Science for social good: Value creation as a scipreneur

“Is that your pitch deck?” asked the co-founder of our social enterprise as I was preparing slides for the interview that would determine whether I’d got a fellowship to fund my postdoctoral research for the next few years. It made me laugh, because by this point, I could barely count the number of funding applications I’d sent out to support either my venture or my research – and they were surprisingly similar. In business, a literature review may be called market research, but try to apply the Business Model Canvas – the famous one-pager that aids business development the world over – to your research projects and you’ll find that the framework absolutely works!

I didn’t always realise this. Coming from a business family, I am no stranger to the entrepreneurial journey, but I never considered it as an option for myself. The business world seemed so foreign to me – and profit maximalisation such an empty and dull goal – that the wonders of scientific exploration were always the more inviting option for me. What greater luxury could there be than – free from the demands of the economy – exploring the fundamental laws of nature that govern how life works?

I now know that there’s no such binary division between the two worlds. Value creation in the economy may be about generating money, whereas science deals in knowledge creation, but academia is certainly subject to its own economic system. Our currency is the publication instead of cash, but it’s subject to the same corruption that comes with any human endeavour. I know I’m not alone in my frustrations surrounding the current academic model that has led to scientists chasing the currency itself, rather than the value it represents, in order to maintain their careers. It saddens me that our system is not set up to support the most meaningful science that will ultimately benefit society. On a quest to find better ways to conduct meaningful science, I started to engage in global fora on politics, business, and social innovation during my PhD. Meeting amazing young changemakers from all over the world – many of them social entrepreneurs – gave me two realisations. First, that the start-up lifestyle was eerily similar to that of junior scientists trying to launch their careers. And second was that rather than working towards some distant future goal of becoming a PI and then changing the world with our science, these entrepreneurs were realising their ideals now – in the present!

Social entrepreneurship is a business-for-good model that bridges the gap between the capitalist business model on one hand and charity on the other through the creation of self-sustaining for-profit companies that address social, cultural, or environmental issues. Learning what problems these entrepreneurs were trying to tackle, from soil remediation in oil drilling sites to farming insects as sustainable protein sources during space exploration, it quickly dawned on me that science could provide solutions to several problems having paramount influence on society: climate change, disease, hunger, conflict… I realised that as scientists we may not be versed in the dynamics of socio-cultural behaviours, international relations, and worldwide economic systems that have caused these problems, but our thorough understanding of problem-solving and innovation means that we absolutely have something to add to these conversations. I found my sweet spot in “scipreneurship,” at the intersection of these two worlds. Today, I get to satisfy my curiosity through scientific exploration, and my hunger for real-life impact through social entrepreneurship.

Science has given me numerous skills that are invaluable for entrepreneurship: research, analytics, ideation, innovation, prototyping, testing, connecting all the dots, and thorough documentation are essential to create a venture that truly solves a problem. And while it may seem silly, I’ve noticed on several instances that my doctor title confers legitimacy to my venture and inspires trust in my expertise in a room full of policy makers and CEOs. In turn, social entrepreneurship has taught me the importance of having a vision, creating impact, storytelling, creativity, and community. It has made me a better listener, collaborator, negotiator, and manager. None of these were explicitly taught during my scientific training, but I have found that they absolutely make a difference as I move up in my career. Just try applying Theory of Change, a social innovation tool, to your lab philosophy, and you’ll see how it transforms your message.

Naturally, there are challenges too. Heard of the Imposter Syndrome? You’ll now have two versions of it: for your science and your entrepreneurship. In fact, success in one area may compromise your joy in another. A week after starting my postdoc at Harvard Medical School, my enterprise got selected for a prestigious incubator programme. Though this was a huge opportunity for us, the dual time commitment was brutal, and I felt uncomfortable sharing this at work for fear of being judged as undedicated to my new job. Conversely, we’ve also missed opportunities in start-up competitions because I, or my co-founders, couldn’t commit to full-time programmes due to our day jobs. The best way to mitigate these challenges is assembling a dream team. Though they are called collaborators in science and co-founders in entrepreneurship, the same rules apply: find those who complement your skills but share your passion, energy, and values.

Despite these challenges, the combination of the two makes me do better in both. The open-ended nature of science can drive me to despair at times: projects seem endless at the start. There’s always a follow-up question to ask, another experiment to complete, another puzzle piece to add to the bigger picture. Yet to drive my venture forward, I know exactly what I need to achieve. Our projects need to have clear goals with measurable outcomes and deliverables from the start, which can be achieved in much shorter timeframes. It is possible that the true impact of our science may not even be visible in our own lifetime. But in social entrepreneurship, impact creation is the goal. Seeing that what we do matters motivates me as a person, which gives me energy to work harder and feel more fulfilled with my work.

Sometimes, it feels like living life as a Marvel character: scientist in the light, social entrepreneur in the shadows, struggling at both. But I cannot complain! During the day, I get to work with the brightest minds in the world on understanding the fundamentals of how our world works. At night, I get to unite with the most passionate young change-makers to shape that world to be a fairer, healthier, and happier place. When you see it like that, it’s a pretty sweet deal.