Mitch Shaw is a co-founder of Upstream, a business which harnesses the power of social procurement to fund charities. With around $250,000 given out already, it is an impressive example of innovation in a start-up which merges business, charity and philanthropy. Wearing my other hat as a lawyer I helped them set up 5 years ago so it was special to hear about how far they have come with pushing the boundaries of this idea.
Like all Seeds episodes we start with his background and what has shaped Mitch into who he is today. In particular, we hear about growing up in a lower decile area, what gettting a scholarship to a high decile school was like and how you cope if your identity is bound up with being very good at sports. I really enjoyed this conversation and appreciated Mitch’s willingness to talk about some pretty hard topics and share about his life story.
If you have a business consider ways you could get involved with Upsteam – there are several ways set out on their site. Consumers can choose to use their suppliers as another way to support.
Upstream site: About Upstream – Upstream 100% Charitable
Mitch’s contact: mitch@upstreamnz.co.nz
Mention in the conversation this 10 minutes on how to set up an impact driven organisation: Seeds: How to set up an impact driven organisation (libsyn.com)
“Upstream empowers customers to impact their community and strengthen the wellbeing of children and young people in Aotearoa. When you make a purchase from an Upstream Supplier, the supplier donates part of their invoice to one of our Good Causes, an organisation that supports children and young people. It’s a simple, sustainable way to support the next generation.”
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