Ashoka, a global civil society organization, pioneered the concept of social entrepreneurship in 1980, and has since identified and invested in more than 2,000 social entrepreneurs, elected as Ashoka Fellows, in 63 countries around the world. Ashoka provides these social innovators – individuals with unprecedented system-changing ideas for social change – with start-up financing, professional support services, and connections to a global network of social entrepreneurs. Ashoka Fellows address the full range of social issues, including the environment, human rights, economic development, youth and education, and health.