About us

Whatamission is a blog providing information, stories and resources related to social entrepreneurship and social innovation. Our aim is to inspire (=blog), inform (=resources) and connect (=directory) aspiring social entrepreneurs, changemakers and those interested in the topic.

Mission

Our mission is twofold: Supporting aspiring change-makers and social entrepreneurs in the early startup phase as well as promoting social and sustainable entrepreneurship as a sustainable way of doing business.

What motivates us? Why Social Entrepreneurship?

Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions and entrepreneurial approaches to society’s most pressing social, cultural, and environmental challenges. They are an important resource and potential for sustainable development, globally. By sharing our knowledge, inspiring stories and interviews with founders and experts, we want to support in particular aspiring change makers and social entrepreneurs in the early start-up phase. What combines us, the authors and contributors, is a passion for social impact and practical insights and experiences in the sector.

Interested to contribute or to join the team? Find out more here!

Melanie Akerboom

Founder & Chief Editor

Melanie is a Social Enterprise educator & blogger based in Berlin, Germany. Prior to launching WHATAMISSION in 2014, she completed her Masters in Social Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths College in London and worked as a tutor in the fields Innovative Tourism and Entrepreneurship in South Africa. She gained her first writing experience as a columnist for Südafrika - Land der Kontraste and an online editor for social-startups.de. In 2016, Melanie founded "Social Innovation Meets School", an initiative bringing Social Entrepreneurship Education to youth in school. She loves travelling and is passionate about photography, social impact and entrepreneurship education, youth empowerment and (South) Africa.

Vanessa Faloye

Online Editor

Vanessa Faloye, British-Nigerian, is a trainer-facilitator, curriculum developer, and project coordinator in social impact education. She designs and delivers learning experiences for change-makers around the world and educates at an intersection of anti-oppression, systems thinking, and social action. Vanessa is passionate about keeping social enterprise 'social' and systemic. As Online Editor at Whatamission, she provides critical thought pieces on paradigms and pedagogies in social impact education. Vanessa holds a post-graduate in Social Enterprise and Innovation from The Do School, Germany. She loves traveling, reading, and speaking Spanish.

Anna Buchmann

Guest blogger

Working as programme manager for _SocialStarters in India, Anna discovered her passion for social entrepreneurship. Inspired by business initiatives to make a long-lasting social change in the world, she decided to start her own venture. If she is not studying for her masters in Development Management and Administration, you can find her organising events for MakeSense London, or working her sewing machine to come up with a new design for her sustainable fashion brand. As a change maker, she is dedicating her time to unlock the power private business has in tackling the global issues of our generation.

Anna Moran

Guest blogger

Anna started her career in development as a fundraiser at VSO before moving to volunteer management. She was recruited to manage VSO's youth volunteer programmes in East Africa. To date she has run youth volunteer programmes around the world for organisations such as VSO, Balloon Kenya and Project Peru, working with over 250 international volunteers. In 2014 Anna co-founded _SocialStarters, an organisation which matches skilled professionals to carry out pro bono consultancy projects with social entrepreneurs in India, Sri Lanka and Brazil. Anna passionately believes that volunteering can sustainably develop, empower and educate people and organisations, but also that it's an opportunity to inspire those to make change in their own communities once they return home. She's currently living in India as a digital nomad.

Jiselle Steele

Guest blogger

Jiselle is an experienced project manager who has earned her stripes working in the NGO and social enterprise sectors. From running an apprenticeship training programme for disadvantaged young people in inner city London to leading an international volunteer programme helping professionals to discover the world of social impact in Rio, Jiselle has always been passionate about empowering others to make a positive change in the world. Researching youth and entrepreneurship in Brazil as a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow, inspired south-Londoner Jiselle to move to Rio De Janeiro, where she is now based and continues to work with social enterprises.

Kim Montes

Guest blogger

Kim Montes is a Marketing and Communications Consultant based in Houston, Texas who enjoys writing, travel and lifelong learning. Kim has a strong interest in corporate social responsibility, social enterprise and small business development and enjoys promoting the work of social entrepreneurs.

Ricardo Monagas

Online Editor

Ricardo is a product manager and android developer helping tech startups to make their ideas come true. He co-founded Uppersky and really likes to participate in projects which make a positive impact in society. He is originally from Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela, and currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic.

Viola Serdiukova

Guest blogger

Viola Serdyukova is currently working as an event assistant at the Skolkovo Foundation and as a Project Manager at the Business Incubator of State University at the Higher School of Economics. She is following a Master in Advertising and PR and completed a Bachelor in European Studies/International Relations. Before moving to Boston, she lived in Moscow, which she describes as a “hectic, a little bit arrogant but very promising and culturally rich megalopolis”.