Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

Causeartist
  • 5.0 (52)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Disruptors for GOOD is a podcast that showcases global social entrepreneurship and social enterprises committed to ethical fashion, impact investing, climate mitigation, sustainable travel, and businesses generating positive global impact. Through in-depth interviews, Grant Trahant, the founder of Causeartist, engages with innovative and impactful startups and brands worldwide.

  1. From Advocacy to Innovation: Jerry Golden, Chief Policy Officer at Lyft

    2D AGO

    From Advocacy to Innovation: Jerry Golden, Chief Policy Officer at Lyft

    Transportation has always shaped how societies function. Who can move, how easily they can get from one place to another, and at what cost often determines access to work, healthcare, education, and community. In the digital age, rideshare platforms have quietly become part of that infrastructure. In a recent conversation, I sat down with Jerry Golden, Chief Policy Officer at Lyft, to unpack how transportation policy, technology, and social responsibility intersect. The discussion covered Golden’s unconventional career path, the realities of policymaking in a fast moving sector, Lyft’s expanding role in disaster response and accessibility, and how autonomous vehicles may reshape the future. ---------------------------------------- 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.

    32 min

  2. JAN 1 · BONUS

    Causeartist Next: Nominate a Social Entrepreneur

    For over a decade, Causeartist has published the annual Social Entrepreneurs to Watch list. If you know a founder building a real solution, put them on our radar. What is Causeartist Next?Causeartist Next is our annual list of social entrepreneurs building companies that put impact next to profit, not behind it. We cover founders creating practical solutions across climate, food, health, education, financial inclusion, ethical supply chains, and more. Check out the lists from past years: 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2023 / 2024 / 2025 Frequently asked questions Is nomination required to be included?No. We also source founders through interviews, research, and referrals. Nominations help us find people we might miss. Do you charge to be featured?No. If someone asks you for money to get on the list, it is not us. Can I nominate myself?Yes. Self nominations are welcome and encouraged. 😀 When does the 2026 list publish?Deadline for nominations is January 20th. We publish in early February and share the list for all of 2026 via our website, newsletter, and social accounts. Nominate here ---------------------------------------- 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.

    2 min

  3. 12/23/2025 · BONUS

    10 Ocean Conservation Startups Fighting Marine Pollution

    The statistics on marine pollution are staggering: an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans every single year, equivalent to dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the sea every minute. This crisis impacts everything from coral reefs and endangered species to the seafood on our plates. For decades, the fight to save our oceans was led primarily by large, established non-profits. Today, however, a new, dynamic force has emerged: the ocean conservation startup. These ventures are attracting significant investment and deploying cutting-edge technology to tackle pollution at its source, in rivers, and in the open ocean. They represent the leading edge of sustainable ocean tech. Full post here. ---------------------------------------- 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.

    6 min
  4. Meet WYDE, the Impact Exchange Turning Trading Fees Into Nonprofit Funding - Martin Simms & Aaron Rafferty // Founders of WYDE

    12/17/2025

    Meet WYDE, the Impact Exchange Turning Trading Fees Into Nonprofit Funding - Martin Simms & Aaron Rafferty // Founders of WYDE

    For decades, nonprofits have relied on the same narrow funding playbook. Donations spike at year end. Grant cycles are slow and unpredictable. Teams spend enormous time fundraising instead of delivering impact. Meanwhile, trillions of dollars move through global markets every day with no connection to social outcomes. In Episode 235 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, we sat down with Martin Simms and Aaron Rafferty, co founders of WYDE Impact Exchange, to explore a bold alternative. What if markets themselves could fund missions automatically. What if trading activity generated real nonprofit revenue  And what if transparency and accountability were built directly into the system. WYDE is not another crypto exchange chasing speculation. ---------------------------------------- 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.

    48 min

  5. 12/16/2025 · BONUS

    8 Startups Turning Agricultural Waste into Clean Energy

    The push to decarbonize the world’s energy systems now overlaps with a long standing problem: what to do with the massive amount of agricultural waste produced every year. Billions of tons of crop residues and animal waste are generated across the globe. Much of it is left to rot or is burned, which adds to air pollution and releases methane. The result is a two sided problem. We face avoidable environmental damage on one side, and a large source of unused energy on the other. A growing group of startups is working to change this. They are building practical technologies that convert agricultural waste into clean energy that farmers and rural communities can actually use. These companies are cutting waste, lowering emissions, and supporting local economies. They are also helping build a circular bioeconomy that treats waste as a resource rather than a burden. Read full post ---------------------------------------- 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.

    5 min

  6. 12/04/2025 · BONUS

    10 Battery Recycling and Storage Startups Changing the Grid

    The global move toward cleaner energy is gaining speed, yet two issues continue to shape its future. We need a dependable and sustainable supply of battery materials, and we need storage systems that can carry the grid through long periods of weak wind or sunlight. The surge in electric vehicles and utility scale renewables has put real pressure on both fronts. It has exposed how fragile a linear, mining dependent supply chain can be and how little short duration storage can do when the grid faces extended stress. These gaps must be solved if the energy transition is going to hold up over the long run. A new generation of startups is rising to meet this challenge, fundamentally disrupting both the Circular Economy for battery materials and the Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) market. These innovators are not just fixing problems; they are building the technological and logistical backbone of a truly resilient, decarbonized grid. Read full list ---------------------------------------- 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.

    6 min
  7. Impact Business Case Study - Ben & Jerry's

    12/02/2025 · BONUS

    Impact Business Case Study - Ben & Jerry's

    Ben & Jerry’s is often celebrated as the blueprint for socially conscious capitalism, a company that set out to prove business could serve both profit and purpose. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the brand grew from a local scoop shop into a global symbol of activism wrapped in indulgence. Its mission, famously defined as a three-part balance between product quality, economic sustainability, and social justice, positioned the company decades ahead of mainstream corporate responsibility trends. But behind the lighthearted flavor names and progressive branding lies a far more complicated story. Over the past four decades, Ben & Jerry’s has struggled to reconcile its idealism with industrial reality, and its activism with corporate ownership. The 2000 acquisition by Unilever(SEC Filing) marked a turning point, one that gave the brand global reach but also sparked ongoing tension over how far a subsidiary can push social and political boundaries inside a multinational conglomerate. The company’s evolution highlights both the potential and the pitfalls of value-driven business. Its impact programs, from Fairtrade sourcing and regenerative agriculture to refugee employment and racial equity initiatives, have made real contributions to ethical commerce. Yet, the same mission has exposed Ben & Jerry’s to accusations of hypocrisy and partisanship. The gap between its public commitments and operational constraints has grown increasingly visible as global scrutiny around corporate activism intensifies. Today, Ben & Jerry’s stands as both a pioneer and a cautionary tale. Its enduring popularity and strong brand equity demonstrate the power of purpose-driven storytelling, while its public controversies and internal governance conflicts reveal the structural limits of idealism in a profit-driven system. The lessons drawn from its trajectory extend well beyond ice cream, they speak to the broader tension facing any brand that dares to mix business with belief. Full case study ---------------------------------------- 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.

    6 min

  8. 12/01/2025 · BONUS

    Impact Startup Spotlight - Tanbii

    Climate action often feels heavy. The headlines focus on crisis, the solutions demand sacrifice, and the average person ends up believing their choices are too small to matter. Robert Luo has been working to break that cycle. As the CEO of Tanbii, he is building a platform that turns climate restoration into a daily habit through play. His team has found a way to turn virtual energy into real world reforestation. The idea is simple. When people enjoy something, they stick with it. When they see the results of their actions, they stay committed. Tanbii uses those truths to make sustainability feel accessible, social, and rewarding. Players plant virtual trees, complete missions, and build worlds within the game. Behind the scenes, every eligible planting triggers a real tree planted on the ground through verified NGO partners. What began as a frustration with the traditional sustainability message has grown into a global early access community with thousands of players and thousands of trees already planted. In this interview, Robert breaks down the origin story of Tanbii, how the platform works, and what it takes to create a climate action experience that people actually enjoy. Full interview ---------------------------------------- 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.

    4 min
See All (318)

Trailer

5
out of 5
52 Ratings

About

Disruptors for GOOD is a podcast that showcases global social entrepreneurship and social enterprises committed to ethical fashion, impact investing, climate mitigation, sustainable travel, and businesses generating positive global impact. Through in-depth interviews, Grant Trahant, the founder of Causeartist, engages with innovative and impactful startups and brands worldwide.

Information

More From Causeartist

You Might Also Like