New York - How are the world's leading corporations and business schools addressing the urgent need for more socially and environmentally responsible leaders? They are investing in the next generation of global leaders by strategically partnering with StartingBloc (www.startingbloc.org). StartingBloc leads the way in training college students and young professionals on socially responsible and sustainable business practices. Through a competitive fellowship program, StartingBloc recruits and trains outstanding and diverse college students and young professionals who are committed to actualizing sustainable business practices. This year one hundred and sixty StartingBloc Fellows from thirty-nine countries and thirty-seven universities completed the program. From this group more than seventy are now graduating and moving on to careers at corporations and social enterprises around the world. From Goldman Sachs to National Student Partnerships, StartingBloc's partner companies are committed to hiring and developing the next generation of socially responsible leaders.

StartingBloc helps place and support graduates of the program at innovative companies and social enterprises where they can put their training to work. Jared Katseff, a student at The University of Pennsylvania, was one of twelve StartingBloc Fellows placed at Goldman Sachs as part of a unique recruiting partnership. "The StartingBloc program provided me with training in sustainability and global business issues, which has set me apart from my peers," Katseff remarked. "I am now prepared to creatively confront the challenges that businesses face, and hope to push CSR forward at Goldman Sachs." Vanya Pasheva, a StartingBloc Fellow and recent graduate of Yale University, will be moving to Chennai, India in the fall to work for the Centre for Microfinance Research. Pasheva, a Bulgarian native, will spend her time researching projects aimed at devising efficient large scale microfinance programs throughout India.

With a major focus on social entrepreneurship in its curriculum, StartingBloc has seen an increase in the number of Fellows starting their own companies and non-profits following graduation. Amy Ma, a graduate of Columbia University, received venture capital funding for her new social enterprise, Little CEO, a children's book publishing company. The mission of Ma's company is to teach children from eight to twelve years old about the gamut of possible future careers and help them discover their passions. Benjamin Williams, a recent Harvard graduate, is the founder of an e-health company that provides professional health advice and research. "Even at Harvard," notes Williams, "students are not provided with information, resources, or training related to corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship. StartingBloc is fulfilling an important mission of showing college students that they can be leaders of social change through their careers, and that they should be passionate about what they do. You don't have to compromise your values when making a career choice."

Explaining the need for a 360 degree strategy for engaging today's youth, Martin Smith, Co-Founder of StartingBloc, commented, "today's social entrepreneurs and corporate managers lack the vocabulary, best practices, and even the will to find common ground and solutions to our societal needs. If we expect to bridge the divides between our social and economic institutions we must identify outstanding young leaders, equip them with the knowledge they will need to drive change in their organizations and communities, and create a network among them with peers and mentors in the public, private and non-profit sectors."

Overall, StartingBloc Fellows continued on to jobs in all sectors, including careers at National Student Partnerships, KLD Research & Analytics, Lehman Brothers, McKinsey & Co., UNICEF, Procter & Gamble, Merck, Amaranth, Unilever and Endeavor Global. Why are so many leading corporations, social enterprises, and graduate schools recruiting StartingBloc Fellows? This year's class had an average G.P.A. of 3.52 and a combined representation of forty-seven unique spoken languages. Fifty-two percent of the Fellows were minority students and fifty-six percent were women. With such great diversity, the one common thread between all one hundred and sixty Fellows is their shared commitment and passion for advancing socially responsible and sustainable business practices around the world. "There is no better time for an organization like StartingBloc to begin its mission of developing the future business leaders of tomorrow," noted Bradley K. Googins, Executive Director of the Center for Corporate Citizenship. "Companies today must reconcile their role in society and not only respond to shareholder concerns but to the expectations of all key stakeholders for sustainable business success and societal well being."

While companies have been compelled by stakeholder demands to pay increasing attention to social and environmental issues, leading business schools and undergraduate institutions have also begun to recognize the importance of CSR and social enterprise. Grappling with an increasing student demand for more courses dealing with ethics and social responsibility in business, many universities are now working with StartingBloc to tackle this problem. Richard Schmalensee, Dean of the Sloan School of Management at M.I.T. has supported StartingBloc since its founding in 2002. "It would be a tragedy if recent scandals made our bright, idealistic youth hostile to business," Schmalensee remarked. "StartingBloc seeks to help outstanding university students understand that a socially responsible business career is not an oxymoron and that business can and should improve society as well as create private wealth."

StartingBloc was founded in 2002 by two college students at the University of Chicago and Northwestern in response to the lack of any platform for engaging young leaders on topics at the intersection of business and society. Even more noticeable to these young entrepreneurs was the dearth of career options available through campus recruiting, particularly at socially responsible firms and non-profits. Blake Bible, Co-Founder of StartingBloc, has seen a noticeable departure from traditional career options occurring on college campuses across the country. "It is clear that this generation of youth is seeking more than just a steady paycheck, they are looking to find a career that they are passionate about, and one that respects their personal values and beliefs. Aligning your social and environmental values with your life's work is a reality today, and an option that more and more youth are pursuing." StartingBloc currently operates out of New York and Boston, and accepts applications to its programs from students around the world.

Within ten years, it is StartingBloc's goal to graduate 7,500 of the most talented young leaders in the country from its fellowship program. StartingBloc is leading the way in building a network of extremely talented and diverse leaders working in the public, private and non-profit sectors around the globe with the same shared commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices.

StartingBloc NFP

StartingBloc NFP

StartingBloc is a New York City based 501 (c) 3 that educates, empowers and connects emerging leaders to drive positive social change across sectors. Through its programs in New York, Boston and London, StartingBloc brings the latest innovations in corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship to these emerging leaders. StartingBloc's curriculum is taught by executives at socially responsible businesses and innovative non profits, as well as MBA and graduate school professors. Past speakers include Barry Nalebuff, co-founder of Honest Tea; Krista Bauer, Director of General Electric's Global Programs; Judith Wicks founder of White Dog café©; Ami Dar, founder of Idealist; Jeffrey Hollender, founder of Seventh Generation; and David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World among others. The curriculum provides a global understanding on social and environmental issues, while equipping the Fellows to innovatively effect change at the local level.

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