SE Tales and One Man's View [2 of 4]

SE Tales and One Man's View -
Social Entrepreneurship in Hong Kong

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2. Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVHK)

If what NPVSS does is to alter the status quo of the market for veterinary services, SVHK is likewise working to promote a new way of conducting the business of 「philanthropy」 in Hong Kong.

Modeled after successful venture philanthropy institutions (VPI) in other parts of the world, SVHK aims to provide financial, intellectual, and human capital support to the development of social entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. As a pioneer of venture philanthropy, one of the unique features of SVHK is to blend the talents of committed young professionals and the visions of social entrepreneurs - using a high-engagement approach - to create social impact across many service realms.

Since its inception in late 2007, SVHK has already registered thousands of volunteer hours from its committed young professionals in supporting SE projects that may or may not be SVHK's direct investees. Entering into 2010, with experience gained in the past two-plus years, SVHK aims to gradually enlarge its SE investment portfolio which currently includes Fullness Hair Salon, arguably the most successful work-integration social enterprise in town, and Dialogue in the Dark, another high-potential SE just set foot on Hong Kong soil. By testing out new ways of combining different kinds of financial and social resources to tackle complicated social problems, SVHK is indeed practicing social entrepreneurship in its core operations - what it provides is not just another platform but a unique mechanism that breathes new life into the long out-of-touch traditional philanthropy in Hong Kong.

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