Building ecosystems where lived challenges become social enterprises.
Etienne Salborn is the founder of SINA (Social Innovation Academy) and works with organizations, universities, foundations, and changemakers to design self-organized communities where people transform challenges into social enterprises.
SINA Founder
SINA (Social Innovation Academy)
23 Communities
Across 9 countries
120+ Social Enterprises
Launched through SINA
Germany’s 40 under 40
Capital Magazine
Leaders50
Recognized by Thinkers50
MIT D-Lab Fellow
Innovation Ecosystem Builder
Speaking, teaching, and advisory for social innovation
Etienne works with organizations, universities, foundations, and changemakers to move from abstract conversations about impact to practical ecosystems where people create their own solutions, livelihoods, and social enterprises.
Speaking & Keynotes
Talks on social innovation, refugee-led entrepreneurship, self-organization, freesponsibility, and turning adversity into agency.
Workshops & Advisory
Support for designing community-led entrepreneurship programs, accelerators, self-organized teams, and social innovation ecosystems.
Teaching & Curriculum
University courses, guest lectures, and learning formats on social entrepreneurship, eco-venturing, systems change, and inclusive leadership.
A glimpse into the thinking behind the work
In this talk, Etienne shares how purpose, self-organization, and lived experience can become the foundation for communities where people create their own futures.
From one community in Uganda to a global movement
SINA (Social Innovation Academy) began with a simple question: what if people who have experienced deep challenges are not treated as beneficiaries, but as the source of solutions? Today, SINA supports self-organized learning communities where marginalized youth and refugees build social enterprises rooted in their own lived experience.
What others say
“SINA & especially Etienne have been a gamechanger for our organization! Their guidance has been paramount to our growth and we cannot thank them enough. In my 10 years of experience in the entrepreneurial space, I believe SINA is one of the best-prepared organizations to help social entrepreneurs get their business off the ground.“
— Grant Kendzior (Founder and CEO of Sustainable Breakthroughs)
“The SINA model works even under the most difficult conditions. It gives people dignity, self-determination and concrete tools to improve their situation.”
Interested in working together?
Invite Etienne for a keynote, workshop, advisory process, university session or a conversation.