
Akshay Saxena Among 18 Global Social Entrepreneurs Honored by the World Economic Forum's Schwab Foundation
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 21 January 2025
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, announced today at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting its 2025 awardees, whose groundbreaking solutions are addressing urgent issues and driving systemic, positive change across the world.
The 18 leaders from 15 organizations are values-driven entrepreneurs pioneering transformative business, social development and environmental models that are helping build a more equitable and sustainable world. This year’s awardees are addressing health disparities from the United States to Zambia, creating income opportunities for displaced individuals, combatting deforestation in Central and West Africa, and improving the lives of vulnerable communities in India and beyond.
“It is a great privilege to introduce the 2025 Schwab Foundation Awardees, a remarkable group of social entrepreneurs and innovators who embody integrity, humility and positive values in their work,” said Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. “Their extraordinary achievements reflect on the broader community of leading social entrepreneurs and innovators dedicated to fighting social inequalities and preserving natural ecosystems.”
Social entrepreneurship and innovation are gaining momentum worldwide, with over 10 million social enterprises creating 200 million jobs and generating $2 trillion annually. As highlighted in a 2025 report by the Schwab Foundation’s Global Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship, they are also spearheading innovation in green and digital transitions while creating better outcomes for those who need them most. Despite this significant economic contribution and commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, social enterprises face a $1.1 trillion funding need.
At the Annual Meeting 2025, the Schwab Foundation aims to spotlight social entrepreneurs and innovators who are already leading the way with successful and innovative business models and, ultimately, help advance these solutions at scale to reach more people across the world.
François Bonnici, Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, said: “Our world is grappling with instability, polarization and disenfranchisement while facing extreme, unpredictable weather events and disasters. It is also undergoing a radical transformation with both the green and digital transitions. Although this comes with economic opportunity, it also risks exacerbating existing inequalities or creating new ones. In the face of these significant challenges, the need for bold and innovative solutions has never been more pressing. The work of social entrepreneurs and innovators is not just important, it is essential.”
Social Entrepreneurs
Individuals employing innovative, market-based approaches to directly address social issues.
• Cecilia Corral – Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of CareMessage.
• Christina Mawuse Gyisun – Co-Founder of Sommalife, a social enterprise that addresses the systemic socioeconomic exclusion of women smallholder shea nut farmers in West Africa.
• Muzalema Mwanza – Founder of Safe Motherhood Alliance, a purpose-driven organization in Zambia that aims to ensure safe childbirth for the 20 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa without access to equitable maternal healthcare.
• Valmir Ortega – Founder of Belterra Agroflorestas, which restores degraded land through agroforestry in Brazil.
• Manuel Rosemberg – Chief Executive Officer of ANA Care, which offers an AI-driven platform that provides healthcare training, support and monitoring tools for caregivers throughout Latin America.
• Aline Sara – Co-Founder of NaTakallam (‘We Speak’ in Arabic), which disrupts the conventional approach to humanitarian aid by enabling refugees and conflict-affected individuals to earn an income online as language tutors, teachers and translators.
• Akshay Saxena – Co-Founder of Avanti Fellows, a non-profit that aims to provide equitable access to India’s top science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) colleges.
• Vineet Singal – Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CareMessage, a US-based technology non-profit building the largest patient engagement platform for low-income populations in the United States.
About the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
For 27 years, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, the Schwab Foundation has been at the forefront of bringing together the world's leading social entrepreneurs and innovators across the most diverse sectors and geographical boundaries. This year’s awardees join an existing community of almost 500 champions whose collective work has improved millions of lives since 1998. The Schwab Foundation is the foremost global community of pioneering social entrepreneurs and innovators driving systemic change.
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About the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025, taking place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 20 to 24 January, convenes global leaders under the theme Collaboration for the Intelligent Age. The meeting will foster new partnerships and insights to shape a more sustainable, inclusive future in an era of rapidly advancing technology, focusing on five key areas:
Reimagining Growth, Industries in the Intelligent Age, Investing in People, Safeguarding the Planet, and Rebuilding Trust.
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