Making More Health

Making More Health is the social initiative from Boehringer Ingelheim in collaboration with Ashoka, which combines business and social values to unleash innovation and achieve economic and social progress in healthcare.

The vision of this long-term initiative is to identify new and better ways of improving health globally.

The objectives are to source social innovation around the world, to explore unconventional partnerships and business models, and to encourage Boehringer Ingelheim employees.

Social entrepreneurship connects two worlds that usually operate separately: the world of business and the world of social society.

Thus partnerships can develop that benefit from each other in the long term. Making More Health represents such a merging instance.

The initiative currently supports around 90 social entrepreneurs (MMH Fellows) from the health sector in implementing their social entrepreneurial ventures.

These social entrepreneurs are individuals committed to improving social needs and providing creative solutions for better health around the world.

A social entrepreneur, similar to a business entrepreneur, builds strong and sustainable organizations, to tackle societal problems and challenges.

Important to BI and Making More Health is that both parties, social entrepreneurs and BI, have benefit.

This “win – win” situation is called co-creation.

Co-creation entails far more than investing money; it requires exchange of knowledge capital, skills and organizational capability. As such, it is generally a longer-term, "deeper" approach than pure engagement.

The goal is to network social entrepeneurs with innovative business approaches and the business know-how of BI.

By promoting social entrepeneurship approaches and mindsets within and outside BI, innovative social solutions are created, and unusual partnerships promoted to improve access to health worldwide.

Through these unconventional partnerships with NGOs and social entrepeneurs, MMH co-creates shared value for societies, our partners and BI.

MMH was launched as part of BI’s 125th anniversary with Ashoka as a long-term initiative to support sociall entrepeneurship and create value for the society and BI.

Since 2010, MMH has built a large network of social enterprises around the world, launching leadership programmes and youth venture programmes with a focus on vulnerable communities.

We have supported 110 social entrepeneurs

impacted 10 million lives

scaled 4 accelerator enterprises

got more than 6000 BI employees engaged

Until 2025 we want to support 250 social entrepeneurs

impact 30 million lives

scale 15 accelerator enterprises

get 12,000 employees engaged

We feel committed to impact 50 million lives and engage 20k employees.

BI and Ahsoka jointly created MMH with the ambition to improve healthcare for people, animals and communities around the world by enabling social entrepeneurs and supporting smart solutions that creatic systemic change.

They are social entrepeneurs of the MMH network.

It is a contest to encourage BI employees to engage and become social intrapreneurs.

Venture 4 Change: A preparation of next-generation changemakers and collaboration with universities, NGOs, Ashoka and BI employees

Executive in residence program: a leadership development opportunity for BI employees and support MMH fellows in advancing their business model.

We focused on identifying and supporting social innovators and elected the first fellows.

Focused on the development of changemaker sills, such as intrapeneurship and leadership among BI employees and the start of an own community work on the ground in India and Kenya. Stronger collaboration between BI and the social entrepeneurs.

An IT platform to better match skills, know-how and experience of BI employees with specific social entrepeneurs and concrete projects worldwide, in order to enable a more effective matchmaking and better allocate resources.

Over 6k employees have given their time thus far, sharing their skills and experience to engage in and support MMH programs and activities.

It is an innovative opportunity to meet new partners and to collaborate with social entrepeneurs.

There are currently more than 120 fellows in the areas of human and animal health and the environment.

By intiatives to support social start-ups in Sub-Saharan Africa with grants and knowledge support to help them raising additional funds to scale up and sustain their business model.

Innovative financing options combined with BI employee engagement, complimentary external business partners, to further increase the impact of innovative social businesses in the most vulnerable communities.

For BI employees, take place several times a year in India and Kenya, 1 week excursion, participants experience the challenges of people living at the poverty line and interact with them. Asked to contribute actively to the solutions. A social experience, where theory, practice and emotional understanding come together.

A 6 week online course to learn about social entrepeneurship and thinking, a direct exchange with social enterprises, learning about challenges and how to overcome them. It takes place twice a year.

Founded in 1980, the world’s leading network of social entrepeneurs with systems-changing solutions to the most pressing societal problems. Supports 4,000 social entrepeneurs globally, mobilises and invites a global community of actors.

To inspire people, show entrepeneurial spirit and develop new leadership skills by testing new projects and taking action in changemaking by engaging in MMH initiatives.

To foster a “win-win” collaboration approach across the social and business sectors.

Our social impact is by offering innovative financing options in an ecosystem with like-minded partners and employees to scale the impact of social business in vulnerable communities.

It includes the 4:

1) Health: Affordability of human and animal healthcare

2) Education and Culture: Access to and affordability of education

3) Infrastructure: Access to healthcare, clean water, power and adequate sanitation

4) Economic Development: Sufficient income for communities and ensuring livestock well-being

To further expand the partnership’s ecosystem approach to include additional external partners and stakeholders with the purpose of advancing the systemic approach.