In 2008, Patrik Elsa and Linus Gabrielsson came up with the idea for a social entrepreneurship marketplace.  It was a result of discussions and thoughts about how they could draw on their business experience and creativity to best make a sustainable impact for people who need it.

The following milestones have been reached so far

• 01.01.09: Official start: After winning the active support of PwC and Credit Suisse to support the 6 month business planning phase, Patrik Elsa and Linus Gabrielsson officially started to work full time on the Socential project.  The global social market was analyzed,  key players were identified and interviewed,  and opportunities identified.  The development of the related business model and implementation plan followed.
• 30.06.09: Completed business planning phase: Having completed the development of a business plan, they moved on to the implementation of a pilot version for Switzerland of the online marketplace for social entrepreneurship.
• 01.01.10: launch of Socential.net the pilot Swiss marketplace (exactly one year after the project was conceived).