When I talk to people about “hidden social entrepreneurs”, different images seem to come into people’s minds: a hippy with a business plan hiding in the stationery cupboard; a smart-looking suited type keeping his sandals beneath the desk; or a high earner hugging it out after an unexpected wave of altruism.

As exciting as these images might be, the truth is a little more prosaic: by hidden social entrepreneurs, we mean leaders of businesses addressing core social needs in disadvantaged communities across the country. Businesses that may not call themselves social enterprises, but are having real impact: changing people’s lives for the better, and doing so in a way that could be grown, and grown rapidly. Entrepreneurs who are creating significant public benefit, but might not be aware of the support and investment that is open to them.

We have to start looking in earnest for people who have the ambition, capability, business model and vision to make change at scale. While many social entrepreneurs operate locally (and do so very well), the country needs more who can achieve the scale of a business like the Big Issue or Fifteen. Why? Because the problems and needs of communities are increasing all the time, and we need new business and ventures to meet those problems nationally.

And it isn’t just about finding the best and most ambitious social entrepreneurs with the rare combination of business acumen, social purpose, and big ambition. It’s also about finding and encouraging the next generation of social investors to get involved: they are currently a bit ‘hidden’ too. We know there are many investors out there who are open to getting a social and financial return on their investment; but they need propositions that stack up and encouragement to get involved. They need to see and feel that these are real businesses that can do well and do good.

At UnLtd we’re trying to find both these hidden sets of people, and put them together. We’re running something called the Big Venture Challenge, a competition looking for the best 25 social entrepreneurs, which offers up to £175k in grant funding if the social entrepreneur can match it with co-investment. And they’ll get best-in-class business support from the likes of Accenture, Coutts, Deutsche Bank, and Hogan Lovells.

It’s time we stopped talking about how nice it would be to scale up businesses that create social impact, and time to start doing it. There’s never been a better time to seize the opportunities out there, and take the plunge. Because this isn’t about hippies, sandals and hugging: it’s about investable propositions that can change the way we do business; and change people’s lives for the better.

See www.bigventurechallenge.com for more information or to contact the team. Jonathan Jenkins is director of ventures at UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs that makes awards of cash and support to over 1,000 UK social entrepreneurs annually.