One Big Ideas Judge’s Journey to Social Entrepreneurship
By Suryaansh Dongre
Big Ideas participants have the drive to solve problems, but aren’t always sure where to begin. Usually, the best place to start is writing down the problems, and that’s where Big Ideas judge Michael Lindenmayer began his own social entrepreneurship journey–with a list.
While working in finance, Lindenmayer met people who were essential in getting him started on the path to social entrepreneurship. His relationship with Mohammed Yunus, Nobel Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank, and others kick-started his interest in deploying capital for good. Yunus helped Lindenmayer start and flesh out his list, answering questions such as what were the biggest social problems of the day and which ones had the least resources being used to develop a solution.
Lindenmayer teamed up with the best and brightest minds working to solve complex issues, such as infectious disease in developing countries. He partnered with Arthur Gensler, the architect who designed Blum Hall, and Professor Isha Ray, a part of the UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group, and the team sent a paper to the United Nations. Lindenmayer continued his relationship with this brilliant team at Berkeley and got involved as a judge for Big Ideas.
The Big Ideas program provides more than 150 industry and academic experts the opportunity to mentor and fund aspiring innovators at UC Berkeley, every year since 2006. Mentors provide their insights and advice to help students refine their ideas and develop their solutions. Lindenmayer saw this as an opportunity to help the next generation gain skills and knowledge to continue addressing pressing societal issues.
Lindenmayer’s judging philosophy for Big Ideas is grounded in his belief in starting small and embracing imperfection. He values teams that can tell a compelling story, showing both a clear vision of their idea’s potential impact and a willingness to test it in the real world. “I look at whether they’ve thought about the idea enough to tell a story about it and paint a picture of the future,” Lindenmayer explains. He emphasizes the importance of client discovery—having meaningful conversations with the intended users to understand how the innovation will meet real needs.
Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Lindenmayer has learned that success is often nonlinear. “The best-laid plans will encounter reality,” he says, underscoring the importance of persistence and flexibility. He advises innovators to surround themselves with a nurturing ecosystem of support—both for feedback and resilience. “Don’t do it alone,” he adds. “Build a network around you, and pay it forward.” For him, part of the Big Ideas judging philosophy is contributing to that network by helping the next generation of innovators navigate the challenging but rewarding path of entrepreneurship.
When asked about his favorite part of being a judge, Lindenmayer lights up. “When the first raft of ideas comes in, it feels like a birthday,” he says with a smile. He enjoys seeing the creative potential of early-stage ideas and guiding students as they test their concepts in the real world.
For aspiring student innovators, Lindenmayer’s advice is simple but powerful: “Make it a worthy problem. Don’t shy away from tackling big issues, and always tell a compelling story.” He encourages students to enter the contest, reminding them that while there will always be imperfections, the process of refining an idea through real-world testing is where true innovation happens. “You can always solve problems,” he says, a sentiment he often shares with his daughter at the dinner table.
Michael Lindenmayer’s dedication to empowering students and pushing for impactful solutions makes him an invaluable mentor and judge for the Big Ideas Contest. His work serves as a reminder that even the most complex challenges can be tackled with persistence, creativity, and a strong network of support.
“Look for trouble versus run from it!” said Big Ideas judge Michael TS Lindenmayer. “If you want to live on an ever better planet, then you have to tackle complex problems, flex your creativity and get busy building big ideas that deliver a difference.”
Look for trouble versus run from it! If you want to live on an ever better planet, then you have to tackle complex problems, flex your creativity and get busy building big ideas that deliver a difference.
And that is why Michael says he is all in on the Big Ideas program. He sees it as a shining example of empowering young talent and sparking entrepreneurship for the greater good. The question often for participants, though, is how to get started.
The first step, according to Michael, is to find a worthy problem. “You see, any problem will be hard to solve. It will always take more time, resources and pivots than you imagined. So make sure to choose a worthy challenge that can make lives fundamentally better. The built-in purpose in a worthy problem is what will give you the courage, resilience and persistence to build that big idea when others just point at the problem and wish it were better.”
Michael says the second step is to listen and learn from those who are taking on an audacious problem. An early mentor and influence for Michael, was the founder of the Grameen Bank. The organization was still in its infancy, but growing rapidly and seeking to empower poor women with new financial tools. At the time Michael was working in finance and this relationship opened his eyes to the possibilities of deploying capital for good. His conversations with Nobel Laureate Professor Yunnus and his team over the years helped him see that you could have humble beginnings and do good at scale over time.
The third point for Michael is all about the team and community you surround yourself with. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Lindenmayer has learned that success is nonlinear. “The best-laid plans will encounter reality,” he says, underscoring the importance of persistence and flexibility.
He advises innovators to surround themselves with a nurturing ecosystem of support—both for feedback and resilience. “Don’t do it alone,” he adds. “Build a network around you, and pay it forward.” For him, part of the Big Ideas judging philosophy is contributing to that network by helping the next generation of innovators navigate the challenging but rewarding path of entrepreneurship.
Lindenmayer has put this into practice and teamed up with the best and brightest minds working to solve complex issues, such as water and sanitation. He partnered with Arthur Gensler, the architect who designed Blum Hall, and Professor Isha Ray, a part of the UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group, and the team sent a paper to the United Nations. Lindenmayer continued his relationship with this brilliant team at Berkeley as a visiting scholar and got involved as a judge for Big Ideas.
The Big Ideas program provides more than 150 industry and academic experts the opportunity to mentor and fund aspiring innovators at UC Berkeley, every year since 2006. Mentors provide their insights and advice to help students refine their ideas and develop their solutions. Lindenmayer saw this as an opportunity to help the next generation gain skills and knowledge to continue addressing pressing societal issues.
When asked about his favorite part of being a judge, Lindenmayer lights up. “When the first raft of ideas comes in each year, it feels like a birthday present,” he says with a smile. He enjoys seeing the creative potential of early-stage ideas and guiding students as they test their concepts in the real world. Every judge at Big Ideas brings distinct philosophies.
Lindenmayer’s judging philosophy for Big Ideas combines intellectual humility, compelling storytelling and embracing imperfection. “Intellectual humility means starting with a strong hypothesis, but having the humility to do client discovery and see how your idea works in the real world. Truly listen to your potential clients and beneficiaries. Next, crafting compelling stories helps us judges envision a throughline from this is a big problem to how the product or service creates value to a vivid picture of the world on the other side of this innovation journey. Finally, always acknowledge that this is an iterative process.” He signs off our conversation by encouraging students to “please join the the contest, share your Big idea, start with a simple version and move forward and learn through the imperfections because the world needs your worthy impact ”
Michael Lindenmayer’s dedication to empowering students and pushing for impactful solutions makes him an invaluable mentor and judge for the Big Ideas Contest. His work serves as a reminder that even the most complex challenges can be tackled with persistence, creativity, and a strong network of support, and of course–a list.