Make A Positive
Social Impact With The Power Of Enterprise

Project Everest Ventures exists to solve social issues with a business model.

Social issues can be understood by looking at the Sustainable Development Goals, and the targets.

A business model can be understood by looking at a sustainable method of a service or product existing, without constant fundraising, or service to donors or elections. PEV is a certified Social Traders company, and is a certified B Corp.

PEV teams up with who we call Impact Partners. Impact Partners may be start-ups, researchers, anyone who has a solution to a social issue they want to scale. PEV takes these Impact Partners through our commercialisation process in order to increase their positive impact (get as many people in need to be able to access a solution they seek as quickly, as effectively, and affordably as possible).

Students are able to join PEV in this process through a few different programs (online, in Australia, or internationally). Students, or recent graduates, are then exposed to these incredible projects, are guided by our Leadership team, and come out the other end with a network, experience, and ready for their own start up concept, or grad role.

PEV runs Team Leader, and Senior Leader training in an incredibly immersive and challenging environment. If you come on board for the first time, and want to stick around, there is that further development, accredited training (recognised Certificate and Diploma), and paid Leadership positions available for experienced leaders.

We are a community of driven, passionate, action seeking individuals, interested in innovative solutions to global issues, and know we have a role to play.

Watch this video of Muhammad Yunus explaining “How to Approach Social Business” to understand ‘why business?’, and what a ‘social’ business is.

We started as a leadership training program, that focus is still core to each of our programs. We have been recognised for our work by B Corp, Social Traders, International SOS, Australian Financial Review, Grad Connection, and Singularity University. We don’t exist to run student internships, we exist to solve social issues with our Impact Partners, and we invite students, or recent grads, to join us.

Who We Are Not

• We are not a charity
• It’s not voluntourism
• We don’t drop you off at a local orphanage or do study tours
• It’s not Contiki or TopDeck
• You’re not making coffee and filing papers
• You’re not anyones PA
• We are not EY, Deloitte or Aurecon
• This is not your typical, graduate or paid placement
• We are not focused on excessive profit – but the projects do need to be financially sustainable, and they need to exist without fundraising or donations
• It’s not an airconditioned office – you’re in to get your hands dirty
• We don’t have all the answers to these global issues, or all of the solutions, but we are in the process of working that out, you can be a part of that

Who We Are

• We (and you) work on developing real solutions to real problems – none of them are theoretical
• The problems are global and impact billions of people – finding even the smallest, simplest solution to these problems will create a huge, long-term impact
• Taking on challenges that can’t be solved in just 12 days, but you can be part of building the solution
• We expect everyone to show up to each day willing to do the work
• We are there to push you professionally and personally
• We are open about where the fees go – you are paying for your training, the facilities, access to industry and network, risk management, leadership, and logistical costs As you pay for any course, study, training, national or international travel, you pay for your PEV program
• We pay our staff market wages, we do not agree with below average wages often associated with ethical employment like NFP or NGOs
• We are assessed every 3 years to ensure our internal policies look after our people, we have policies to look after our sustainability and environment, and policies to ensure our work is ethical and exemperly
• We carbon offset all staff and participants and everything BAU
• We are young, passionate, and prepared to build a future we’ll live in for years to come
• Not everything we try will work, we happily accept that
• We welcome LGBTQIA+
• We are Conscious of cultural bias, we recognise the traditional custodians of the land
• We are secular

We have virtual programs, programs in rural and coastal Australia, and international programs. For the Global Impact Program, we have bases in Malawi, Timor-Leste, Fiji, and India. We have houses and staff there, who are committed to ensuring these projects succeed, and are appropriate for their communities.

• If you’re concerned with the state of the world, and you want to do something about it.
• If you’re wondering what the process is to create your own business.
• If you want to build a professional network.
• If you know you need more than your study on your LinkedIn and Resume.
• If you love purposeful travel and want to do something impactful with your time off.
• If you believe the next generations can solve the global problems they inherited.
• If you want to be a better team player.
• If you want to learn how business can create impact.
• If you want to be connected to industry leaders.
• If you want to become a part of a community of leaders.
• If you want to progress into Team Leader and Senior Leadership.
• If you want to work with a social enterprise before kicking off your career.
• If you want to learn about the challenges of international development.
• If you want to want to understand how to apply your study in a practical way.
• If you want to learn to work in a team with other disciplines.
• If you want to push yourself, get out of your comfort zone, and see how you perform.
• If you want to learn how to facilitate structured debriefs, give, and more importantly receive feedback.
• If you want to ultimately apply for a position at PEV (we prioritise internal hire)

It’s important for you to figure out your ‘why’.

To learn about how to figure out your ‘why’ and why that’s important, check out Simon Sinek’s TED talk on ‘How Great Leaders Inspire Action”.

Yes. We have under-grad students, post-grad students, recent grads, we have junior corporate groups. We talk a lot about ‘students’ as that has been our major cohort or participants, however anyone 18 – 34, keen to get experience, up for an adventure, happy to do the hard work, keen to meet other like-minded people, find what impactful work looks like, build their resume and LinkedIn are typically who we see involved.

We have domestic and international students from STEM, Business, Humanities, Law, Agriculture, Geography, Photography, Teaching… all and any are welcome. We believe in the power of multidisciplinary problem solving and working beyond silos.

A social enterprise is simply a business that has a socially beneficial product or service.

The ‘for profit’ means we are not funded by the government, and we don’t depend on raising money by fundraising or through grants. It doesn’t mean we exist to make huge profits for shareholders, all of our profit has been reinvested into the team and service, as you’d find with many B Corps.

The idea that business cannot ‘do good’ has to end, you’re letting business off the hook there. Business has been the issue for global problems like climate change, why shouldn’t business be a part of the solution?

Watch the video from NSW Government explaining the value of social business.

Read Deloitte’s explanation of social enterprise, and their take on how to thrive as an employee in a social enterprise.