PBS has put together an extremely helpful website that has plenty of examples of social entrepreneurs.(http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/)Each individual has created an enterprise that seeks to absolve society of an important problem. Whether it be poverty, hunger, access to education, or saving the environment, in each specific example you can see that one individual who had an idea was able to capitalize on an opportunity in a creative way. These individuals are referred to on the website as heroes because they are nothing short of the real life equivalent of superhero's. They are bringing about change and are often some of the few or only advocates who are actively trying to bring about awareness of their cause and/or are seeking to alleviate such problems.
Jeffry Timmons explains that there are two types of problems, tame ones and wicked ones. wicked problems are "characterized as malign, viscous, tricky, and aggressive." The types of problems that social entrepreneurs are seeking to come up with solutions for, are indeed wicked ones. They are not easily fixed and will take time and persistence before they can be fixed. He also points out that a social entrepreneur is one who recognizes an opportunities, as "an opportunity is merely the positive view of a problem or challenge."
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