Etienne Salborn is a changemaker-maker and social entrepreneur. He founded SINA (Social Innovation Academy), empowering marginalized youth and African refugee communities to become social entrepreneurs through a cost-effective and innovative approach of “freesponsible” empowerment. By creating their own solutions to the challenges they face, participants transform from passive aid recipients to active drivers of their own futures. As SINA’s model continues to scale across different African countries through a replication approach, its impact continues to grow. It has reached twelve communities in five African countries and has given birth to 72 social enterprises.

Etienne’s dedication to social entrepreneurship and mentorship has led him to serve as a lecturer for social entrepreneurship at the Management Center Innsbruck, the ESCP Business School and as a resource person for the Asian Productivity Organization, and facilitator for the ChangemakerXchange. His expertise and leadership have earned him recognition as an “AACSB Influential Leader 2021” or “Innovation Ecosystem Builder” by MIT D-lab.

SINA’s impact has been widely recognized through numerous awards as well, including the Tony Hsieh Award, the UNHCR Innovation Award and the 2023 Ockenden Prize.

PS: The video was recorded as part of scientific research, hence a bit of an inquisitory questioning style :)

Links:

Etienne Salborn

SINA

Irina Alexandra

Brightroom