The Economist profiles a new kind of start-up: for-profit activism.

From the Economist: RESIDENTS of San Francisco have been signing up enthusiastically for a new green-energy campaign called 1BOG. Short for “one block off the grid”, it aims to convince homeowners to switch to solar energy one block at a time, by organising them into buying clubs. Members get a discount on solar panels, and typically try to get their neighbours to sign up too. The city has also seen several recent examples of Carrotmobs—crowds of activists who buy everything in the winning shop in a contest between retailers to be the greenest.

What makes these two examples of activism stand apart is the driving force behind them: the campaigns are owned by Virgance, a start-up based in San Francisco’s trendy South Park district that was founded by Brent Schulkin, a self-described “road warrior turned activist”, and Steve Newcomb, a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur. Having sold his previous firm, a search engine called Powerset, to Microsoft, Mr Newcomb says he wanted to do more than just start another technology company; he wanted to do well by doing good. “I started looking at activism as a potential start-up industry,” he says.

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