Hilde Schwab co-founded the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship with Klaus Schwab.
The foundation was created in 1998 as an independent Swiss nonprofit to promote social entrepreneurship and social innovation. It was designed as a complementary organization to the World Economic Forum, which Klaus Schwab had founded in 1971.
Hilde Schwab has served as the foundation’s chairperson and is regularly identified as its co-founder. A common mix-up is confusing the foundation with the World Economic Forum itself: Klaus founded the WEF decades earlier, while the Schwab Foundation was established jointly with Hilde in 1998. The foundation later became known for recognizing social entrepreneurs and supporting a global network of innovators.