An entrepreneur who's building hope

Suzanne McKechnie Klahr is a archetypal entrepreneur. She's extremely passionate about her venture, and can bring the most cynical skeptic to buy into her pitch. She works incredibly hard and has set aside big bucks and a safe career for the life of a founder/CEO building her venture from scratch. But she's not building software or an appliance or 'shareholder value'. She's helping kids from the less privileged neighborhoods stay in school, keep up their grades, graduate and make it to college - often the first in their extended families to do so. And she's doing it in a quintessentially Silicon Valley way - making them into entrepreneurs.

Just about the time when the dotcom boom was at its height, Suzanne, in true startup style, kicked off BUILD with four students, in loaner digs, just on the other side of the highway (and a world apart) from Sandhill road and the offices of VCs and the upwardly mobile high tech ventures. Today she's expanded into her second site and looking to replicate the model in other parts of the country. BUILD's goal is very simple - take the kids who have potential but not the family or social backing to stay in school, and help them not only complete high school, but reach for a college degree and get it. To do this, BUILD has a very 'enterprising' hook: entrepreneurship. Most teenagers love to make money, and it is even more empowering if it's from a business that they own and run themselves. BUILD gives them the training they need with business plans, marketing tactics etc., and along the way they become math savvy, PowerPoint proficient and comfortable with public speaking, among other things. The students get the kind of training most first time entrepreneurs would kill for - and to cap it off, they pitch to a bunch of judges (usually local business leaders) and winning entries get seed money, just like any old startup.

Last week Suzanne was one of the inductees of the Ashoka fellowship for social entrepreneurs, another in a series of accolades. It is wonderful that she's getting recognition for what she has done. She needs all the publicity and support she can get as being a CEO of a non-profit is not easy. Non-profits are always seeking funding and there are no dreams of IPOs or hefty acquisitions. Suzanne's out there doing her pitch to everyone she can, being the best possible salesperson, chasing every lead in order to bring in money. The good news is that Suzanne's not into this all by herself, she's built a great team of smart, dedicated people and there are an amazing number of mentors (from VC firms, high tech firms etc.) who give up time every week to coach these teens as they work on their businesses.

BUILD is one of my favorite non-profits as it is all about entrepreneurship. It is about an entrepreneur who's helping shape new entrepreneurs and giving them skills and hope. It's about using the Silicon Valley model to do good. Check it out. Suzanne's story and BUILD may spark something in you.