Month: October 2021

In its November Annual conference, European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) will bring together speakers from European Commission, philanthropic and social finance sector to discuss how to make social enterprise support system and social finance more inclusive. The session is inspired by the activities and lessons learned from the Better Incubation Project, where EVPA participates as  project partner contributing to ecosystemic change of incubation ecosystem ensuring the perspective of social impact and related investors are taken into consideration.

Among other things, discussions will cover specific approaches which could be adopted by the social enterprise support system to ensure that vulnerable groups don’t face barriers when accessing support programmes or finance.

More information about the session  All Aboard! – EVPA Impact Month 2021

More information about the EVPA conference Programme – EVPA Impact Month 2021

Centro de Empresas e Innovación de Aragón (CEEI ARAGON) based in Zaragoza, one of the EBN members participating in the Better Incubation Community of Practice for Senior entrepreneurs presented Better Incubation project to the international audience at the 8^th EMES International Research Conference on Social Enterprise, held in Zaragoza, Spain in October 4-8, 2021.

In her presentation, Concepción Ramos, Project Manager at CEEI ARAGON, also featured their inclusive incubation pilot ’50+ Getting Started. Boost your Project’. Starting early September, the pilot will be implemented through mid-January next year. The three best entrepreneurial business ideas of senior entrepreneurs with innovative spirit will be selected and will receive incubation support directly at the CEEI ARAGON.

The importance of this pilot lies in boosting entrepreneurship and innovation in the rural environment, largely suffering from a lack of job opportunities and de-population. As she stated the inclusive entrepreneurship can facilitate creation of jobs and create opportunities for self-development and economic autonomy of under-represented groups, including seniors and women living in the rural areas.

The EMES Conference offered a unique possibility to present the project to the large audience of local and international stakeholders of academic and non-academic background, working in social innovation, social entrepreneurship and solidarity sectors.

 

More information about the EMES Conference can be found here.

In November, our partner EVPA will be hosting the EVPA Impact Month, a series of events aiming to explore how investing for impact can be a driving force for social recovery and transformation.

The heart of Impact Month is the EVPA Annual Conference on 9 November – taking place online and giving a platform for the impact community to learn, share and connect across the globe. The session How to make social enterprise support system more inclusive? will highlight the Better Incubation project and explore how to best support social enterprises to become investment ready and to connect them with social finance.

You can expect thought-provoking and inspirational speakers and discussions, interactive workshops, knowledge exchange, networking opportunities, and a space to share your learnings and perspectives with fellow practitioners.

In a context of social, environmental and economic challenges exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, investing for impact is emerging as an effective strategy to achieve long-lasting social change. We must not go back to business as usual, which is what has led to many current crises, from climate change to widespread poverty and inequalities. Instead of building back—even if it is “better”—let us be more ambitious and aim for societal recovery and transformation!