El emprendimiento social surgio en los ultimos 20 anos como una opcion de renovacion del campo y de la idiosincrasia de la accion y el activismo social. Al permitir y promover la integracion de una variedad de actores y agentes socio-economicos, tanto de las esferas publicas como privadas, lucrativas como no lucrativas, hizo posible nuevas formas y expresiones de innovacion social que dieron lugar tanto a nuevos modelos de negocios como a nuevas practicas, estrategias y filosofias corporativas.Considerando el recorrido relativamente reciente de la disciplina, este articulo pretende aproximarse a la definicion del emprendimiento social y justificar su necesaria entrada en el campo academico, en particular en el seno de la Universidad Central.Social entrepreneurship has surfaced those last 20 years as an option to renovate the field and idiosyncrasy of social action and activism. As it enables and even promotes the integration of a variety of socio-economic agents, from the private and public spheres, no matter whether they are for-profit or not, it has made possible new forms and expressions of social innovation which gave birth not only to new business models but also to new corporate practices, strategies and philosophy. Considering the relatively recent development of the theme, this article pretends to give a hindsight of the definition of social entrepreneurship and justify its necessary entrance within the field and scope of academic studies, in particular within the Central University.