2015 Ashoka Future Forum
Since 1980, Ashoka has defined and supported the field of social entrepreneurship by providing thought leadership, startup financing and professional support services, and building an unmatched global network of people applying entrepreneurial ideas to solve social problems. The 2015 Ashoka Future Forum gathered approximately 400 social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, thought leaders and journalists at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., to share ideas, approaches and skills for leading social change. Together with Ashoka, the Rita Allen Foundation cocreated a conversation on efforts to bring the tools of social entrepreneurship to bear on how science is conducted and supported. Other sessions covered a wide range of topics, including a workshop on applying human-centered design to social missions, a panel on the future of purpose-driven work, and a conversation about the changing relationship between journalists and the public.