Social innovation. You may have heard the term, but what does it mean?  How are people doing social innovation — and more importantly, why does it matter? 

Social innovation is created by individuals, groups, organizations and companies and can be found in any sector.  Increasingly, it is created in the spaces between sectors and silos, through interesting combinations between business models and social causes.  Attending this talk, led by Lisa Torjman from SiG@MaRS in Toronto, will help to demystify social innovation and explore what it means for the future of business and society.

Time will be reserved for questions and a brief discussion about the gaps in our community and how social innovation can help solve them. Additionally a regional social innovation resource handout will be provided.

This event is brought to you by the following community partners:
TechAlliance, Pillar Nonprofit Network, SiG@MaRS, United Way of London & Middlesex

Who should attend?

• Entrepreneurs and Innovators
• Business leaders
• Non-profit managers and board members
• Those curious to learn about social innovation

About the Speaker

Lisa Torjman, Manager, Social Innovation Projects
Lisa helps run the program Social Innovation Generation – or SiG – at MaRS, which arms social entrepreneurs with the resources they need to make their business ideas a reality.  In her role as Manager of Social Innovation Projects, Lisa develops and curates programming that helps participants turn theoretical concepts into actionable opportunities to create positive social outcomes.  Most notably, she launched Net Change, a weeklong event that explores social technology for social change, to help social change organizations use online tools to become more effective in their work (www.netchangeweek.ca).  Lisa's work also includes strategy development and speaking engagements, such as O'Reilly's Ignite Series, CP24's Tech News and the Social Enterprise World Forum.  Outside of MaRS, Lisa is passionate about city building projects and is a member of the Emerging Leaders Network.  She also advises recent grads of their next steps and possibilities.  Formerly, Lisa held positions as an Account Executive at the Toronto-based social marketing agency Manifest Communications and as an Associate at the J.W McConnell Family Foundation in Montreal, Qc.  She holds a BA in Cultural Studies from McGill University and is a member of the Golden Key Society for outstanding academic achievement.         

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