Michaela Lednova – Page 3 – Better Incubation

Better Incubation Communities of Practice for Women / Gabriela Matouskova : Supporting social entrepreneurs’ wellbeing for social change

Posted on September 13, 2021September 13, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

Continuing our interviews presenting social innovation experts and inspirational entrepreneurs collaborating with us in the Better Incubation project, we thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce Gabriela Matouskova, a social entrepreneur passionate about wellbeing and using business as a force for good.

Gabriela is the CEO of Hope 4 The Community, the social enterprise providing organisations with affordable, face-to-face and digital products and services to empower people to manage their wellbeing, and the founder of Grow Consult, the social enterprise consultancy helping small and micro social enterprises to achieve their potential and create change.

She has joined the Better Incubation international Community of Practice for women, where she shares her hands-on experience with the incubation practitioners so that practical and real challenges of female entrepreneurs are reflected in the process of business incubation.

We are also looking forward to seeing Gabriela at 2021 EBN Congress as one of the speakers in the session ‘Beyond mainstream incubation: Supporting social and inclusive entrepreneurship for social impact’ on 15^th September.

Q : Gabriela, you have been engaged in social /inclusive entrepreneurship projects for more than 20 years. If you were to write a book about yourself, how would you name it?

G : The Big Social. I feel too young to have a memoir so it would cover stories of other social entrepreneurs and their businesses. All of it – the good, the bad – there is so much to learn from others.

Q : Looking back in time, what inspired you to become interested and passionate about social entrepreneurship? Do you still feel the same way?

G: Absolutely yes! I left a steady job in 2019 to make the leap into running our social enterprise. And I haven’t looked back, not once. I hope I will never stop feeling this way. What inspired me? The people. Seeing the impact. And the passion, commitment, resilience and drive for change. You can say, I have found my tribe.

Q : You have worked with a wide range of social enterprises and social innovators from different countries, can you share with us your experience. What was the most inspiring social enterprise or entrepreneur you have worked with?

G : I have been privileged to meet and visit many social entrepreneurs around the world. Whether they were running a women’s cooperative in Egypt or producing mangrove fruit chips in Indonesia, they all had one thing in common – passion to change things for the better.

The one entrepreneur that personally inspired me is Karen Lynch. When I met Karen, she was a CEO of Belu, an innovative social enterprise and the UK’s most ethical water brand. Belu was started with the simple idea that there was a better way to do business by reducing environmental impact and using all profits to fund clean water projects. Belu passed over £5 million of profits to WaterAid.

I was “matched” with Karen through a Human Lending Library – a session organised by Expert Impact –matching successful entrepreneurs with social enterprises for free advice and mentoring. Karen is a champion of profit with purpose, the circular economy and of collaboration for positive progress.

We spent an hour together, going through the business details, and me explaining that I was thinking about leaving my job to try to grow Hope For The Community CIC. Karen asked lots of clear and direct questions – she is great like that! And then just said “what is stopping you?”.

Sometimes you just need that bit of encouragement from someone who has done it.

I left my role and joined our social enterprise few months later. And despite the pandemic, 18 months on, we are supporting thousands more people to manage their health and wellbeing, have grown in size and made profits to be re-invested in our community.

Q : On the other hand, as the coach and mentor, you have a first-hand understanding about the challenges and constraints social enterprises face. These barriers are even more accentuated in the case of vulnerable groups in our societies, such as migrants, women or youth. What advice would you give to any aspiring female entrepreneur reading this?

G : The fact is, working to achieve something is always hard. Few years back I was a migrant, single mother, working full time whilst studying for a part-time university degree. I couldn’t have even imagined then, where I am now.

Arthur Ashe, the American tennis player, put it best when he shared his thoughts about taking on challenges: “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can”.

There’s never the perfect time to start
Be clear about the social issue you are trying to solve
Know the root cause
Build on your strengths
Find a mentor or coach
You can do anything, but not everything
Ask for forgiveness, not for permission

There will always be mountains behind mountains, so remember to be kind to yourself.

Q : During our Community of practice meetings, a courage of female entrepreneurs to become a leader and role model has emerged as one of the desired prerequisite to encourage other women to embark on their entrepreneurial path. I would be very curious to understand qualities a woman needs to become a successful business leader who can engage others in solving social issues?

G: I feel that choice of language is very important for inclusivity.

Setting “pre-requisites” can create barriers. “Success” is a subjective measure.

For me the key qualities are purpose, empathy, compassion and resilience. Both as personal attributes and the values to build your business on.

Authenticity and clear values will make you and your organisation one that people want to work for and work with.

Q : When looking at your profile, along with your practical connection with social innovation and social entrepreneurship, you have also worked for Coventry University Social Enterprise (CUSE). Could you share with us more about this experience?

G : It is exciting to see that CUSE is also a member of EBN network of business support organisations participating in the Better Incubation programme. CUSE is where I learned first-hand about social entrepreneurship. I spent three years working there, part of a great team.

CUSE is the only UK example of a social enterprise set up by a university to promote social entrepreneurship and innovation. I feel it represents the civic role that universities should have in their community. Working with students, staff and general public to realise their entrepreneurial potential and to create social value.

My role centred on income generation, business development and impact management. As a migrant to UK, I was excited to be part of the team securing funding for MiFriendly Cities, a regional project supporting refugee and migrant entrepreneurs to start mission driven businesses.

I enjoyed supporting other entrepreneurs, but felt I wanted to be closer to the “action”. My work with university academics to extend the impact of their research on society through sustainable social enterprise models led me to my current role as CEO at Hope For The Community CIC, Coventry University’s first research social enterprise spin-out.

We have a strong partnership. The University are our research and evaluation partner, continuously strengthening the evidence base of our wellbeing programmes.

Q : When it comes to inclusive incubation what would be three effective approaches you would recommend to be embraced by the business incubators to unleash the potential of social or marginalised entrepreneurs?

G : Business incubators work with aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Here are my top three tips:

Business incubators should be open to co-producing their programmes. And remember that co-production doesn’t end after few workshops – it must be ongoing. Make co-production an essential part of the way you design, evaluate and manage impact of your programmes.
It’s important to keep the incubation programmes simple, flexible and culturally relevant. The complex eligibility criteria can create barriers for many. As can certain modes of delivery. Ask and listen to entrepreneurs you support and be flexible.
Finally don’t forget to support wellbeing support . Burnout is a widespread issue amongst entrepreneurs, especially at the start-up stage. The pandemic has exacerbated health inequalities. Research has shown that women and people from ethnic minorities were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. What can you do? Partner with an organisation that can provide wellbeing support independently or include range of self-care tools and offer plenty of opportunities for peer-support on your incubation programmes. And don’t forget to give your staff the skills and confidence to do this! Encourage entrepreneurs to invest in building “healthy” culture in their business. This will pay dividends for them personally and their organisation in the long-term.

Follow Gabriela work on Twitter and LinkedIn

Author of this post: EBN

EVPA Financing for Social Impact Online Course – 12, 14, 19, 21 October

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

The online training on tailored financing for social impact is the perfect match for all those interested in deepening their understanding of the strategies that investors for impact use to design financial instrument(s) and support social purpose organisations (SPOs) in the best way to create more impact.

A new module focusses on hybrid financial instruments and mechanisms (e.g. Social Impact Bonds). You will learn from seasoned EVPA members and their real-life cases how you can improve your financing strategy.

Inclusive Incubation featured at 2021 EBN Congress

Posted on September 2, 2021September 14, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

EBN will be hosting its Congress Emergent Futures, virtually on the 14-15 September 2021. The Congress will explore how entrepreneurial innovators and their support actors can build back more resilient ecosystems, supporting the transition to a new digital, green and fair golden age.

Inspired by the Better Incubation project, the panel Future Entrepreneurial Innovators – Supporting inclusive entrepreneurship for great impact held 15 September, 15:30 – 16:45 CET, will convene a mix of speakers, each of them representing a key part of the incubation process.

We are grateful to have a remarkable group of panellists for this session: Karel Vanderpoorten, Policy Officer at DG GROW, European Commission, Mariama Njie-Ceesay, Social Enterprise Programme Manager at the Coventry University Social Enterprise CIC and the member of the EBN, Tomas Vila Luz, Policy Analyst from MAZE Accelerator and Gabriela Matouskova, CEO from Hope for Community and social entrepreneur.

They will discuss how to bring incubation and business support services closer to the whole society to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment as means to create jobs, develop skills and give unemployed and vulnerable people an opportunity to fully participate in the society and economy.

As the business intermediaries such as EU|BICs are well-positioned to address these challenges by embracing social and inclusive entrepreneurship due to their regional functions and strong connections with public institutions, the ultimate objective of the panel is to provide insights into opportunities and challenges which could be faced by the business support organisations in their process of incubating entrepreneurs from vulnerable groups, and introduce a range of options on how these challenges could be addressed.

EVPA/Social Value UK : Social Impact Measurement and Management Online Course starting 14 September 2021

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

Are you interested in taking part in a dynamic and interactive training on measuring and managing social impact?

Are you eager to learn more about how to maximise your impact?

This training is a great opportunity to fully immerse into measuring & managing the impact you generate!

It is a comprehensive online training consisting of self-paced preparation learning, online live sessions and homework assignments. The course has been developed and will be delivered together by European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) and Social Value UK. The interactive live sessions will take place on 14, 16, 21, 23 September 2021; each from 09:00-12:00 CEST (Brussels time).

If you want more information or to register consult EVPA website. Places are limited, make sure to book yours as soon as possible but at the latest until 29 August.

Posted on August 9, 2021

Better Incubation Communities of Practice for Youth / Larrissa de Moura : Working Towards a World Without Borders

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

As part of the Better Incubation programme, five thematic groups of Communities of Practice have been created to debate, exchange, investigate, plan, prototype and evaluate the activities in the field of inclusive entrepreneurship learning and exchange between IHUB and EBN Members, Caritas, and experts and entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, namely migrants and refugees, people with disability, seniors, women and youth.

Larissa de Moura is one of the social innovators who takes part in the program and is engaged as the expert in the Community of Practice for youth. A Brazilian social innovator based in Spain, has experienced first-hand the challenges of being a young, migrant entrepreneur and developing her startup on her own, in an unknown country. Now, she is working towards a world without borders and paving the way for other young international students — as she once was.

Following a series of conversations with social innovators and experts engaged in the Better Incubation programme, Impact Hub had interviewed Larissa to share her entrepreneurial journey and tell her story to inspire us on how we can build a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Larissa’s curiosity and boldness have taken her through an intense entrepreneurial journey in the past years. INMI, a social startup dedicated to supporting young students in finding the best educational programs around the world, was born out of that journey. Inspired by the 2030 Agenda, INMI is an award-winning platform that connects the migrant community with a network of professionals and resources in an all-in-one support ecosystem.

Besides founding and leading INMI in Valencia, Spain, she is also the co-founder of ALDEA, a social organization where she develops consulting projects, training and territorial-community development through sustainability, interculturality and social innovation.

Q: In 3 words, who is Larissa de Moura?

A: An explorer of new experiences.

Q: Do you feel like this thirst for discovery and exploration translates into your life purposes? And talking about purpose, how would you describe yours — both professionally and personally?

A: I frequently ask myself: what makes us authentic? My hope is that everyone can discover it. It may be your personality, your voice, your history, your beliefs, your origins or even your experiences. I believe that everyone can unleash their dreams. We are changemakers, doers, social innovators, dreamers, thinkers, disruptors and much more.

Personally, in my 30s I had the chance of experiencing this process and it brought me boundless enthusiasm. 10 years ago, my purpose was to run a social business. Today, one of my purposes is to work towards a world without borders and empower more young people, women and migrants from different parts of the world.

Q: You have been doing consistent work to promote social, inclusive and sustainable business models with INMI and ALDEA. Could you share a little bit about your own story and how it led you to the social economy sector?

A: I like to say that I am a Brazilian and a little bit Valencian. Before I came to Valencia, I had been working in Brazil for almost 10 years in multinational companies. At that time, inspired by the Golden Circle and my boyfriend, Túlio, one reflection crossed my path: why do you do what you do? It made me realize that my professional skills were way beyond a job title and didn’t need to just fit in a CV. It led me to develop my purpose and explore how I would make a positive impact on the world.

Four years ago, I decided to do a master’s in social economy in Valencia and it was a game-changer for me. I discovered new motivations and professional challenges in the social field, explored intercultural networking, improved languages, and got in touch with new cultures. Thanks to these experiences, I am now working as a certified professional and going deeper and deeper into the business models of the future: social, inclusive and sustainable.

It is gratifying to see through this dual lens — as an entrepreneur and an impact business consultant.

Larissa de Moura talking about INMI at Col·lab Las Naves, in Valencia, Spain.

Q: Without a doubt, your story is one of great perseverance and focus on what really matters to you. Moving forward, can you tell us more about your current initiatives and work? Why do INMI and ALDEA exist and how did they start?

A: In 2017, when I was doing my master’s degree, ALDEA was created to support social development and consultancy projects with a focus on alternative economies, sustainability, interculturality and social innovation. It was my second entrepreneurial project and INMI, the last one. The first one, which was more of a life project, was when I decided to move to Spain. In a way, it is amazing to see how these 3 projects naturally connect with each other, even nowadays.

INMI was born in the 2019 Hackathon of Col·lab Las Naves, as an initiative that emerges from real experiences and difficulties of migrants. Like thousands of international students and migrants living abroad, our team went through difficult processes of local adaptation and integration. As we had gone through this firsthand, we were able to streamline these processes and develop an intuitive all-in-one platform to create easier and more accessible international experiences.

That’s why INMI exists: to create a world without barriers. We focus on providing resources and information for global education and the improvement of opportunities. We see it as a major move for reducing inequalities and creating local and global sustainable change.

“Diversity and inclusion must be a part of our daily lives. Underrepresented groups, like migrants, should have the same access to opportunities and tools to undertake, lead and occupy decision-making positions as everybody else.”

Q: A world without barriers sounds like the world we need. We are glad to hear how hard you are working to that end! Having that in mind and reflecting on your entrepreneurial journey until now, what recent achievements are you most proud of?

A: The first achievement is to be ahead of INMI, an award-winning social business committed to solving real problems — despite the many challenges I continue to experience as a young woman and a migrant. There were countless times when I was one of the few (sometimes the only) female or migrant entrepreneurs in the room.

Diversity and inclusion must be a part of our daily lives. Underrepresented groups, like migrants, should have the same access to opportunities and tools to undertake, lead and occupy decision-making positions as everybody else. I am very proud to be contributing to the advancement of this scenario from our sustainable perspective at INMI.

Larissa de Moura at Col·lab Las Naves

Q: We are on the same page when it comes to inclusion and diversity and it is great to hear that is an inherent part of your mission. The journey to promote social good, however, is not always a bed of roses. Can you share what have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a social entrepreneur on a mission towards a world without barriers?

A: I experienced many challenges; language barriers, building a support network from scratch, navigating the landscape of regulation taxes (in general, non-citizens face double the paperwork compared to local citizens), and facing the lack of tailored support to meet immigrant-specific needs, not to mention the recent pandemic barriers for international mobility. I could not miss the chance to share the many mistakes and successes that had the potential to make others’ own journeys easier.

In my case, it was key to be part of a local support network, the public accelerator of Valencia (Col·lab Las Naves), that provided me with mentorships, one-on-one support and guidance as well as connections peer-to-peer.

“For me, the entrepreneurial journey requires that kind of courage that allows you to move forward on your own — particularly when undertaking with impact, as we are doing things differently from the mainstream.”

Q: A supportive network definitely has the power of changing lives and businesses and your story is a great example of that. Now, looking to the future, what is your ambition for the upcoming year? What impact do you and INMI aim to make?

A: At INMI, our main goal for the next year is to get more young people from different countries to live a life-changing international experience! Especially when the worst of the pandemic is over and we can travel again. That is why we are scal ing up.

On another note, our surpluses are invested in social and environmental projects. When our clients travel with INMI, they contribute directly to positive social impact initiatives. In this way, people from diverse contexts can also experience living and studying abroad. That’s why we are working to consolidate our triple impact, locally and globally.

Q: Fingers-crossed for you to reach out and impact as many lives as possible! Aiming high like that when you are an entrepreneur requires a few things, but mostly courage. What is courage to you?

A: “Go, and if you’re scared, just go scared”. I really like this quote that a friend told me once. For me, the entrepreneurial journey requires that kind of courage that allows you to move forward on your own — particularly when undertaking with impact, as we are doing things differently from the mainstream.

Q: We appreciate your time to tell your beautiful story and, also, your efforts in taking part in our Community of Practice. So last but not least, what was your key takeaway from the first session?

A: The Community of Practice really is the heart of the LIAISE project. It is an international, inclusive and open space to exchange learnings and experiences. This collaborative dynamic allows us to work from the lens of vulnerable target groups and as real facilitators within the community.

Follow Larissa de Moura and her inspiring work at INMI on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Author of this post: Impact Hub

Registrations open for the Madeira Startup Retreat

Posted on July 23, 2021July 23, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

The Incubation Center for startups and business in Madeira Island (Portugal) has launched the registration for the 4^th Edition of Madeira Startup Retreat, a 6-week acceleration program for 10 travel & tourism startups.

This acceleration programme not only enables and improves company culture, but also promotes leisure & networking opportunities to all participants. Selected startups will take part in special curated workshops and mentoring sessions from experienced professionals, while exploring opportunities to grow and scale.

Each startup will be granted €2.500 euros for expenses.

Promoted by Startup Madeira, Turismo de Portugal and NOVA School of Business and Economics, the event will take place from October 6^th to November 19^th, 2021, in Madeira.

The registrations are now open. The interested participants are invited to register until August 20^th2021 at https://retreat.startupmadeira.eu/registration/

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Micaela Vieira, info@retreat.startupdadeira.eu

Invitation to participate in the online survey on entrepreneurship incubation

Posted on July 20, 2021July 20, 2021 by Michaela Lednova

The University of Bologna would like to invite practitioners, coaches, mentors and programme managers working with the incubation programmes across Europe, especially in Italy, France, and the Netherlands to share their experience and feedback regarding services/competences to serve entrepreneurs.

You are invited to provide your input through the online survey available at TAKE THE SURVEY.

The survey is conducted within a European project called MIG.EN.CUBE – fostering MIGrant ENtrepreneurship inCUBation in Europe, aiming at understanding the approaches and methodologies that work best in serving migrant entrepreneurs and the gaps in the competences in incubators/accelerators in this area of expertise.

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