Social Innovation

Building a pipeline for social and climate innovation in Portugal

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 13:34:20 +0000

Building a pipeline for social and climate innovation in Portugal

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Social Entrepreneurship

Climate Innovation

Portugal

Social Innovation

Circular Economy

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Social Innovation

Social innovation has gained significant attention in Portugal in recent years, with various initiatives, policies, and organisations focused on addressing social and environmental challenges through innovative solutions.

Casa do Impacto is Portugal's biggest impact entrepreneurship hub, based in Lisbon, incubating over 60 startups.

Inês Sequeira, Founder and Director of Casa do Impacto, highlights that since its opening in 2018, this hub for social innovation has put Portugal on the map of the impact ecosystem, gathering the resources and network to grow an impact venture.

It is a dedicated space where stakeholders contribute and collaborate to make the necessary paradigm shift in business, with over 3 million euros already invested in supporting social innovators throughout its activity.

The hub aims to create an exciting pipeline of innovative solutions linked with the 17 SDGs through accelerator and incubator programs and investment.

“Given the scope of Casa do Impacto's work, we intend to articulate the different interventions regarding their complementarity to constitute a "pipeline" capable of covering the various stages and needs of entrepreneurship initiatives and social and environmental innovation,” says Inês.

Inês Sequeira, Founder and Director of Casa do Impacto, Portugal.

They run accelerator programs, such as the Triggers to help develop and support innovative projects focusing on environmental issues while responding to societal challenges induced by the climate emergency.

“As part of the process, we offer access to training, mentoring sessions, exchange of experiences and case studies, and, in addition to rigorous monitoring of the work carried out,” Inês further explains.

Furthermore, participants can benefit from accessing an extensive network of program partners.

“At Casa do Impacto, we strive to accelerate change and focus our efforts on bringing solutions to life that are able to combine climate justice and social justice.”

Inês thinks we need to create conditions where socially and environmentally responsible projects can emerge, saying that providing proper training, for instance, can significantly enhance the chances of having more and better ideas that can be transformed into enterprises.

They aim to support the consolidation and expansion of innovative, environmentally sustainable products and services in the market to become alternative responses and thus contribute to a fair and socially balanced climate transition.

“Social enterprises can contribute to building a more sustainable and just economy in various ways. I believe we need to collaborate more, pilot new solutions, invest when they’re ready, and close the circle.”

She emphasises that social enterprises are well-placed to change the tide in climate and social innovation while playing a vital role in creating future jobs, attracting investments and inspiring change.

They are keen to create a supportive environment where collaboration with other social innovators, organisations, and stakeholders is encouraged so they can have all the resources, expertise and support to bring their projects to life.

Regarding funding, Inês adds:

“Access to capital through grants, loans, or equity investment can remove financial barriers and support the growth of these projects. Casa do Impacto provides these innovators with the necessary tools and initiatives to help pre-seed and seed-stage projects secure finances.“

A rising topic in the country is the circular economy, which could be the most potent multifunctional instrument to tackle the current triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity and pollution.

Social enterprises from the Casa do Impacto community are also embracing circularity, such as La Virgule, which upcycles discarded sports and outdoor equipment to reduce waste and transform materials into usable products or Matterpieces, which design high-end cladding material made out of inert waste from demolitions, like glass, bricks, cement, stones.

Circular Economy Portugal (CEP) is an initiative that aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Portugal through knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and hands-on action.

Circular Pioneers from their community include Novonovo, a digital platform that helps the creative community to locate second-hand materials and products, reCloset, an online second-hand fashion platform and Vintage for a Cause, a vintage style clothing brand using industrial textile waste and support women through training.

Portuguese social enterprise La Virgule upcycles sports and outdoor equipment. Image: La Virgule

Nãm is Portugal's first circular urban farming project, producing mushrooms and natural fertiliser from coffee grounds collected in Lisbon. Image: Circular Economy Portugal

Portugal is also addressing the challenges of climate change with initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy, and promoting sustainable practices backed by governmental grants and tools besides EU support.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) has recently announced that it will help to facilitate investments in Portuguese businesses involved with the sustainable energy transition, climate resilience, sustainable use of the marine environment and the circular economy.

One of the financial instruments launched as part of the Growth Blue I initiative involves a €28m blue economy-focused private equity fund, a trailblazer construction in southern Europe, according to EIF, allocating resources for blue economy investments with climate impact and sustainable development goals.

Inês looks into the future with much hope and envisions a new Hub in Lisbon where they can triplicate the number of projects incubated and promote more and more pilots with corporate and public organisations with Casa do Impacto’s Startups.

She also wishes to expand their activity to other locations in Portugal and scale abroad.

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In pursuit of changing lives

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:23:56 +0000

In pursuit of changing lives

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Social Entrepreneurship

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Insights from social entrepreneur Lucia Dal Negro, Founder of Kokono, on building a socially and environmentally conscious enterprise in Uganda.

Kokono is a project started by De-LAB, an Italian social enterprise, designed to address the challenge of keeping infants safe in their first year after birth in Africa.

We produce unique cradles from biodegradable materials to protect children from 0 to 12 months from major health and safety risks, including the malaria mosquito.

From the very beginning, I have worked with a team, and we did not only want to work in the health sector and 'settle' for helping people. We also wanted to do it in an environmentally responsible way. Besides, we thought about logistics and optimised the shape of the cradle in a way that saves a lot of space and makes it easy to stack them up.

Kokono produces unique cradles from biodegradable materials to protect babies from major health and safety risks. Image: Kokono

Moreover, the product is sold without packaging to avoid polluting a country with no actual plastic and waste disposal system.

The next edition of Kokono will also be produced with 50 per cent recovered plastic, which will help decrease its environmental footprint while giving us a chance to raise awareness about the circular economy. It has been a bumpy road since the first design came to life to make this a reality.

The Covid pandemic obviously resulted in a major setback, and there was a grasshopper invasion in East Africa in January 2020, which did not help. We had to adapt not just our business plans but the product’s design. Kokono was originally supposed to be made from banana fibres, but then the grasshopper invasion destroyed all the plantations, so there was no way to use that material.

After rethinking the project, Covid forced us to stop for almost a year because Uganda had the longest lockdown in Africa, and nothing could be done. But luckily, there were also some exceptional positive moments, including the first sale to a private hospital of 40 cradles.

One of the most inspiring moments was when we got the result of the Social Impact Assessment on the first user group of Kokono.

I remember the amazement and pride I felt as I saw that not one of the first 20 children had caught malaria in the six months of using the cradle.

There I realised that we had a future, and it was worth fighting for. It took countless hours of work, patience and dedication to get where we are now.

There was a time when if I had given up, people would have still applauded me anyway because everything was so terribly difficult.

Instead, perseverance won, and thanks to the collaboration with Italian and local partners and the encouragement of the Ugandans, while seeing this idea manifesting and helping people, I did not give up.

To the many social innovators out there trying to make a difference, I would say never to let difficulties get you down: no one ever told us it would be easy.

We are currently looking for equity investors to expand our project, which has succeeded in the proof of concept and market testing phase. Uganda is a huge country, and the demand is massive here and elsewhere as well. With the capital investment, we could support the distribution network and start selling the product on a large scale.

Another thing that impressed me was getting to know the single mothers of the Kawempe slum in Kampala. After the pandemic, their numbers have increased dramatically.

Here you would meet 14-15 years old girls who need to be educated about childcare.

They welcomed the product as if it were a solution 'dropped from the sky'.

It was touching, especially since I expected more resistance towards something new and unknown.

Instead, they were overjoyed. Sometimes understanding each other is much easier than we think and happens profoundly. This experience gave me much strength to go on.

Kokono was first introduced in Uganda, and looking to expand in the next years. Image: Kokono

Having the opportunity to work in the field and interact with people using our solution really keeps me grounded and more determined to raise funds and expand our operations.

In addition to having funds, I would like to have a network of companies that see this as a project for the future and would support us with expertise and vision in other African countries.

Ugandan birth and infant mortality rates are no different from those of other countries on the continent, and the potential to make a significant impact is enormous.

Lucia Dal Negro Founder of Kokono in the middle

I enjoy spending about a month twice a year in Kampala supervising the operations and working with the team. I extricate myself entirely from European and Italian problems and finally connect to the local set-up, feeling the atmosphere.

This society is made up of a young population full of vitality, which dares to dream big even if it does not have the means....and, above all, never complains.

What gives me the energy to keep going is the fact that Kokono really works, saves the lives of children and gives hope to mothers struggling to juggle work and bringing up their kids.

Working with local partners who believe in it and look to us for guidance on moving forward is another factor in making this work.

Finally, I think that if we, as a very small organisation, have made it this far, who knows what larger and more structured companies could do.

There are too many opportunities offered by circular models that must be exploited....it is no longer the time to stand by, and we at De-LAB are ready to build partnerships with those who think like us!

This article is an extract from content originally published in the Circular Economy in Action special edition of the Profit with Purpose Magazine - you can read the full article and other features in the magazine.

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Creating a powerful unified voice of impact-driven leaders

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 08:03:47 +0000

Creating a powerful unified voice of impact-driven leaders

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Social Economy

Social Entrepreneurship

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"I see most often that social innovators are ordinary people brave enough to do extraordinary things." Fireside chat with Suzanne Wisse-Huiskes, CEO of Euclid Network

"During my years living in Nigeria, I have learned that even if entrepreneurs have great ideas, they need to have a supportive ecosystem to flourish. They cannot operate in a vacuum simply because they rely on other systems, like legislation, place of sales, and even research.

At Euclid Network, the European Network for social enterprises and impact-driven leaders, we work with the front runners in the social enterprise space in Europe. Yet, we still need to build up and strengthen an ecosystem that represents them and changes the environment where they operate.

In many ways, social enterprises are raising the bar for creating innovative solutions that have a positive impact.

They have the power to transform industries and inspire change in various ways. I see most often that social innovators are ordinary people brave enough to do extraordinary things. They are taking the energy to work hard for a long time, usually at least five years from the idea phase, before they can see the actual impact of their work.

To get through challenges, social entrepreneurs need to be persistent, resilient and creative, and I think what they teach us is that every business has the power to change the world if they want to.

In order to do that, they definitely need every support they can get along the way. That is where I see the relevance of our work through our community with members based in 21 European countries, including social enterprise support organisations like incubators, national networks, research centres, and universities.

Top 100 Women in social enterprise - initiative of the Euclid Network

A great project that highlights the power of collaboration is the ‘Top 100 Women in social enterprise’ initiative. We launched it in 2021 to celebrate female social entrepreneurs and put their journey and achievements in the spotlight while inspiring and connecting them.

We have two categories for application: Social Entrepreneur and Social Innovator.

We had little funding for this campaign but felt the need to emphasise the work of these fantastic women. We ended up with a project that all my team loved from start to finish and accomplished more through collaboration than we could have imagined.

For me, this was such an amazing experience discovering and sharing so many impact stories. It has also proved not to underestimate the power we all have to challenge and change the status quo we live in.

The call for nominations is open for 2022 as we aim to expand the reach of inspirational stories of female changemakers.

Social enterprises are setting an example for other mainstream enterprises that things can be done differently. They also provide new business models that were not there before, offering alternative products and services to consumers with a unique value proposition.

For instance, if we look at sustainable fashion, there is a lot of learning there that corporates could take on or further explore to set new standards for doing business. For a long time, we have believed that consumers can make their own choices, and once there is a more sustainable product or service, they will ultimately choose that.

But it is not that simple, given the overload of information and the fact that these goods are still more expensive than the non-sustainable products. Now we can see the role of corporations through their supply chains and also the importance of having supportive legislation.

However, the lack of awareness is precisely one of the main barriers to changing business as usual, and that is one of our key focus areas. There are still many misleading assumptions around social entrepreneurship, and our job includes eliminating these assumptions and making sure that we have clear communication towards different stakeholders.

When we talk about social enterprise, we actually speak about many different shapes and sizes and even legal forms depending on the countries we are looking at. So what we rather talk about is their work, activities, and impacts.

One example of why representation is so critical became visible when governments worked on action plans for COVID recovery. Social enterprises were left out of these plans for simple reasons. Underrepresentation and the absence of clear legal structures to identifying social enterprises are not helping when it comes to high-level decision-making.

This is where we need to work hard for better recognition and creating a powerful unified voice that cannot be ignored. A few important and imminent opportunities would include better support from governments; more visibility for the sector; a better understanding of the ‘impact first’ social enterprise business model versus the traditional business model where financial returns come before social and environmental impact; a more supportive legal and policy environment; more aligned funding instruments.

That is what we want to do at Euclid Network, and that is what we are fighting to create more opportunities and allocate more available funding for this sector.

I think we need to step over our own shadows as we operate in a tiny bubble and reach out to stakeholders who could help us. Putting aside differences is part of the process, and honestly, we simply do not have the time to bicker amongst ourselves.

We have a bigger fish to fry, which is unlocking the economic potential of social enterprises.

I trust that our work can activate stakeholders to work for common goals and not just talk about leading the change or creating change but actually doing it. When I see my team at work putting their hearts into our mission and collaborating with our partners, it makes me believe that we can turn things around as long as we stick together."

...

Read the full interview with more insights in the Winter 2021/22 issue of the Profit with Purpose Magazine >>

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January 2022

Euclid Network

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 16:45:24 +0000

Euclid Network

Location

Netherlands

https://euclidnetwork.eu/

Reach

Europe

Euclid Network is the premier European network for organisations that support social entrepreneurs and impact-driven leaders – and we are looking for new members!

Now more than ever, the social enterprise ecosystem needs collaboration and partnerships to revolutionise the world’s economy into a more inclusive system that works better for all living things and the planet.

With our members, we are leading the change and empowering social enterprises to break the mould to deliver innovative solutions towards all of the UN sustainable development goals.

New members would become part of a network that has extensive experience and a proven track record of bringing stakeholders together to advance the social economy agenda within all the EU Member States and their neighbours.

Creating a powerful unified voice of impact-driven leaders

"I see most often that social innovators are ordinary people brave enough to do extraordinary things." Fireside chat with Suzanne Wisse-Huiskes, CEO of Euclid Network

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January 2022

Focus

Sustainable Development Goals

Platform :: Partner categories

Funding | Supports

Innovation | Research

Networking | Events | Community

Irish social enterprise launched online shop for preloved kids clothes to aid local causes and reduce waste

Anonymous — Mon, 17 May 2021 10:54:12 +0000

Irish social enterprise launched online shop for preloved kids clothes to aid local causes and reduce waste

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Newly launched website sells used kids’ fashion items in Ireland to save them from landfill and help raise funds for local charities, schools and clubs.

COVID-19 has closed charity shops and other discount outlets; however, it has not stopped children from growing.

Nancy Ward, former PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) Chair and a lifelong fundraiser, saw the need for COVID-friendly fundraising in Ireland and created Kids Klothes social enterprise to close the gap.

They launched their website to sell preloved children’s clothes to aid local charities while offering affordable buying options for parents to cut costs and help reduce waste.

Nancy Ward, Founder of Kids Klothes Irish social enterprise

“Most kids’ clothes fashion trends don’t change that much.

These items involve bright or pastel colours with fun animal and or cartoon images.

These pieces will always be ‘cool’ to wear.

And retro is always in fashion.

This idea has been in the making for a while, and we are thrilled to swing open the doors, virtually of course, to welcome and support our customers,” says Nancy Ward, founder of Kids Klothes.

Aimed at Irish families, they encourage people to get involved and raise funds for local charities, schools, clubs through collecting and selling kids clothes and shoes.

They provide support in creating promotional materials for fundraisers and take care of the collection and sales and give back 50% of proceeds on items sold monthly for up to 6 months.

All items available online have been donated to the shop, and to ensure safety, they are kept for a two-week ‘COVID cool off’ period.

There is a great variety of options from ‘new with tags still on’ which have never been worn; ‘like new’ that was worn once or twice, and ‘preloved’ items which show a bit of wear but have more life to be lived.

“Preloved is part of a sustainable movement to help save our planet from the deluge of clothing that goes into landfills each year.

Kids Klothes is allowing those clothes to have a second or third go at life.

The additional benefit of buying from us is that part of the proceeds goes to a local club, school, or charity for their work to support children.

We look forward to expanding the number of organisations we can support with their fundraising efforts as Kids Klothes continues to grow,“ Wards explains.

Parents can easily find quality items, including lots of big brands, and there seems to be something for everyone with more than 600 items listed online and more being added daily.

There is a range of sizes in clothes and shoes from 0 to 12 years, and prices reflect the condition of the item and the brand with prices ranging from €1 to €15 per item.

This option is great for everybody, those who clear out the wardrobe, those we fundraise for, and those who need to purchase items at value pricing while saving the planet from a sustainability perspective.

Headline image: Max Schwoelk from Pexels

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May 2021

Social Innovation Tournament offers €75 000 prize money for the best projects

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 10:20:56 +0000

Social Innovation Tournament offers €75 000 prize money for the best projects

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Social Innovation

social enterprise

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Social Entrepreneurship

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Social Innovation

Social Enterprise

Social Innovation Tournament recognises and supports the best European social entrepreneurs.

The Social Innovation Tournament (SIT) is the flagship initiative of the EIB Group (European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund) Institute’s Social Programme, which recognises and supports the best European social entrepreneurs.

It promotes innovative ideas and rewards initiatives that contribute to creating social, ethical or environmental impact.

Typically, it covers projects in education, healthcare, the environment, circular economy, inclusion, job creation, ageing and many more.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the SIT, winning projects in the General Category and Special Category will be awarded a first or second prize of €75 000 and €30 000 respectively, and an Audience Choice Award of €10 000.

Social Innovation Tournament

Two projects will be selected to attend INSEAD’s Social Entrepreneurship programme in Fontainebleau, France.

The prizes are awarded by a jury of specialists from the academic and business worlds, while the Audience Choice will be awarded by the public, based on their votes.

In 2021, the Special Category Prizes will go to projects focusing on sustainable living.

The tournament runs in two rounds, and 15 finalists will be selected to participate in a tailor-made training programme that includes bootcamps, e-training on pitching, and one-to-one coaching sessions.

These programmes aim to prepare entrepreneurs to present their proposals at the Final Event to a jury of social innovation specialists.

The Final Event will be held on 7 October 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Finalists from all SIT editions automatically become members of the SIT Alumni Network, where they can benefit from numerous training and networking opportunities from investor relations to conference participation.

Category winner 2020, BeeOmonitoring project uses bees as drones to collect billion of environmental samples. Image:Pexels

In 2020 fifteen finalists had been selected out of an outstanding group of 216 candidates in 31 countries.

General category winners were Navilens, from Spain, and BeeOmonitoring, from Belgium, both presenting innovative solutions to pressing social challenges.

The Spanish social enterprise wants to make cities smarter and more inclusive by empowering visually impaired people with a cutting-edge technology based on a proprietary computer vision algorithm.

The Belgian project is focused on combining nature with technology.

They use bees as drones to collect billion of environmental samples on large surfaces and use software to analyse the data to indicate the level of pollution and detect biodiversity.

In 2020 two social enterprises were the recipients of the Special Category award.

The Dutch team of Sponsh, developed a temperature-sensitive smart material that produces water from the air, using the natural cycles of day and night.

Their first products are water-producing tree guards for reforestation projects, to help young trees survive their first harsh summers.

A CleanTech startup in Sweden, Plasticfri came up with the vision to end the plastic pollution catastrophe by developing a biomaterial that looks and works like conventional plastics, but it is 100% biodegradable, compostable and non-toxic.

The public has chosen the Hera mobile application, from Turkey, for the Audience Choice Award in 2020 for their solution to increase access to preventative health services, related to vaccine-preventable diseases and maternal health among Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The deadline for submitting project proposals for 2021 is 3 March, and finalists will be announced on 15 May.

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February 2021

Dutch social enterprises have a strong influence on building a new economy

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:07:00 +0000

Dutch social enterprises have a strong influence on building a new economy

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Social enterprises are pioneers in building a better economy in the Netherlands

A new research report from Social Enterprise Netherland revealed the pioneering role of mission-driven enterprises in the business community to facilitate a transition towards a more sustainable economy and contribute to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Transition Theory shows that small, innovative players – niche actors – are of crucial importance in accelerating the process of building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. Social enterprises – companies with a primarily social mission – are the pioneers in the transition to a new economy.

Many social enterprises focus not only on the direct positive impact they create with their own product or service but also aim to influence other companies to act more sustainably.

Study: Social Enterprises as Influencers of the Broader Business Community - image:Social Enterprise NL

Social Enterprise Netherland (NL) has conducted the ‘Social Enterprises as Influencers of the Broader Business Community’ research based on thorough academic literature research and inspiring examples from the Dutch social enterprise sector.

The report found that there are three important ways in which social enterprises can influence the business community, which are at the core of their ‘model of influencing’:

1. ‘Raising the possible’ (showing that it is possible to do business sustainably),

2. ‘Raising the desirable’ (showing that it is desirable to do business sustainably),

3. ‘Raising the acceptable’ (showing that it is unacceptable not to do business sustainably).

“People might think that social enterprises are very small as compared to the industry leaders. Can they really make a change?

This report shows that they can actually play a crucial role in the transition of the business community towards creating a more sustainable economy, by showing that it is in fact possible to make a profit with purpose by disrupting the mainstream business as usual practices.” says Simone van Dijk Social, one of the researchers contributed to the report from Social Enterprise Netherland (NL).

The ‘model of influencing’ describes eleven ‘influencing activities’: concrete strategies that social enterprises employ to influence. Different inspiring examples from the Dutch social enterprise sector illustrate these activities.

Social enterprise Tony’s Chocolonely's mission statement: “Together we make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate” - Image: Tony’s Chocolonely'

For example, social enterprise Tony’s Chocolonely has a mission statement that goes beyond their products: “Together we make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate”. This explicit mention of changing the norm clearly references changes beyond Tony’s own chocolate bars.

Their case shows that it is possible to make fair chocolate that has a positive impact on local communities and stimulates other chocolate-making companies to copy their methods through their Tony’s Open Chain platform.

Albert Heijn, the largest retailer in the Netherlands, followed the example and became an official ‘mission ally’ for its private-label chocolate brand Delicata.

"Real social entrepreneurs want systems to change, transitions that take years, and that can hurt. It is about operating radically differently.

As a social entrepreneur, you should think about: where are you in that landscape, in the system? What do you want to change? Do you want to set up a whole new system, or turn the current system around? Is what you’re doing impactful, or are you merely limiting the damage?” says Arjen Boekhold, Game Changer Unltd., former Tony’s Chocolonely.

Another precedent showed by social enterprise Frank About Tea when they published an ‘Open letter to the CEO of Unilever’ in the Dutch Financial Times.

With this action, they actively raised awareness about the inequalities in the tea sector amongst consumers and professionals, stimulating them to hold companies accountable for their responsibility in the supply chain.

Social enterprises can also contribute to raising official standards, such as voluntary industry agreements, certifications and even legislation, thereby making it unacceptable not to do business sustainably.

Fairphone, Dutch social enterprise challenging smartphone industry - image: Fairphone

For instance, Fairphone is a social enterprise company which aims to develop smartphones that are designed and produced with minimal environmental impact.

They are bringing together major industry players in the Fair Cobalt Alliance to jointly improve the conditions in which cobalt, an essential resource to produce smartphones, is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Our strength lies in giving an example with the product, with the service itself.

[…] We have to accomplish, to prove, that a product or service like ours has a sustainable business case to put in the market, and develop a sourcing model,” says Monique Lempers, Impact Innovation Director at Fairphone.

The ‘Social Enterprises as Influencers of the Broader Business Community’ research shows that social enterprises – often relatively small players in their industries – can play a crucial role in the transition to a new economy.

The results provide concrete tools to help social and other innovative companies from around the world accelerate the sustainability transitions in their industries through influencing.

Simone van Dijk from Social Enterprise NL explains further the relevance of their research:

“We conducted this research because we found there was still little known about the way social enterprises influence the broader business community – even when this is often at the core of a social enterprise’s mission.

We hope that the findings in this report do not only help value-driven enterprises to see and enhance their influencing role, but also show corporates the relevance of (working together with) social enterprises.

It also shows the importance of funding long term systems change, stimulate researchers to investigate this further, and help support organisations such as ours to support their members to unlock business potentials through their influencing role.”

The recently released Social Enterprise Monitor 2020 also showed that 96% of Dutch social enterprises actively aims to influence other organisations. The Social Enterprise Monitor is the largest annual survey of social enterprises in the Netherlands, carried out by Social Enterprise Netherland (NL) in collaboration with multiple partners and with the support of PwC.

Social Enterprise NL is a national membership body that represents, connects and supports the growing community of social enterprises in The Netherlands with over 400 members to date.

Their mission is to build an economy that works for all people: circular, inclusive and poverty-free. The organisation offers its members different kinds of business support and works on a more favourable ecosystem for social entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and beyond.

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November 2020

Alliances Could Not Just Save But Revive Social Innovators

Bronagh Loughlin — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 09:42:46 +0000

Alliances Could Not Just Save But Revive Social Innovators

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Social Economy stakeholders are joining forces to build alliances

Social innovators are coming together for four days to become more resilient at the virtual annual conference of The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA), running from the 21st to the 24th of September 2020.

Jorgos Papadakis, Marketing and Communications Director for the EVPA details his decision for choosing the theme ‘Building Alliance for Impact’.

He says, “We felt that Building Alliances for Impact was the right theme at the right time. It reflects not only the ever-growing need of all impact investing shareholders to join forces in order to maximize real societal change, but it also corresponds to the specifics of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dealing with the virus places a lot of these stakeholders, primarily social purpose organizations, under tremendous pressure. And while this annual conference won’t be a pandemic-oriented event, we will have extensive discussions and also showcase specific examples of how such challenges can be tackled in the most effective way”.

Jorgos Papadakis, Marketing and Communications Director, EVPA

The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) is a lively network of organisations sharing the same vision and a common goal: creating positive societal impact through venture philanthropy. Its membership covers a full range of organisations within the impact ecosystem, including venture philanthropy funds, social investors, grant-making foundations, impact investing funds, private equity firms, professional service firms, philanthropy advisers, banks and business schools.

The conference’s aim is to bring hundreds of professionals together via 60+ interactive and creative sessions where they will learn, engage, network and get visibility. The interactivity of this virtual event will enable collaboration by facilitating open discussions to explore the alliances which tackle global concerns.

EVPA annual conference brings together stakeholders from the #Investing4Impact networks

These open discussions will not only address the ‘why’ but also the ‘how’ which is essential when it comes to tackling global issues.

Although the conference will have a focus on Europe, collaboration truly knows no borders. Whether the discussion is about investing in Latin America, gaining insights into new platforms such as the Deal Share Platform for Africa or gathering information from Asia as a whole, collaboration is absolutely essential to credibly address the major challenges of our time.

To explore concrete ways of closer cooperation with affiliate #Investing4Impact networks and stakeholders, participants will have a unique opportunity to deep dive into various topics such as ‘just transition’, climate change and socially sustainable development.

Jorgos is passionate about the mission of EVPA and says, “Businesses can usually be investors with impact rather than for impact and this is understandable. On the other hand, they are an integral part of the ecosystem, as standalones or through their corporate foundations.

As such, we feel that they have a lot to contribute and a lot to learn by attending our annual conference as

we will showcase concrete examples of how meaningful investments can be conducted in a very difficult environment.

The conference’s 2nd day for instance is the perfect example on how to build a resilient ecosystem that can correspond to the post-Covid 19 landscape in the best possible way”.

The conference is divided into four main themes across the four days.

Day one is about building alliances. Beginning from the public sector and institutional investors, the effectiveness of venture philanthropy will be put to the test and the amount of risk investors for impact are willing to undertake to achieve societal change assessed.

Day two is under the theme of resilience where they will discuss how to prepare for the future with European business leaders, deal with systemic change, and build trust between social investors and public authorities while also learning from COVID-19 response examples in high impact ventures.

The theme for day three is social enterprises. Social entrepreneurship will be discussed along the whole investing for impact spectrum.

Day four will discuss scaling for impact. The conversation will surround what needs to be done in order to maximise impact exactly where it is needed and with the movement of all players.

Jorgos highlights some of the key points of the conference. He says,

“We’ve decided to split the conference into 4 main subthemes, Building Alliances, Resilience, Social Enterprises and Scaling For Impact.

We plan to showcase how to reach these strategic goals through dedicated sessions and workshops as well as design sprints with networks, social entrepreneurs, institutional investors and initiatives that have contributed to achieve real, tangible, impactful change.

I believe it is a unique, very diverse and very rewarding programme and we would like to invite all purpose-driven innovator, investor and other stakeholders to join us and co-shape the future. Because I firmly believe that investing for impact is the future”.

The EVPA Annual Conference is organised with the support of Impact Capital, DOEN Participaties, EIB Institute, Blueplanet Investments, Grupo Ageas Portugal, Erste Bank Group, Fondazione CRT, Demeter and Fundo Inovacao Social.

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September 2020

5 online events for changemakers to build back better

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 13:19:52 +0000

5 online events for changemakers to build back better

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Responsible Innovation

Business

Although most events are going online, changemakers can still make a positive impact

The COVID-19 pandemic forced most of the game-changer events designed to inspire positive change in society and business to move online. However, the lack of personal touch could actually provide a unique chance to expand and open up the discussions to a global audience.

In this way, organisers and participants can achieve a more significant impact. Here are some of the most exciting and impactful events where changemakers can connect, learn and get inspired.

For Impact Investors and Social Innovators

Building Alliances for Impact – annual conference of The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) - 21-24 September

This four days event aims to bring hundreds of professionals together via 60+ interactive and creative sessions to learn, engage, network and get visibility – and ultimately bring positive impact to those in need.

#Investing4Impact networks and stakeholders can deep dive here into topics like ‘just transition’, climate change and socially sustainable development. Participants can choose their area of focus and interest:

Day 1 – Building Alliances - Starting from the public sector and institutional investors, the effectiveness of venture philanthropy will be put to the test, and the amount of risk investors for impact are willing to undertake to achieve societal change assessed.

Day 2 – Resilience – How to prepare for the future with European business leaders, deal with systemic change, build trust between social investors and public authorities but also learn from Covid-19 response examples in high impact ventures.

Day 3 – Social Enterprise Day – Exploring social entrepreneurship along the whole investing for impact spectrum.

Day 4 – Scaling for Impact - What needs to be done in order to maximise impact exactly where it is needed and with the involvement of all players.

“The recent pandemic has clearly shown that building alliances are not only necessary but tremendously effective”, Steven Serneels, outgoing CEO, EVPA.

European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) is a lively network of organisations sharing the same vision and a common goal: creating positive societal impact through venture philanthropy. Currently, EVPA has over 300 members, mainly based in Europe, showing the sector is rapidly evolving across borders.

How to join: You can buy tickets online at the conference website

Special offer: EVPA offers 50 scholarships for organisations and individuals who would like to join the conference, but have financial restrictions that prevent them from buying the tickets at the regular price!

For Social Enterprise sector stakeholders

Digital Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) event - 21-25 September

This is the moment to champion the potential of social enterprises – small and large, rural and urban – to bring about inclusive and sustainable economic development.

Week-long online series of events and activities will feature keynotes and plenaries from three different world zones with live Q&A, online networking, and partner-organised fringe events. Speakers will include leading social entrepreneurs and changemakers from across the world, with over 3,000 participants from over 50 countries. SEWF Digital event week features three parts:

Monday/Tuesday focuses on connecting and learning through masterclasses, webinars, group discussion, specialist sessions, and sessions nominated by registered participants.
Wednesday/Thursday room partitions come down (virtually) with a series of keynote addresses and plenaries that will inspire and encourage action.
Friday will focus on reflection and next steps as we close the event.

Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is the leading organisation for the global social enterprise movement.

They are challenging the failed economic models and build a movement by convening global and regional events, partnering with diverse organisations, and influencing policy dialogues.

Image: Pexels

How to join: Book paid tickets.

Reduced price tickets are available for students and small social enterprises. Bursary places are also available for those in lower-income and conflicted affected countries and those from an organisation who have experienced significant hardship due to COVID-19.

For Researchers and Innovators

European Research and Innovation Days - Bringing stakeholders together to shape future research and innovation policy - 22-24 September

This is the European Commission’s annual flagship Research and Innovation event, bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

By creating connections between cutting-edge scientific research and the most pressing challenges of a generation, this online gathering represents a unique opportunity to join the conversation and enact real change.

From tackling the climate crisis to building a digital world that works for everyone, participants can delve into the questions that shape who we are and the future we want to live in from the research and innovation perspective.

The conversations will cover the European Green Deal, Horizon Europe mission, the work of the European Innovation Council and more.

How to join: Create your online profile to access all virtual events.

The event is all about collaboration: bringing together individuals and experts from all areas to build connections and ignite a brighter future.

Circular Economy

Circular Week 2020 campaign - 12-18 October

The Circular Week 2020 is an educational and inspirational campaign which aims to inspire transformation towards a Circular Economy and raise awareness about sustainable production and consumption in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The initiative also offers an opportunity to sustainable businesses to promote their work and to stakeholders to connect, while reaching out to the broader public about responsible consumption. It also provides a platform where every organisation, institution or individual could become engaged and take part in this movement and forge alliances.

„In the face of today's epidemiological situation and the economic crisis that we experience, the transformation towards a circular economy seems to be an even more desirable and necessary direction of change”,

said Agnieszka Sznyk, President of the Board at INNOWO (Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development in Poland), main organiser of the event.

How to join: You can register to become a partner or join various events free of charge.

This year, organisers will put more emphasis on how to lead to the development of local entrepreneurship, economic stability with sustainable production and consumption.

For Leaders of Change

Responsible Innovation Summit – the virtual meeting point for innovators - 20-21 October

The power to change to world for the better is in the hands of every innovator. With each innovation, we have the chance not just to create something new but to benefit society, business and the planet.

The 4th edition of the annual international Responsible Innovation Summit aims to inspire innovators from business, research and policy to 'build back better' after the Covid19 pandemic adapting Responsible Innovation and sustainable business practices. Leaders of Change will come together virtually this year to cross-pollinate ideas, learn and network.

All discussions and networking will take place to raise awareness about Responsible Innovation, emerging business models making a 'Profit with Purpose' and to support value-driven enterprises. During the two days, speakers from all over the world will share their expertise, learn from each other and connect.

The main focus this year will be on creating a roadmap to Build Back Better by empowering collaboration; putting Responsible Innovation into practice; mainstreaming Profit with Purpose to become the new Business As Usual; look at leadership and communication trends and skill to deliver change.

Image: Getty images

Besides, three launch event will take place, which gives innovators a chance not just to listen but take action right away.

How to join: You can tune in to the plenary and panel discussions by registering or you can book an upgraded ticket to enjoy more benefits.

There is no shortage of possibilities to use this golden opportunity and facilitate systemic change!

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September 2020

A new voice to unite and represent Irish social entrepreneurs

Bronagh Loughlin — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 16:04:48 +0000

A new voice to unite and represent Irish social entrepreneurs

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Social innovators in Ireland are creating a movement to support and unify social enterprises.

A group of social entrepreneurs, key stakeholders and supporters have joined forces to launch a new organisation called the Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI) which can add a huge amount of value to the Irish social enterprise sector and economy.

SERI aims to become a representative body for the dynamic, evolving and broad social enterprise sector in Ireland.

Social enterprises may come in all shapes and forms but all dedicated to providing innovative and impactful solutions to address the most hard-hitting social challenges. Their core objectives are often to create social, societal or environmental impact. They pursue these objectives by trading in goods and services. In addition, they re-invest any surplus profits into the creation of impact as opposed to the creation of profit for owners or shareholders.

This form of making a profit with purpose could provide a unique opportunity to innovators to start and scale their business ethically and sustainably, creating value on a social and economic level at one go.

The organisation of SERI was born out of passion, knowledge and experience that exists within the sector and a universally recognised need for a united voice. It is formed by some of Ireland’s leading social enterprise practitioners and supporters – including FoodCloud, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Rethink Ireland – in a means to champion for the sector and their members both nationally and internationally.

Tammy Darcy, Interim CEO of Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI)

“There seems to be a consensus so far in our conversations with stakeholders that a big priority is going to be to raise awareness of social enterprise and the impact that we create, but also to collect data, which will help us to share that story,” says Tammy Darcy, Interim CEO of newly formed SERI, also Founder and CEO of multi-award winning social enterprise, The Shona Project.

Their vision for Ireland is to have a world-class environment for social enterprises to thrive.

Therefore their strategy focuses on four pillars:

representation, awareness, support and relationships.

Chair, Fergus Findlay, previous CEO at Barnardos Ireland said, “Social enterprise and its ecosystem have deeps roots in Ireland reaching back to the old Irish tradition of 'Meitheal', where people in rural communities came together to work on a neighbours farm. This embodies the spirit of social enterprise – working as a community to benefit the community socially and economically”.

He adds, “It is clear that social enterprise has evolved to be a thriving sector. What’s next is in our hands. Our team and our members will forge a new beginning for social enterprise and will grow this sector to benefit all our people and communities throughout the Republic of Ireland”.

At this early stage, SERI is open to welcome members on a complimentary basis until January 2021 and have open discussions about how to create a movement that genuinely empowers and inspire social innovators in Ireland.

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August 2020