Social Business Model and Planning for Social Innovation (Coursera)

Social Business Model and Planning for Social Innovation (Coursera)

In this course we will take the social business opportunity that you have identified in the first course to a higher level. Specifically, you will develop a business model using the Business Model Canvas. Gradually you will also start writing your business plan. Moreover, you will be able to assess different organizational forms and select the one that is appropriate for your developed business model.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

By the end of the course you will be able to compare different social impact investment methods and choose the right funding strategy for your social venture.
Note: It is highly recommended to have completed Course 1: 'Identifying Social Entrepreneurship Opportunities' before you start with this Course!

Course 2 of 3 in the Social Entrepreneurship Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction of the Business Model Canvas
Welcome to Course 2 of this Specialization! In this first Module we will introduce you to the Business Model Canvas - a useful tool that will guide you through the business plan process. You will be able to categorize the elements in the Canvas and start to use it in order to create your business model.

WEEK 2
Applying the Business Model Canvas
In Module 2 you will gain more experience using the Business Model Canvas as a tool to conceptualize your business ideas and will be also introduced to the Social Business Model Canvas. Moreover you will receive advice about cooperating with your team members and coordinating in the iteration process. The Module will conclude with initial insight to writing a business plan - What are important elements of a business plan?

WEEK 3
The Purpose of a Business Plan
Welcome to Module 3! At this point you will start to dive deeper into creating your business plan. After analyzing a real-world business plan of a social enterprise you will listen to guest speaker giving advice about important issues to consider when writing your business plan. You will be encouraged to think through different organizational forms a specific social enterprise may implement and start to outline your own business plan.

WEEK 4
Selecting an Organizational Form
In Module 4 you will intensify your knowledge about various organizational forms. In particular new organizational forms, tailor-made for social enterprises, in the US and the UK will be presented and you will be encouraged to scan the legal framework in your own country. Once you have identified a form that matches your expectations you will continue your business plan process by starting to think about funding options in the next Module of this Course.

WEEK 5
Attracting Startup Funding
Welcome to the final Module of Course 2. By concluding this Module your social venture will have reached an important milestone in the development process. This session will introduce you to the broad landscape of options you will face when designing the funding strategy for your social business. You will be encouraged to think about the financial needs of your venture and asked to create a plan of how to address those. Guided by insights from a social impact investor and researcher you will develop an elevator video pitch. This will be an important tool to attract startup funding. The final section of this module includes a special on the Impact Investing World Forum held in London in 2017, where Kai spoke to some practitioners who have some insights and good advice!

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool (Coursera) Coursera
Rutgers University

Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool (Coursera)

In this course, you will learn about a well-researched tool for building a more equitable economy: “employee ownership.” You will learn what it is, how it differs from traditional business ownership models, and the forms it can take. You will learn how employee ownership can share wealth and profits with employees--while making businesses more productive. You will learn what the research shows about the benefits of this tool for employees, retiring business owners, and the economy.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Business Models for Innovative Care for Older People (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen,Copenhagen Business School

Business Models for Innovative Care for Older People (Coursera)

This course will introduce you to healthcare innovation within the field of healthy living and active aging. By following two specific cases on diabetes and rehabilitation, this interdisciplinary course will provide you with key theories, tools and concepts for analyzing and developing viable innovative solutions for aging populations. The lectures will cover demographic, biological, economic, social and cultural aspects of active aging and healthy living, along with lectures on current innovation theories and methods.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Entrepreneurship Strategy: From Ideation to Exit (Coursera) Coursera
HEC Paris

Entrepreneurship Strategy: From Ideation to Exit (Coursera)

This course covers in the chronological order each defining step of an entrepreneurial project. It begins with very personal considerations related to getting to better know yourself better so as to decide if you are ready for the multiple challenges of entrepreneurship. It then deals with creativity in order to provide the right set of tools to find an idea with the right potential to disrupt an existing business.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Doing Business in Latin America (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad de los Andes

Doing Business in Latin America (Coursera)

Join us in the course Doing Business in Latin America. In this course, you will learn about the characteristics of the biggest multilatinas, how they have built their domestic and international competitive advantage, and you will identify which are the challenges and innovations to achieve the sustainability of their superior economic performance. The course includes videos presenting and explaining the topics, learning and evaluation activities, interviews, reviews, reports, and additional bibliography. Assessment activities are designed so that you get feedback, which is saved in the platform, so that you can pick up where you left off when you go online again.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Becoming a Social Entrepreneur: Getting Started (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Becoming a Social Entrepreneur: Getting Started (Coursera)

Do you have an idea that could help solve a societal problem? Are you wondering if starting a social enterprise is the best way to go forward? You are thinking about becoming a social entrepreneur! In this course, you’ll critically examine what makes for a good idea, and whether that idea requires starting a new business. You’ll craft a personal immersion plan while considering different ways to create impact. You’ll explore the personal challenges and connections to your life’s purpose before deciding to commit to becoming a social entrepreneur.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Social Impact Strategy: Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovators (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Social Impact Strategy: Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovators (Coursera)

This course offers an introduction to social impact strategy and social entrepreneurship, including key concepts, an overview of the field, and tools to get started as a changemaker. Students will learn how to innovate and design new ideas and new organizational forms to implement those ideas. Students who take this course will be better prepared to launch social impact organizations of their own invention.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Devenir entrepreneur du changement (Coursera) Coursera
HEC Paris

Devenir entrepreneur du changement (Coursera)

Ce cours est conçu pour accompagner toutes les personnes qui veulent avoir un impact positif dans la société, mais qui ne savent pas comment agir. Quel que soit votre âge ou votre formation académique, ce cours vous aidera à trouver la voie qui vous correspond pour faire bouger les lignes ! Vous apprendrez comment passer de l’envie à l’idée, et de l’idée à l’action.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
How to Validate your Startup Idea (Coursera) Coursera
UNSW Sydney - University of New South Wales

How to Validate your Startup Idea (Coursera)

Starting a new business begins with an idea that needs to evolve through experimentation, iteration and interactions with people. This course is for existing and potential entrepreneurs who are looking for guidance and support to make their ‘great idea’ a reality. In addition to reviewing the basic principles of entrepreneurship, this course guides you through the process of actively validating your idea in the market.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Customer-Centric IT Strategy (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Customer-Centric IT Strategy (Coursera)

Now more than ever, corporations are investing heavily in IT. The quality of these investments affect the daily work of millions, yet it’s not uncommon to see industry surveys where the failure rates for IT projects is over 50%. It’s possible to do better and it’s possible to do so consistently. In this two-week course, we’ll step through major challenges within corporate IT and how to address them with the disciplined use of design thinking, Lean Startup, and agile as a team framework.

Nov 9th 2026
2 Weeks
Estrategias de Emprendimiento (Coursera) Coursera
Tecnológico de Monterrey

Estrategias de Emprendimiento (Coursera)

Este curso busca ayudar al emprendedor a ser capaz de desarrollar un plan de operación y expansión, basado en la generación de objetivos de estabilización y crecimiento para su negocio, a partir de sus fortalezas y oportunidades detectadas, así como de un análisis de su situación actual, aprovechando así las oportunidades del entorno y adecuando su Modelo de Negocio y sus estrategias financieras, mismas que plasmará en un Pitch para presentar su plan a todos los Stakeholders actuales y futuros.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Creating a Social Business (Coursera) Coursera
Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru

Creating a Social Business (Coursera)

This course is primarily aimed at learners interested in knowing about and running a social business. An ideal learner could be a student, social entrepreneur, social intrapreneur, or a corporate professional interested in social business. In the Module 1 of the course students will learn how different social business leaders - such as Professor Muhammad Yunus, Rajni Bakshi, Corinne Bazina, Lamiya Morshed, Suresh Krishna, and Daniel Nowack - are reimagining capitalism. The subsequent modules of this course crystallize varied learnings of practitioners and theorists at YSB to a set of tools and readings, which a learner may use as building blocks of a social business.

Nov 11th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Estrategia Empresarial (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Austral

Estrategia Empresarial (Coursera)

El curso te da las herramientas básicas para identificar los desafíos estratégicos de una organización, evaluar la importancia de estos desafíos, y armar el plan de prioridades de modo de hacer frente exitosamente a esos desafíos. Dentro de todas las empresas que existen, el curso se focaliza en aquellas cuyo producto o servicio tiene algún grado de diferenciación con respecto a los competidores de la industria en la que se desenvuelve.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks