruptors for GOOD, we examine new research from Prof. Lin Ong of Cal Poly Pomona and Melati Nungsari of the Asia School of Business. The researchers spent a year following eight Afghan refugee women participating in an entrepreneurship program in Malaysia.

Most of the women did not report significant monthly income from their businesses. However, six rounds of interviews revealed meaningful changes that conventional financial metrics often overlook, including greater autonomy, confidence, resilience, purpose, and community belonging.

The episode explores the researchers’ 3P framework for evaluating impact among displaced and transitory populations. It also asks a larger question for funders, social enterprises, and impact investors: Are we measuring what is easiest to count, or what actually matters to the people being served?

IN THIS EPISODE

- Why revenue, profit, and job creation provide an incomplete picture of impact
- The conditions facing Afghan refugee women building businesses in Malaysia
- Ten non-monetary outcomes identified across the study
- How entrepreneurship affected personal agency, practical capacity, and community relationships
- The meaning of proximate, portable, and preparatory outcomes
- Why funder reporting requirements can unintentionally distort organizational priorities
- How the 3P framework could apply beyond refugee entrepreneurship
- Why entrepreneurship should not be treated as a substitute for legal rights or essential services
- The limitations of the study and the need for additional research

THE TEN NON-MONETARY OUTCOMES

The researchers identified ten outcomes that appeared consistently across the six interview rounds:

1. Independence and autonomy
2. Confidence and self-worth
3. Mental well-being
4. Skills development
5. Purpose and aspirations
6. Social recognition and belonging
7. Family and spousal collaboration
8. Work-life balance
9. Social contribution
10. Adaptability and resilience

These outcomes developed over time. Autonomy and confidence often appeared first, followed by deeper changes involving family relationships, community participation, and resilience.

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

The study followed eight Afghan refugee women living in Malaysia. Participants completed a six-month entrepreneurship program combining classroom instruction with one-to-one mentoring. The researchers conducted six rounds of interviews during and after the program.

The average participant was 29 years old and had already spent approximately six years in Malaysia when the research began. None had the legal right to work. Their businesses included catering, tailoring, garment repair, handicrafts, and the resale of household goods and cosmetics.

This was a small qualitative study conducted in one country and one program. Its findings should not be treated as representative of all refugee entrepreneurs. The research relied on self-reported experiences and does not establish that entrepreneurship caused every change participants described.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Prof. Lin Ong and Melati Nungsari, “Proximate, Portable, and Preparatory: Non-Monetary Performance Measures for Social Enterprises Working with Transitory Populations.” Published in Sustainable Business Practices and Social Entrepreneurship by Springer Nature, 2026.

Full research chapter:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-7437-7_8

Tarkington Business Futures Institute:
https://www.tarkingtoninstitute.org/

ABOUT DISRUPTORS FOR GOOD

Disruptors for GOOD explores the entrepreneurs, organizations, and ideas using business and innovation to address the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Discover more impact stories, companies, funders, and podcasts at:
https://www.causeartist.com/

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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.

What if one of the simplest daily activities could become a platform for better health, charitable giving, and lower-carbon transportation?

In this episode we spotlight WeWard, the rewards app that turns daily steps into points users can redeem for cash, gifts, discounts, or donations to nonprofit organizations.

Founded in France in 2019 by Yves Benchimol and Tanguy de La Villegeorges, WeWard combines behavioral science, gamification, brand partnerships, and commerce to encourage people to walk more. The company reports reaching 30 million walkers across 29 countries, transferring more than $50 million to users, and donating $1.5 million to charitable organizations.

The episode examines how WeWard’s reward system works, the commercial engine funding those rewards, and why the company is more than a traditional step-tracking app. It also explores WeWard’s reported health and environmental impact, its Walking Mode feature, and the questions the company must navigate around privacy, accessibility, and long-term behavior change.

In this episode, you’ll learn

• How WeWard converts steps into its digital reward points, called Wards
• Why immediate rewards can make healthy behavior easier to sustain
• How users can redeem Wards for cash, gifts, discounts, and charitable donations
• How brand partnerships, affiliate commerce, advertising, and sponsored challenges support the business model
• Why WeWard’s model creates value for users, brands, charities, and communities
• How an independent mobility study measured changes in walking and transportation behavior
• Why WeWard describes walking as both a public-health tool and a form of lower-carbon mobility
• How Walking Mode uses access to distracting apps as an incentive to reach a daily step goal
• The privacy, accessibility, and retention challenges the company must manage as it grows

Key figures discussed

• 30 million walkers across 29 countries
• More than $50 million transferred to users
• $1.5 million donated to charities
• More than 70 nonprofit organizations supported
• A reported 24% average increase in users’ walking activity
• More than 2,000 participating brand partners
• Approximately 4.3 million monthly visits to WeWard’s in-app ecommerce section
• An estimated 750,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions averted

The bigger takeaway

WeWard’s most interesting innovation is not simply paying people to walk. The company is building an economic system around a positive daily behavior. User activity creates value for commercial partners, partner revenue helps fund rewards and charitable projects, and those rewards motivate people to continue moving.

For founders working across health, climate, consumer technology, and social impact, the lesson is clear: information alone rarely changes behavior. Better products make the desired action visible, social, rewarding, and easy to repeat.

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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.

Soothe Note is a free consumer app for cancer patients and the people who support them. It is meant for the days between oncology visits: daily check-ins (mood, energy, medications, hydration, meals, rest, movement, one small win), symptom logs with intensity and body location, medication schedules, appointment questions, post-visit notes, and a private journal that caregivers cannot see.

Teddy Aaron (caregiver side) and Brynn Forlizzi (two-time teen cancer survivor) founded the product in Greenwich, Connecticut in 2026 while still in high school. Patients can link trusted caregivers with a sharing code and revoke access; linked caregivers get read-only updates, support pings, and their own burnout check-ins. Before a visit, Health Hub can turn those logs into printable reports and AI-assisted drafts that the patient is told to review, because they are not medical advice.

The app is local-first: signed-out data stays on device; an optional account syncs through Supabase. Soothe note has iPhone availability, Android under Google Play review, 15 languages, an advisory group of seven oncology/palliative/advocacy professionals, and coverage in 25+ outlets. Core patient and caregiver features are free; Soothe Note Plus is an optional paid layer. The company does not sell health data or run ads.

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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.

In this episode of Disruptors for Good, I speak with entrepreneur, author, and La Terza Coffee owner David Gaines about ethical supply chains, direct trade coffee, conscious consumerism, and the responsibility businesses have to the people they affect.

David shares how his career evolved from operating a small business alongside nonprofit work to acquiring La Terza Coffee and building a business where commercial growth and social impact reinforce one another.

The conversation explores the realities of the global coffee industry, including exploitative labor practices, generational poverty, and the role direct trade relationships can play in creating a more equitable system.

David also discusses the ideas behind his books, Radical Business and Why We Buy, Why It Matters, and offers a practical framework for treating employees, suppliers, customers, competitors, communities, and the environment with dignity.

In This Episode

David and Grant discuss:

• David’s early career working simultaneously in business and the nonprofit sector
• Why he acquired La Terza Coffee
• How social impact became embedded in La Terza’s business model
• The labor and economic challenges within the global coffee supply chain
• What direct trade means and how it differs from traditional commodity sourcing
• La Terza’s long term relationship with coffee producer Katia Duke in Honduras
• How improving coffee quality can increase income for producers
• Why Katia used increased revenue to build a school in her community
• The limitations of certifications such as fair trade and organic labels
• Why direct relationships can sometimes provide more transparency than certification
• How businesses can measure their impact across multiple stakeholder groups
• Why profitability is necessary for a sustainable social enterprise
• The role of healthy competition in improving an entire industry
• How consumers can use everyday purchases to support better business practices
• The difference between healthy consumption and overconsumption
• Why David believes consumerism reflects humanity’s interconnectedness
• How anger can reveal the problems people are called to address
• David’s vision for strengthening coffee shops and other community gathering spaces

About David Gaines

David Gaines is an entrepreneur, author, and the owner of La Terza Coffee.

Before joining La Terza, David spent approximately 15 years operating a small business while also working within the nonprofit sector.

He initially created the business to provide financial independence while pursuing mission driven work, but eventually realized that dividing his time between two organizations limited both his income and his potential impact.

David later acquired La Terza Coffee from a college friend who had founded the company in the early 2000s. The opportunity allowed David to combine his interest in business strategy with a company that already had social responsibility embedded in its sourcing model.

His work with La Terza led him deeper into conscious capitalism and social enterprise. He became involved with the Social Enterprise Alliance, serving as a local chapter leader and later as a national chairperson.

Through his books and business leadership, David explores how companies and consumers can create meaningful change by recognizing the humanity of every person involved in an economic transaction.

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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.

In this episode of Disruptors for Good, Grant Trahant speaks with Lindsay Hadley, founder and CEO of Harbor Fund, about building a new financing model for films designed to influence culture and create social impact.

Harbor Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses philanthropic donations to invest in socially meaningful films. Rather than funding a single project through a traditional grant, Harbor Fund takes an equity position in selected productions. When a film generates a financial return, that capital flows back into the fund and can be invested in future projects.

The result is an evergreen model that combines philanthropy, impact investing, and independent film financing.

Lindsay shares how her 20-year career in nonprofit fundraising led her into filmmaking, why scripted narratives can sometimes create more cultural influence than documentaries, and what Harbor Fund looks for when evaluating hundreds of film submissions.

She also discusses the difficult state of the entertainment industry, the importance of established talent and strong intellectual property, and why commercial viability is a critical part of Harbor Fund’s impact thesis.

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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.

This is the first episode of our new show Intelligence for GOOD. Subscribe here on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In the inaugural episode of Intelligence for GOOD, I sit down with Andrew Sweet, Vice President of Innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation, to explore how AI is already being used to solve real-world challenges in agriculture, education, healthcare, workforce development, and public services.

Andrew brings a unique perspective to the conversation. From serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo and a presidential appointee at USAID, to leading global COVID-19 initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation, his career has focused on tackling complex challenges at scale.

The discussion also explores Rockefeller's remarkable connection to the origins of artificial intelligence. In 1955, the Foundation funded the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, the gathering where the term "artificial intelligence" was first coined and the modern AI field was born.

Today, nearly seventy years later, Rockefeller is helping shape how AI can be deployed for public benefit around the world.

In This Episode

• The untold history of The Rockefeller Foundation's role in the birth of artificial intelligence
• How AI is helping millions of smallholder farmers improve crop yields and livelihoods
• Why developing countries often have a more optimistic view of AI than the United States
• The growing importance of AI sovereignty and locally owned AI infrastructure
• How AI can expand access to public benefits and government services
• Why AI literacy should become a core part of education
• The rise of solo entrepreneurs building businesses with AI tools
• How states like Maryland and West Virginia are preparing citizens for an AI-driven economy
• The role philanthropy can play in ensuring AI benefits everyone, not just a small group of technology companies
• Why Andrew believes AI can help reduce inequality rather than increase it

Key Takeaways

AI is already creating measurable social impact.

From Digital Green's Farmer.Chat platform reaching millions of farmers across multiple countries to new AI-powered health and education tools, practical applications are delivering results today.

The biggest opportunity may be where talent is scarce.

Rather than replacing workers, AI can fill critical gaps in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education where there simply are not enough professionals available to meet demand.

AI literacy is becoming essential.

Just as previous generations needed proficiency in Microsoft Office and internet tools, future workers will need a working understanding of AI systems and how to collaborate with them effectively.

Public services are ripe for transformation.

AI has the potential to make government services more accessible, responsive, and human-centered by reducing complexity and improving citizen experiences.

Optimism matters.

While risks deserve serious attention, Andrew argues that society needs more conversations about the opportunities AI creates, especially for entrepreneurship, workforce development, and global problem solving.

About Andrew Sweet

Andrew Sweet is Vice President of Innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation, where he leads AI partnerships and strategy initiatives.

Before joining Rockefeller, Andrew served as a presidential appointee at USAID, worked with Dalberg Advisors in Africa and the United States, and began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa.

His work today focuses on helping governments, nonprofits, and communities leverage emerging technologies to improve lives and create economic opportunity.

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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.

In This Episode

• Climate tech investment reaches $40.5 billion in 2025

• Why investors remain bullish on clean energy, grid modernization, and industrial decarbonization

• How Nimble is reducing electronic waste through circular consumer products

• Phoenix Tailings' mission to build a cleaner domestic rare earth supply chain

• Clear Robotics and the future of autonomous electric vessels for waterway management

• The role of the Bezos Earth Fund in advancing climate and conservation efforts

• How the UNICEF Venture Fund supports frontier technology startups in emerging markets

• Finance Earth's approach to unlocking private capital for environmental solutions

• Recent funding rounds from Clear Robotics, Campground, and Cocoon Carbon

• New research showing AI is creating more technology jobs than it is eliminating across Europe

Featured Organizations

Companies:

• Nimble
• Phoenix Tailings
• Clear Robotics

Funders:

• Bezos Earth Fund
• UNICEF Venture Fund
• Finance Earth

Recent Funding Covered

• Clear Robotics, $1.75M
• Campground, $2.2M
• Cocoon Carbon, $15M

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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.

A new Linux Foundation report shows AI is driving a net hiring effect of +27% across European tech organizations in 2026. The real barrier to AI value isn't the technology itself, t's the foundational readiness to deploy it safely.

Key takeaways

• European organizations expect a +27% net hiring effect from AI in 2026, with smaller organizations trending most positive.
• Security concerns (51%) and skills gaps (44%) are the top barriers to realizing AI value -- not the technology itself.
• Organizations are 3.7x more likely to upskill existing staff than hire externally for AI and strategic tech roles.
• Open source is the leading strategy for AI implementation among European organizations, cited by 54% of respondents.

The dominant narrative around AI and employment has been one of displacement. But a new report from the Linux Foundation and LF Research tells a more complicated story: in Europe, artificial intelligence is a net job creator, at least for now.

The 2026 State of Tech Talent Europe report, surveyed European organizations across multiple sectors and found an aggregated net hiring effect of +27% expected in 2026, dropping to +17% in 2027. It's a solid signal that AI adoption is opening roles faster than it's closing them, at least at the organizational level.

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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.

Rebecca Van Bergen, founder of Nest, joins Causeartist to discuss 20 years of building business and financial infrastructure for artisan and maker economies across 123 countries. The conversation covers how Nest supports micro and small creative businesses, the structure of their accelerator programs, the Makers Future Fund in partnership with Etsy and Pinterest, and why the handmade economy may be more durable than most people assume.

Guest

Rebecca Van Bergen is the founder of Nest, a nonprofit organization that provides business development support, financing, and market access to artisan and maker businesses globally. Nest operates in 123 countries and supports over 4,000 micro and small businesses through its Artisan Guild, e-learning platform, and cohort-based accelerator programs.

Topics Covered

• The founding of Nest in 2005 and its connection to the early microfinance movement
• Why loans alone are insufficient without business education and market access
• The scale and data challenges of the global handcraft economy
• How the Artisan Guild works and who it serves
• The structure of Nest's business accelerators, including the sustainability-focused cohort and the UNHCR refugee artisan program
• Why grants paired with education outperform education alone
• The Makers Future Fund: capital and financial literacy for US maker businesses
• How Etsy and Pinterest contribute as funders and recruitment networks
• The ripple effects of artisan income on women, families, and communities
• Lessons from 20 years of running a nonprofit social enterprise
• The intrapreneurship opportunity inside large companies
• Why AI and automation may accelerate demand for handmade goods

Key Insights

Financing is consistently the top need reported by guild members across every geography. The Makers Future Fund was built specifically to address that gap for US-based maker businesses who have no viable path to formal credit.

Nest pairs every accelerator with a small business grant. Business advice without capital to act on it has limited value. The grant closes that gap.

The artisan economy is extremely difficult to quantify because most transactions occur in the informal economy. That data gap has historically caused the sector to be dismissed as niche and non-scalable. Nest's network of 4,000 businesses is part of how the organization builds a more accurate macro picture.

Rebecca's framework for social entrepreneurs: stop looking at the 20-year horizon. Look at your feet, do three concrete things today, and repeat. Twenty years of that compounds into real distance.

As AI proliferates, Rebecca sees a counter-movement building. People increasingly want objects made by human hands. She expects the market to develop two coexisting extremes: robotically produced goods and deeply human handcraft. Both will persist.

Organizations and Programs Mentioned

• Nest Artisan Guild
• Nest Connect (e-learning platform)
• Makers Future Fund
• Makers United
• UNHCR refugee artisan accelerator program
• Etsy
• Pinterest
• Target
• Novica
• 10,000 Villages
• Muhammad Yunus / microfinance

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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.