Awareness Raising and Incubation

Businesses in an increasingly wide variety of sectors around the world work in partnership with Grameen, with 40 companies now accredited as a Yunus Social Business Company (YSBC) in Japan alone. As with every year, this year’s Yunus & You Social Business Design Contest (YY Contest) sponsored by the SBRC was a big success with many enthusiastic contenders challenging for the top prizes.
 
Grameen Bank and Grameen Family Companies
 
Founded in 1983 by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank is a microfinancing organization that extends small unsecured loans. At the heart of its operations is Dr. Yunus’s belief that a credit program for the destitute does not require collateral or security. Grameen Bank has been instrumental in reducing poverty in Bangladesh, assisting the economic independence of the rural poor by providing small loans to low income business owners, especially women.  
 
Aiming to eradicate poverty through business means, Dr. Yunus runs more than 50 Grameen-related companies working to address social problems across a broad range of sectors, including education, medicine, energy, and information technology. These Grameen Family companies actively implement social business in a variety of fields around the world.
 
 
 Grameen Activities 
 
Click to enlarge image↓
 
 
List of Grameen Family Companies
 
 
 
 
Yunus Social Business Company (YSB Company)
 
Yunus Social Business uses business means to achieve social—not individual—interests by addressing social problems and reinvesting profits for social purposes. Yunus Social Business Company (YSB Company) is an accreditation awarded to organizations that state their commitment to comply with Dr. Yunus’s Seven Principles in their corporate charter. These organizations are recognized as a YSB Company through an accreditation interview with SBRC Executive Director Masaharu Okada and are presented with an accreditation certificate signed by Dr. Yunus.
 
There 30 YSB Companies in Japan as of　September 2022.
 
※In 2022, six new companies will be registered as YBS companies.
We are currently preparing for this. We will update this page as soon as possible.　　　　(As of September 2022)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yunus & You Social Business Design Contest (YY Contest)
 
　

With the aim of putting Dr. Yunus’s Yunus Social Business philosophy into practice, the Yunus & You Social Business Design Contest (YY Contest) provides an opportunity for its participants to create and develop business ideas with their mentor in a workshop format. They will later present their work during the contest’s preliminary round. The qualifying teams will advance to the Grand Champion Contest, and the team selected as the Grand Champion will win an opportunity to have a private meeting with Dr. Yunus.

*From 2021, the prize for the Grand Champion has changed.

Until 2019 ; a free invitation to attend the annual Global Social Business Summit (GSBS), where they have the opportunity to take the stage and give a presentation in English.

From 2021; an opportunity to have a private meeting with Dr. Yunus.
 
 
Go to YY Contest website