Social Venture Bootcamp

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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Have a social enterprise idea, but not sure how to launch?

Join Scale Institute and theDock Centre for Social Impact for a two-day, in-person Social Enterprise Bootcamp designed specifically for early-stage changemakers. This hands-on workshop is for non-profits, community organizations, and purpose-driven teams that have an idea for a social enterprise but haven’t yet launched.

Over two full days, we’ll work through the critical early-stage building blocks to test and shape your concept, assess feasibility, and build a realistic plan for what comes next. Whether you’re considering a new earned revenue stream or building a business to address a social, environmental, or cultural challenge, this bootcamp will help you clarify the opportunity and chart your next steps.

What we’ll cover:

Day 1: July 17 – Exploring Market Fit

• What is your idea?


• What problem does it solve?


• Who needs this solution?


• Who will pay for this?


• How big is the market for your idea?

Day 2: July 18 – Building the Foundation

• What is your desired impact?


• How can you test and pilot your idea?


• What is the best governance and legal structure?


• What resources do you need to launch and operate?


• What is the plan to get to launch?

You’ll leave with more confidence in your idea, a toolkit to begin testing it, and a roadmap to move from concept to action.

Who Should Attend:

• Non-profits exploring social enterprise as a strategy


• Early-stage teams with a concept but no business yet


• Entrepreneurs interested in testing an idea before launch


• Community leaders designing solutions to local challenges

Event Details:
📍 theDock Centre for Social Impact, Victoria, BC
📅 July 17–18, 2025
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily
💵 $500 per person / $250 for additional participants from the same organization

Registration is for both days.

Your Facilitators:

• Kristi Fairholm Mader – Managing Director, Thrive Impact Fund & Scale Institute Society. A seasoned social enterprise practitioner and co-founder of Scale Collaborative, Kristi has helped launch and grow numerous impact-driven ventures.


• Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber – Board Chair, Scale Institute & Chief Impact Strategist at Ideas for Impact. Joanna brings a wealth of experience in social impact innovation and building purposeful business models that address today’s pressing challenges.

By the end of this bootcamp, you’ll:

• Understand your market and customer needs


• Have tested your assumptions and refined your model


• Know what’s feasible, and what’s not


• Be better equipped to choose the right legal and governance structure


• Have a staged action plan to pilot and move toward launch

Bring your idea. We’ll bring the experience, tools, and guidance to help you take the next step toward impact.