Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship is the first academic centre in Africa dedicated to advancing social innovation and entrepreneurship. It was established as a specialised centre at the UCT Graduate School of Business in late 2011, in partnership with the Bertha Foundation, a family foundation that works with inspiring leaders who are catalysts for social and economic change, and human rights. The Centre is now a leading academic centre in Africa. 

Its mission is to build-capacity and pioneer practices in Africa - with partners, practitioners and students - to advance the discourse and systemic impact of social innovation. In collaboration with the GSB, the Centre has integrated social innovation into the business school curriculum, established a wide community of practitioners and awarded over R8-million in scholarships to students from across Africa.

Our team works across various sectors these are: innovative finance, systems change, social entrepreneurship, education innovations and youth development, as well as inclusive healthcare innovations. The Centre also works closely with the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development, and the MTN Solution Space Space which are also part of the GSB.

Some of the Centre's highlights include:

• Awarded over R8 million in Bertha Scholarships to African students
• Uncovered and documented over 300 innovative models and solutions, and convened over 8,000 people in support of our mission
• Elevated Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship to one of three new strategic themes of the GSB
• Integrated social innovation into the MBA & MPhil core curriculum
• Presented with UCT's Social Responsiveness Award in 2015
• Benchmarked in the top five globally for social impact in a report from the Bridgespan Group in 2017