SEVEN Fund Initiatives
Elizabeth Hooper
“My goal is to understand what happens at the nexus of business, culture, and values—so that I can find and help those who can drive private sector innovation and prosperity in emerging markets.”
Current Initiatives
Elizabeth has taken part in a number of symposia relating to women entrepreneurs in the developing world, including the recent Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women's Peace through Business program, where she co-facilitated sessions on the role of mental models and economic change with Mike Brennan. She's active on the boards of a number of non-profits focused on children and poverty, and co-created the forthcoming 501C3 Screen Me film competition that will launch in Fall 2010 by Tufts University. This event will recognize outstanding uses of documentary film to showcase innovation in the not-for-profit sector.
She is, together with Michael Fairbanks, the co-editor of a trilogy of essay books on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty. The first, “In The River They Swim,” was published in May of 2009, and the second one, called, “The Morality of Profit: Essays from Around the World" is due out in 2011. Elizabeth is particularly encouraged by ‘The Morality of Profit’ project, which uses an innovative model coupling the “crowd sourcing” of essays via social media and competition with contributions from political leaders, branded thought leaders, CEOs and development practitioners.
Elizabeth is a published fiction writer, and is interested in fiction as a medium for effecting mindset change and actively communicating values and experience across cultures. She works to support others' publishing efforts where possible through media placement, editing, and (the never to be underestimated) moral support.
Focus at SEVEN Fund
Elizabeth manages program operations for SEVEN, including program development, execution, budget, technology, and ongoing grantee portfolio management.
She oversees communications, including website development, program promotion, social media, and stakeholder communications. She also manages media relations for the global Pioneers of Prosperity program.
Elizabeth is closely involved in management activities, including day-to-day financial management and operations oversight. She works closely with Jessica Ullrich on a range of special initiatives-- from event planning to social media strategy, and doing whatever is required to bring SEVEN’s latest big vision into reality.
Entrepreneurs create products, services and jobs. They expand economies, improve people's lives, provide employment (high and rising wages) and bring about competition. A competitive environment, in turn, gives rise to efficiency, meritocracy and further innovations and entrepreneurial drive.
The potent combination of entrepreneurship and technological innovation can forge an environment that is conducive to further enterprise, involving even government policy in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.
