Crowdsourced Map Uncovers Social Innovation in Austin

Austin, TEXAS - As social entrepreneurs and impact investors descend on Austin for South by Southwest's SXGood programming, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin's RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service are launching a map that allows visitors to easily find the city's social innovators. A collaboration with social enterprise accelerator UnLtd USA, the map displays key organizations and players in the sector and the relationships that connect them. The Austin Social Innovation Ecosystem Map is a crowdsourced social network map of actors and stakeholders addressing social issues through innovation and entrepreneurship. The map was created with initial data from UnLtd USA and enhanced by Mark Clayton Hand, a UT Austin adjunct assistant professor of social entrepreneurship, and lecturer Clare Zutz. It displays people and organizations as nodes connected by ties representing relationships such as employment or affiliation, investments and donations. Users can contribute information about their own organizations and then interact with the visualization to filter, focus and cluster data shared by others. "Because Austin's social innovation ecosystem is just emerging, its culture and norms are still being formed," said Zoe Schlag, executive director of UnLtd USA, which offers seed funding and venture support to entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental problems.