More than 120 social entrepreneurs, representatives from cooperatives and non-government organizations, academics and researchers, and representatives from both the government and private sector participated in the National Social Entrepreneurship Conference (NSEC) 2025.
With the theme Scaling Challenge: Advances of Social Enterprise in Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development, the event explored how social enterprises can accelerate progress toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The conference plenary sessions and breakout sessions became venues for idea sharing and sharing of best practices.
Topics at the plenary sessions held at the UP Diliman School of Statistics Auditorium included models for scaling up social enterprises towards inclusion and poverty reduction, 2025 social enterprise profiling report, engaging university students and faculty in social entrepreneurship, challenges and opportunities for scaling social enterprises, and multistakeholder partnerships and collaboration toward enabling social enterprises.
Meanwhile, the breakout sessions held at the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (ISSI) covered strategic marketing for social enterprises, financing and resource mobilization for social enterprise, measuring social impact, social entrepreneurships and digital transformation, social enterprises, climate action and circular economy, and social entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment.
A highlight of the event was the launching of the community of practitioners on Women’s Economic Empowerment by the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Coalition. The initiative aims to create a platform for learning exchanges of benchmark and transformative partnerships; advocate for policy changes supporting gender equality, responsible businesses, and the care economy; and facilitate partnership and resource mobilization for businesses, government, and social investors.
Held from April 29 to 30, the two-day conference was co-organized by the ISSI, the Ateneo de Manila University Center for Social Entrepreneurship, the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia, and the PRESENT Coalition.