Recently, I met Kanika Gupta, who told me: “I am passionate about social entrepreneurship because I am a social entrepreneur.” According the Stanford Social Innovation Review, “Growing numbers of young people are making an about face—turning their backs on working for “the man” and creating their own ventures.

Firsthand, Kanika has been through the struggles of launching multiple social ventures, and she knows how daunting and difficult it can be. While in her second year of building Nukoko, a Canadian nonprofit which sends over 600 girls to school in west Africa annually, she became frustrated by the lack of resources at her disposal. So she reached out to 50 social entrepreneurs for guidance. All lamented the lack of practical, resource-based support they found when starting their ventures. In hearing their experiences echo her own, the need for a comprehensive resource became immediately apparent, the potential to build it immediately inspiring. Kanika decided she would dedicate herself to encouraging and supporting young people who may be afraid to launch their own social venture.

Read our PROFILE in Innovation on the interactive online resource SoJo.