I asked John Gardner, who is a remarkable man, what he felt was the best thing I could do, or anyone could do, to make a difference in the long-term issues facing humanity. And John said, "Bet on good people doing good things. Bet on good people doing good things." And that really resonated with me.

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I started a foundation to bet on these good people doing good things. These leading, innovative, nonprofit folks, who are using business skills in a very leveraged way to solve social problems. People today we call social entrepreneurs.

And a lot of this comes together in a philosophy of change that I find really is powerful. It's what we call, "Invest, connect and celebrate." And invest -- if you see good people doing good things, invest in them. Invest in their organizations. Or in business, invest in these folks. Connecting them together through conferences, like a TED, brings so many powerful connections, or through the World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship that my foundation does at Oxford every year. And celebrate them, tell their stories, because not only are there good people doing good work, but their stories can help close these gaps of hope.