Expert Impact’s unique ‘Human Lending Library’ launches in-house at The British Library, providing mentoring for social impact businesses with introductions and advice from some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.
The British Library will run the first in a series of global ‘Human Lending Library’ franchises from its Business & IP Centre.
Over the next year, other prestigious libraries around the world will join the Expert Impact movement, launching their very own Human Lending Libraries and building a powerful global network.
Founded in 2013, Expert Impact is a charity that helps social entrepreneurs to achieve scale, via introductions and advice from experts. The company’s flagship mentoring programme, the Human Lending Library, allows aspiring social entrepreneurs to ‘borrow’ successful Experts for an hour of one-to-one advice and the potential for long-term mentoring.
The Experts are successful founders who have scaled at least one business and are now donating their hard earned knowledge and networks to help social entrepreneurs make positive change. Experts include The White Company Founder Chrissie Rucker, Julian Metcalfe of Pret A Manger and Itsu, and Sir Charles Dunstone, Founder of Carphone Warehouse.
The Human Lending Library has already connected more than 200 social enterprises with some of the world’s most successful Founders, resulting in investment, new NEDs/board members, priceless introductions and huge satisfaction on both sides.
The impact has been huge, with social enterprises increasing in size by an average of 58% within six months of meeting an Expert. To date the Human Lending Library has helped create over 500 jobs in the UK, generating in excess of £20 million in new turnover.
“Imagine getting an expert all to yourself, to address all of your biggest challenges in an hour,” Cemal Ezal, Founder of Change Please said of the programme. “This is exactly what Expert Impact does. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Expert Impact’s mission is to support as many amazing social entrepreneurs as possible, to change the way we do business, and to address the challenges society faces today.
By working with the dedicated team at British Library, and other exceptional libraries around the world, they can support more social enterprises, and facilitate rapid beneficial change.
Social entrepreneurs can apply to the Human Lending Library here.