If you think that all chemical engineers work in nondescript laboratories where they toil away on experiment after experiment, then you have obviously never met Judd Hollas.

From inventors like Thomas Edison to innovators like Bill Gates, entrepreneurs have long been a driving force of U.S. economic growth. Yet more and more, entrepreneurs are turning their attention toward social issues, as they strive to solve major societal problems through the lens of business.

Though the idea of social innovation is now firmly entrenched in the zeitgeist, it is not exactly a new concept. In fact, social entrepreneurs have existed for quite a while, as have the groups that support and finance their ambitious agendas.

“The sport of running is now a social sport,” says Stephanie Mezzano, vice president of operations for Red Frog Events.

After three tours of duty in Iraq as an Army medic, Will White came back stateside with a business idea for a healthy meal delivery service. He just needed a little financing.

White figured he would easily qualify for a loan through any number of programs aimed at helping vets transition back to civilian life. Instead, he found himself confronted with the same challenges facing many small businesses — access to startup funding.

Gary Milwit may have moved on from a career as an athletic director, coach, and teacher to run a financial firm, but his roots run deep — he’s turned his office into a “sports bar.”

The senior vice president at Stone Street Capital in Bethesda, MD, deployed a cloud-based gamification platform called Hoopla last year to incentivize sales people to record all activities leading up to a deal.

Women have made great strides in the business world. The number of women-owned businesses surged by nearly 60% between 1997 and 2013. But women business leaders still face a key obstacle — in the form of financing.

As someone who has spent his career playing the dual role of entrepreneur and financial guru, Bill Harris is the first to caution that launching a startup is a much different game than making a solid investment.

One year ago, Rob Rhinehart was hungry. He was also busy trying to get a wireless networking startup off the ground, and food fell down his list of priorities. In fact, it fell so far down, he came up with the idea of a meal substitute drink that would contain everything the human body needs.

Jafar Abbas has noticed a distinct change in attitude among his students. No more yelling out the window, fewer obscenities, and much less negativity in general.

The more positive tone is a good sign not just for the class, put potentially for society. Abbas isn’t an instructor in just any classroom — he’s teaching teenage inmates at New York’s Rikers Island.