Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

Twelve represents a compelling model for climate innovation because it is attempting to redesign the molecular foundation of products society already depends on.The company is not only developing a carbon-capture system. It is building a platform intended to turn captured carbon into useful, commercially valuable products.If Twelve succeeds, renewable electricity could become a major manufacturing input, while carbon dioxide could become an industrial resource rather than simply a waste product.The opening of AirPlant One marks a meaningful transition. Twelve is no longer working only with a laboratory concept or small pilot. It has entered the much more difficult stage of operating, financing, and scaling physical infrastructure.The company’s biggest challenge now is scale.If it can meet that challenge, the phrase “made from air” could eventually describe far more of the material world around us.In This EpisodeWe explore:How Twelve converts carbon dioxide, water, and electricity into fuels and chemicalsThe science behind its carbon-transformation platformWhy aviation is one of the company’s first major marketsHow E-Jet differs from conventional jet fuelWhat the opening of AirPlant One representsWhy early customers are essential to financing climate infrastructureThe role of corporate, project, and debt capitalThe economic and operational challenges facing power-to-liquid fuelsWhat Twelve must prove as it moves toward larger facilitiesLearn MoreVisit TwelveExplore the AirPlant platformLearn about E-Jet sustainable aviation fuelFollow Twelve on LinkedIn ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

Every rice harvest leaves behind a husk for every grain. While the rice grows, that husk protects it from moisture, pests, and mold. Once the grain is milled, almost none of those husks get used. Most are landfilled or burned.Modern Mill turns that waste stream into lumber's replacement. The company, which manufactures in Pike County, Mississippi, makes ACRE, a rice hull wood alternative used for siding, decking, trim, porch boards, sheet goods, and millwork.Founder and CEO Chris Guimond, a plastics engineer by training, spent years working with fillers and polymer blends for composite building products before Modern Mill patented and developed the rice husk technology behind ACRE.The more useful story is the strategy underneath. ACRE does not ask buyers to accept a tradeoff in exchange for sustainability. It competes on durability, workability, and appearance first.Founder and CEO: Chris Guimond, who holds a bachelor's and master's in plastics engineering from UMass LowellManufacturing: Pike County, MississippiProduct: ACRE, a tree-free composite made from upcycled rice hulls blended with polymersApplications: Siding, decking, trim, porch boards, sheet goods, and millworkProduction start: 2021Distribution: Two-step channel (manufacturer to distributor to dealer) across New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, the mountain states, and the Pacific NorthwestCompany-reported impact since 2021: 20.5 million pounds of rice husks diverted from landfills, 101,000 softwood trees saved, and 69,000 acres of tropical rainforest preservedRecent news: A September 2026 partnership with GameTime to use ACRE in its EverForms playground line ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

What if a small business generates little income but still changes the life of the person running it?In this episode of Disruptors for GOOD, we examine new research from Prof. Lin Ong of Cal Poly Pomona and Melati Nungsari of the Asia School of Business. The researchers spent a year following eight Afghan refugee women participating in an entrepreneurship program in Malaysia.Most of the women did not report significant monthly income from their businesses. However, six rounds of interviews revealed meaningful changes that conventional financial metrics often overlook, including greater autonomy, confidence, resilience, purpose, and community belonging.The episode explores the researchers’ 3P framework for evaluating impact among displaced and transitory populations. It also asks a larger question for funders, social enterprises, and impact investors: Are we measuring what is easiest to count, or what actually matters to the people being served?IN THIS EPISODE- Why revenue, profit, and job creation provide an incomplete picture of impact- The conditions facing Afghan refugee women building businesses in Malaysia- Ten non-monetary outcomes identified across the study- How entrepreneurship affected personal agency, practical capacity, and community relationships- The meaning of proximate, portable, and preparatory outcomes- Why funder reporting requirements can unintentionally distort organizational priorities- How the 3P framework could apply beyond refugee entrepreneurship- Why entrepreneurship should not be treated as a substitute for legal rights or essential services- The limitations of the study and the need for additional researchTHE TEN NON-MONETARY OUTCOMESThe researchers identified ten outcomes that appeared consistently across the six interview rounds:1. Independence and autonomy2. Confidence and self-worth3. Mental well-being4. Skills development5. Purpose and aspirations6. Social recognition and belonging7. Family and spousal collaboration8. Work-life balance9. Social contribution10. Adaptability and resilienceThese outcomes developed over time. Autonomy and confidence often appeared first, followed by deeper changes involving family relationships, community participation, and resilience.ABOUT THE RESEARCHThe study followed eight Afghan refugee women living in Malaysia. Participants completed a six-month entrepreneurship program combining classroom instruction with one-to-one mentoring. The researchers conducted six rounds of interviews during and after the program.The average participant was 29 years old and had already spent approximately six years in Malaysia when the research began. None had the legal right to work. Their businesses included catering, tailoring, garment repair, handicrafts, and the resale of household goods and cosmetics.This was a small qualitative study conducted in one country and one program. Its findings should not be treated as representative of all refugee entrepreneurs. The research relied on self-reported experiences and does not establish that entrepreneurship caused every change participants described.FEATURED RESEARCHProf. Lin Ong and Melati Nungsari, “Proximate, Portable, and Preparatory: Non-Monetary Performance Measures for Social Enterprises Working with Transitory Populations.” Published in Sustainable Business Practices and Social Entrepreneurship by Springer Nature, 2026.Full research chapter:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-7437-7_8Tarkington Business Futures Institute:https://www.tarkingtoninstitute.org/ABOUT DISRUPTORS FOR GOODDisruptors for GOOD explores the entrepreneurs, organizations, and ideas using business and innovation to address the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.Discover more impact stories, companies, funders, and podcasts at:https://www.causeartist.com/ ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

What if one of the simplest daily activities could become a platform for better health, charitable giving, and lower-carbon transportation?In this episode we spotlight WeWard, the rewards app that turns daily steps into points users can redeem for cash, gifts, discounts, or donations to nonprofit organizations.Founded in France in 2019 by Yves Benchimol and Tanguy de La Villegeorges, WeWard combines behavioral science, gamification, brand partnerships, and commerce to encourage people to walk more. The company reports reaching 30 million walkers across 29 countries, transferring more than $50 million to users, and donating $1.5 million to charitable organizations.The episode examines how WeWard’s reward system works, the commercial engine funding those rewards, and why the company is more than a traditional step-tracking app. It also explores WeWard’s reported health and environmental impact, its Walking Mode feature, and the questions the company must navigate around privacy, accessibility, and long-term behavior change.In this episode, you’ll learnHow WeWard converts steps into its digital reward points, called WardsWhy immediate rewards can make healthy behavior easier to sustainHow users can redeem Wards for cash, gifts, discounts, and charitable donationsHow brand partnerships, affiliate commerce, advertising, and sponsored challenges support the business modelWhy WeWard’s model creates value for users, brands, charities, and communitiesHow an independent mobility study measured changes in walking and transportation behaviorWhy WeWard describes walking as both a public-health tool and a form of lower-carbon mobilityHow Walking Mode uses access to distracting apps as an incentive to reach a daily step goalThe privacy, accessibility, and retention challenges the company must manage as it growsKey figures discussed30 million walkers across 29 countriesMore than $50 million transferred to users$1.5 million donated to charitiesMore than 70 nonprofit organizations supportedA reported 24% average increase in users’ walking activityMore than 2,000 participating brand partnersApproximately 4.3 million monthly visits to WeWard’s in-app ecommerce sectionAn estimated 750,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions avertedThe bigger takeawayWeWard’s most interesting innovation is not simply paying people to walk. The company is building an economic system around a positive daily behavior. User activity creates value for commercial partners, partner revenue helps fund rewards and charitable projects, and those rewards motivate people to continue moving.For founders working across health, climate, consumer technology, and social impact, the lesson is clear: information alone rarely changes behavior. Better products make the desired action visible, social, rewarding, and easy to repeat. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

Soothe Note is a free consumer app for cancer patients and the people who support them. It is meant for the days between oncology visits: daily check-ins (mood, energy, medications, hydration, meals, rest, movement, one small win), symptom logs with intensity and body location, medication schedules, appointment questions, post-visit notes, and a private journal that caregivers cannot see.Teddy Aaron (caregiver side) and Brynn Forlizzi (two-time teen cancer survivor) founded the product in Greenwich, Connecticut in 2026 while still in high school. Patients can link trusted caregivers with a sharing code and revoke access; linked caregivers get read-only updates, support pings, and their own burnout check-ins. Before a visit, Health Hub can turn those logs into printable reports and AI-assisted drafts that the patient is told to review, because they are not medical advice.The app is local-first: signed-out data stays on device; an optional account syncs through Supabase. Soothe note has iPhone availability, Android under Google Play review, 15 languages, an advisory group of seven oncology/palliative/advocacy professionals, and coverage in 25+ outlets. Core patient and caregiver features are free; Soothe Note Plus is an optional paid layer. The company does not sell health data or run ads. ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.