EPCON 2012 was a showcase for bringing the power of entrepreneurship to social change. A full house of over 330 attendees from business, nonprofits, and philanthropy came together celebrate the energy, innovation, and courage of some of Minnesota’s best social entrepreneurs and people who invest in them.

Tuloko, an early stage venture applying the power of social media to build wealth in African-American communities by supporting local businesses, emerged from a talented field of finalists to win the Mosaic Social Entrepreneurs Cup. Tuloko will use the $20,000 prize money, a seminar on Design Thinking, and coaching from SVP partners to help establish proof of concept for its business model in the Twin Cities and then expand into other markets around the country.

The crowd was energized by Engaged Philanthropist Award winner Kate Mortenson’s challenge to “believe” – believe they we can make a better community together and to believe in our own ability to lead change. Kate’s financial and hands-on support of the Northside Achievement Zone is an inspiring example of what it means to be an engaged philanthropist.

Dr. Tim Knowles asked attendees to think how we can harness entrepreneurial innovation to drive systemic change in our public education system. Drawing on his experience both as an education researcher and practitioner he painted a picture of the breadth and depth of change we must attain if all Minnesota children are to receive the education they deserve.

We owe special thanks to our sponsors for making the fifth annual EPCON possible including the Mosaic Company, Minneapolis Foundation, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Community Foundation, the St. Paul Foundation, Ecolab, CliftonLarsonAllen, d.school@CoCo, Finnegans Beer, Spoken Impact, Sunrise Community Banks, and Twin Cities Business.

EPCON happens over a few hours in a single day, but the work of helping social entrepreneurs solve social problems is done day in and day out by SVP partners. We are proud to be part of a community that supports those who build the common good.

SVP will hold the fifth annual EPCON Conference on Thursday, August 23rd. Will you be there?

As the spots fill up and the date gets closer, we grow more excited to connect with and learn from such a diverse group of nonprofit and corporate leaders, individual philanthropists, and business entrepreneurs. This year’s theme “The Power of Entrepreneurship for Social Change” brings together powerful individuals who are living out social innovation and change, some of our community’s most remarkable people. Our goal is simple – accelerate the pace of social innovation in our community through connecting our most innovative social entrepreneurs with social investors so that we create solutions to our most pressing social problems.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with social entrepreneurs and local nonprofits, you can take their vital work – for kids, for families, for our community – to the next level. Learn more about the most pressing social issues in our community and learn about some of the most innovative solutions for addressing these issues. Join us for EPCON 2012. We promise you’ll be enlightened and motivated to make a difference.

Sign up today to reserve (LINK: http://epcon2012.eventbrite.com/) your seat. Would you like to bring a group of friends to learn more about Social Venture Partners? Reserve a table and share the reward of giving back to the community.

We’re a just over a month away from the EPCON conference. Whether you’re an EPCON newbie or a rookie, you can count on SVP’s EPCON event to leave you enlightened and excited about making a difference in our community. Haven’t registered yet? Here are 5 reasons to attend:

1. 1. Connect with a network of like-minded people aligning purpose and passion to make a difference.
2. 2. Learn more about our community’s most pressing social issues.
3. 3. Vote for your favorite Mosaic Social Entrepreneurs Cup finalist.
4. 4. Meet this year’s Engaged Philanthropist Award winner.
5. 5. Learn more about the most innovative group of social entrepreneurs and social investors in our community, SVP.

Register today for EPCON 2012: The Power of Social Entrepreneurship for Social Change
Thursday, August 23 | 4:00-8:00 pm | Hyatt Regency