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News – Page 2 – Better Incubation
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BETTER INCUBATION CONTEST 2022 | SCALING IMPACT WINNERS

Posted on by Better Incubation

We are glad to officialy announce the winners of the Better Incubation Contest 2022 | Scaling Impact.

We received 20 applications that entered a 3 step evaluation process. Following a first screening based on eligibility criteria, 14 applications entered the second evaluation stage where each entry was assessed by two jury members.

Better Incubation Contest 2022 Scaling Impact Jury

  • Vera Egreja Barracho, Social Innovation Expert
  • Selcen Kutku, Manager and Co-Head of a|cube
  • Kelly Robin, Deputy Managing Director of PULSE
  • Flora Rosenow, Brand and Communications Strategy
  • Tobias Temmen, Managing Director of Solarpunk VC

Based on the evaluations performed individually by the jury experts, 7 semi-finalists were invited for an online interview and a final discussion among jury members took place.

At the end of the process, the following ventures were selected to benefit from the Better Incubation Scaling Programme, powered by EBN, IHUB and EVPA. Find here some informatuon about their ideas:

ARBO TECHNOLOGIES

ARBO Technologies founded on 2021 by a group of 7 entrepreneurs based in Brno in Czech Republic. They develop analytical tools to evaluate non-forest trees. The aim is to enable them to prolong their age which maximizes the positive environmental benefits that trees bring in the cities, focused on scale-up in Europe & especially in the Netherlands.

By implementing their business idea, they are focusing on the promotion of SDGs 3, 11, 13 and 15 related to health, sustainability of cities, combating climate change and improving life in rural area. Arbo Technologies pays special attention to the preservation of the existing trees and fields in order to store as much CO2 as possible and thus generate a positive impact on the fight against climate change.

They also focus their efforts on raising awareness and educating people about the importance and the benefits of trees (as climate change affects everyone on the planet) and they are committed to prioritizing existing trees. Moreover they collect data on how effects affect trees through digitization and the use of big data & new technologies. Their latest objective is to go to Singapore and achieve more than 100 FTE around the world.

SALUBATA

SALUBATA is a group of 4 entrepreneurs based in Paris, France founded in 2020. SALUBATA creates personalized shoes entirely from recycled material. They are reusing plastic waste from rivers, oceans, and wells which are currently blocked by tons of waste. That way they help in the improvement of life quality of the communities living in the area.

Their advantage is that their shoes are 75% cheaper compared to their direct competitors. Until now they PRODUCED just over 6000 shoes from plastic waste and they expect to be able to avoid 127.500.000 tonnes of CO2 in 5 years period. Also, 5% of every shoe’s profit goes to empower women.

They are focused on scale-up their idea along Europe thus recently they have secured an agreement with Amazon with the aim of scaling up to the 7 major European countries and reaching more than 100,000 customers in North Africa to improve the supply chain.

Lastly they focus on supporting SDGs 12 and 13 related to the circular economy and climate change, especially on fighting against plastic waste and promoting reuse.

NEEDS MAP

Needs Map is a group of 17 entrepreneurs based in Istanbul, Turkey founded in 2016. Needs Map is a map-based digital platform that brings people in need together with individuals, institutions and organizations that want to support. It facilitates cooperation and solidarity through proven map technology and community-based verification function.

Needs Map focuses on poverty reduction, humanitarian assistance and disasters, related with the SDGs 1, 13. Needs Map aims to support local economic development and solve the problem of economic and social inequality at the stage of access to opportunities through humanitarian aid. It contributes to strengthening the solidarity and trusting environment among people and to revive local/global partnerships.

Needs Map aims to solve the problem of inequality and inequality of opportunity for all underserved communities and individuals in general. They have been successfully implemented and become fully operational in all regions of Turkey for 7 years now. The fact that many different needs in many different regions can be met through a single online system shows that Needs Map is applicable to other geographical contexts. Needs Map is very flexible in adapting to different geographies, as it does not need many human labor resources and a warehouse.

Their scalability plan is to be established in 3 EU and in 2 African countries to reach more opportunities thought their GIS platform, offering allocation perspective to problems and solutions with a map-based user interface where needs and supports are determined geographically. They bring transparency to the needs of those in need by allowing them to express their own needs, and enables supporters to support those in need in their neighborhood or anywhere else. It contributes to the increase of solidarity among people and the formation of a culture of trust.

The system proceeds with 3 components: Data Collection, Location-based web forms, Real-Time Visualization and Analysis. Needs Map details and visualizes data down to street names. It is easier for local governments to see the needs in their own field and act accordingly, for companies, by determining the needs provided on the platform, it is easier to implement social responsibility projects for the target audience throughout the country. Peer to peer transactions, reducing carbon emissions of social solidarity materials, easy scaling with local partners and contactless aid distribution can be added as features that make us unique among other institutions / organizations.

The three winners will be matched with experts from EBN, IHUB and EVPA that will offer them remote and in-person coaching and incubation services.

 

Better Incubation #6 Newsletter is out

Posted on by Better Incubation

The sixth issue of the Better Incubation Newsletter describes the upcoming opportunities :

  • Better Incubation Contest 2022 | Scaling Impact – deadline to apply is September 1st, 2022
  • Better Incubation Toolkit is out
  • Future activities and events
  • Focus on the upcoming Switch Pitch appointments

Find out more information about Better Incubation news by reading the newsletter here : Better Incubation Newsletter 6_August 2022

EU Award for Gender Equality Champions | First Edition

Posted on by Better Incubation

This new award is the European Commission’s initiative to recognise and celebrate the outstanding results achieved in the implementation of gender equality by academic and research organisations.

The application process to this first edition of the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions is now open. Deadline for applications is 13 October 2022 at 17.00 (CET).

The EU Award for (Academic) Gender Equality Champions aims to

The prize also intends to raise public awareness of the importance of addressing gender equality in academic and research organisations through institutional change and incentivise a high degree of commitment to implementing inclusive gender equality plans.

The prize will create a community of champions which can inspire other academic and research organisations to become gender equality champions themselves.

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) manages the prize and its winners are selected by an independent expert jury for each prize category.

There are 3 prize categories:

Sustainable Gender Equality Champions | Organisations that can demonstrate a significant and sustained record of activity and a high level of achievement through the implementation of their Gender Equality Plan. Apply now

Newcomer Gender Equality Champions | Organisations that have recently started implementing a Gender Equality Plan and can demonstrate the most progress in its implementation and achieved results. Apply now

Inclusive Gender Equality Champions | Organisations that have developed the most innovative inclusive Gender Equality Plan addressing intersections with other social categories such as ethnicity, social origin, sexual orientation and gender identity (LGBTI+) or disability. Apply now

Applicants (universities, higher education institutions, and research performing organisations -public or private – established in an EU country or a Horizon Europe Associated Country) can only apply to 1 of these 3 categories.

Each prize winner will receive €100,000.

There will be 2 winners in the prize category Sustainable Gender Equality Champions, 1 winner in the prize category Newcomer Gender Equality Champions, and 1 winner in the prize category Inclusive Gender Equality Champions.

Check out all the information about the call, the eligibility and award criteria here 

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/prizes/eu-award-gender-equality-champions_en 

A new push for the Social Economy. The European Parliament approves the report on SEAP

Posted on by Better Incubation

On the 6th July 2022, the European Parliament’s plenary session, held in Strasbourg, approved the INI Report on the EU Action Plan for the Social Economy, prepared by rapporteur Jordi Cañas MEP and by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, with 493 votes in favour, 75 againts and 69 abstentions. The report constitutes a key input from the European Parliament to the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) launched by the European Commission in December 2021, that the Co-Chair of the Social Economy Intergroup Patrizia Toia MEP (S&D, IT) has defined as a game changer for the future EU social economy enterprises and organisations.

The European Parliament’s Social Economy Intergroup (SEIG), as a cross-partisan grouping of more than 80 MEPs engaged with the social economy as a driver of sustainable development and opportunities for all, has been calling for such an EU Action Plan in favour of the Social Economy since 2014, and now wants to push for an ambitious implementation. The recently approved INI report constitutes a positive step in that direction providing relevant feedback to the European Commission, Member States, and social economy stakeholders.

What the European Parliament’s and its Social Economy Intergroup would like to see:

●  A common EU level definition of the social economy based on its main principles and features as presented in the Social Economy Action Plan, in the framework of the Council Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions that the European Commission is currently preparing and will propose to the Council in early 2023. The Intergroup calls on the Commission and Member States to urgently approve this recommendation that will serve as a compass to modernise social economy policy and legal frameworks, promoting upwards convergence.

●  Improve access to finance and to EU funding: deploying financial tools proposing a comprehensive and fitted approach of the specific needs of social economy enterprises and organisations (e.g., patient capital), that should be eligible and promoted through all EU programmes, such as, the InvestEU, the ESF+, the ERDF, Horizon Europe, the CERV, or the Single Market Programme, among others. Furthermore, it urges MS to use the Recovery and Resilience Facility to invest in social economy projects driving fair green and digital transitions. It also supports the report’s proposal to set-up a specific state aid regime for social economy enterprises mostly employing individuals in a situation of vulnerability, such as people with disabilities among other collectives. The EP and the SEIG will closely follow initiatives such as the EU Single Social Economy Gateway, an online platform that should be running in 2023, that aims to improve access to information on EU funding/finance and capacity building opportunities for social economy entities.

●   More women and young people in the social economy, through actions to improve its visibility as an employer and entrepreneurial model, but also through specific training as the Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy, further use of Erasmus Plus and Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs opportunities and mainstreaming in all levels of education. The report notes that women often make more than 60 % of the workforce in the social economy, and that gaps in pay and leadership have been reported to be lower; and calls on the Commission and the Member States to remove all barriers for women to achieve gender equality; calls for the strengthening of the gender dimension in policies and access to funding for women engaged in social economy entities.

●  More innovation, unlocking the full potential of the social economy to drive fair green and digital transitions, providing solutions for the sustainable development of local communities, and better data collection on the social economy’s socio-economic weight.

The rapporteur Jordi Cañas MEP (Renew, ES), SEIG Vice-Chair commented: With this report, the European Parliament has shown its resolve to elevate the social economy and its key principles, social inclusion, solidarity, and justice, to the place it deserves in the EU policy debate. More importantly, it has put on the table some proposals to pave the way and accompany the powerful transformation and consolidation the social economy is undergoing. The social economy has a strong ally in the European Parliament.

Katrin Langensiepen MEP (Greens/EFA, DE), SEIG Vice-Chair and shadow rapporteur commented: With this report the European Parliament clearly stresses the importance of social economy in the green transition and future of work. We particularly welcome the gender mainstreaming and the demand to facilitate funding for women. Nevertheless, we Greens would have preferred a more ambitious paper including the establishment of a label and a common definition for social economy enterprises to increase their visibility. We hope that this will come in the next steps.

Patrizia Toia MEP (S&D, IT), Co-Chair commented: The European Parliament has been at the forefront of pushing ahead social economy in the priorities of the work of the EU institutions. It represents the due recognition that is owed to these crucial realities, which have proved to be resilient and therefore a true engine of our socioeconomic development. Now we have a structured Plan, with clear objectives: we absolutely need to match these ambitions with concrete means and funds provided by the different EU sectoral programs. We are ready to continue our work in the second part of this legislature to ensure proper follow up and implementation.

Monica Semedo MEP (Renew, LU), Co-Chair commented: Social enterprises make a positive contribution to society. I am especially keen to see innovative ideas and entrepreneurship for a more inclusive society. The report is a clear message to show how important social economy enterprises are to the European Parliament and that we want them to grow and be able to have easier cross-border cooperation. 

Claude Gruffat MEP (Greens/EFA, FR), Co-Chair commented: Social Economy must become THE economy. This report is a key step for further achievements like financing the large-scale development of the Social Economy in Europe, using a European Fairtrade label, for instance.

Juan Antonio Pedreño President of Social Economy Europe said: This report points in a positive direction and has gathered a wide support from 493 MEPs, that would like to see an ambitious implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan. The role of the EP and of its Social Economy Intergroup is more relevant than ever to support the Commission, Member States, and social economy stakeholders in further boosting the social economuy across Europe, scaling up from 6.3% of all EU jobs today to 10% by 2030.

For more information,  please contact Victor Meseguer, director of SEE, the organisation providing the technical secretariat of the Social Economy Intergroup: director@socialeconomy.eu.org

Source: https://www.socialeconomy.eu.org/2022/07/06/pr-the-ep-approved-report-on-seap-by-a-large-majority/ 

 

Peer for People, Planet, Profit for SMEs | Design Option Paper is out

Posted on by Better Incubation

The objective of P4SME (Peer for People, Planet, Profit for SMEs) EU-funded project was to improve the sustainability support services that the European Science and Technology Parks, incubators, innovation agencies or similar organisations are providing to their tenants or client companies. This Design Options Paper (DOP) aims at providing other European business support organisations with recommendations for improving their sustainability services for companies in their territories through a well-designed sustainability method called “Road to sustainability”.

The EU|BIC CEEI Extremadura (FUNDECYT Science and Technology Park of Extremadura) – active member of our CoP on Youth Entrepreneurship- is one of the three Science and Technology Parks (STPs) involved in the project together with  Johanneberg Science Park and Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol.

Download the P4SME Design Option Paper P4SME_DOP

BETTER INCUBATION CONTEST 2022 | SCALING IMPACT

Posted on by Better Incubation

If you are an entrepreneur with an innovative solution to a social or environmental challenge and you are ready to scale it nationally or internationally, join the Better Incubation Contest to grow your impact with a wide community of business intermediaries, investors and other entrepreneurs.

About the contest

Organised by the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN), Impact Hub and the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA), the Better Incubation Contest 2022 | Scaling Impact aims at selecting the 3 most scalable solutions to social and environmental challenges developed by impact ventures led or founded by entrepreneurs belonging to one of the Better Incubation target groups: women, seniors, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, youth. 

Better Incubation is a 2-year programme (2021 – 2022) funded by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation. The aim of Better Incubation is to foster inclusive and social entrepreneurship in Europe by mobilising and empowering Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to effectively help the social enterprises and potential entrepreneurs from the so called underrepresented groups to grow their businesses. Read more here.

Objectives

We are looking for innovative ventures with a clear social and/or environmental mission founded/co-founded and/or led /co-led by entrepreneurs representing one (or more) of the target groups Better Incubation programme is focussing on:  women, migrants or refugees, youth, seniors and people with disabilities.

We are looking for entrepreneurs addressing one or more Sustainable Development Goals and who are willing to explore growing and scaling their innovative solution either nationally or internationally with the support of Better Incubation network of networks: a unique community of EU|BICs (quality-certified business innovation centres), Impact Hubs and Investors for Impact committed to support innovative impact ventures in Europe and beyond. 

Three selected entrepreneurs will be matched with incubation experts that will accompany their scaling trajectory through remote coaching and mentoring sessions; will benefit from a full immersion week at an EU|BIC located in the targeted destination area; and will pitch their solution to an investors panel during the Better Incubation final event that will be held in Brussels on December 2nd, 2022 within the EVPA Impact Week. This event represents the premier event for the investing for impact community in Europe with more than 700+ social investors expected to join. The contest winners will be awarded with a free ticket to join the Impact Week and will have the unique chance to pitch on stage in front of social investors to bring their venture forward. Also travel expenses to Brussels for the contest winners will be covered.

The Better Incubation scaling support has a value of approximately 7000 €, this includes 15 hours of coaching in total from all three networks EBN, Impact Hub and EVPA experts, 1 week incubation programme, travel and accommodation costs to attend the Better Incubation events and the incubation programme in the targeted destination.

Why join the contest? 

The Better Incubation scaling support is aimed at helping the three finalists:

  • Articulate the social value proposition, identifying why and how the proposed solution addresses unmet needs in the chosen location.
  • Access to appropriate sector and local experts.
  • Assess the team competencies and consider how their business model will adapt to the new environment.
  • Understand investors’ perspective so they can develop a pitch for the Better Incubation final conference in Brussels and for potential partners in the targeted destination.

The Better Incubation Contest 2022 | Scaling Impact offers to the winners:

  • Networking: Three best finalists will be exposed to a wide network of BSOs (EBN, IHUB) and investors (EVPA) interested in supporting impact driven ventures during the Better Incubation events that will take place in Slovenia, 19-20 October 2022 and Better Incubation Final Conference on 2 December 2022. 
  • Mentoring & Coaching: Three best finalists will have access to a virtual 1:1 coaching programme provided by EVPA and Impact Hub experts (15 hours in total). 
  • Scaling – full immersion week: Three best finalists will be also eligible for one-week physical incubation provided by an EBN member – business support organisation in the target country. If interested, the winners can join the 2022 EBN Techcamp powered by Better Incubation (19-20 October 2022 – Sežana, Slovenia), where they can meet the incubators that will host them in the targeted country.
  • Pitching: The three finalists will be given an opportunity to present their business ideas at the Final Conference of the Better Incubation Project to be held in Brussels, 2 December 2022 within the EVPA Impact Week. 
  • Publicity: The three finalists will receive mentions in the Better Incubation and partner networks, including press releases, posts and social media. 

Call application

Better Incubation will offer scaling up services to three selected entrepreneurs willing to grow and scale their solutions to a wider national or international level. 

The call opens on June 21st, 2022, and closes on September 1st, 2022 (23.59 CET). 

APPLY NOW

The following information is requested:

  1. General information 
  2. Applicant Information (entrepreneur and venture)
  3. Solution description 
  4. Scalability
  5. Innovation
  6. Impact
  7. Motivation and Expectations

Check this document to see how the application form is structured and the required information for each section. 

Proposal Evaluation and Selection

All proposals submitted before the deadline will pass an eligibility check (see eligibility criteria). Proposals passing the eligibility check will be assessed through a transparent evaluation process that will be managed by EBN and led by internal and external experts.

If a solution scores high enough in the assessment criteria, reaching the minimum threshold, it is eligible for the scaling programme. 

This means that:

  1. Each entry meeting the eligibility criteria will be assessed by a minimum of 2 jury members.
  2. Based on the average of Jury members’ scores, we shortlist only the solutions that reach the threshold
  3. We rank them based on the scores they received and we invite the top 5 for an online interview with the jury panel during the week commencing the 12th September 2022. 
  4. Final rank will be elaborated and we will award the best three ones.

Communication between the Better Incubation team and applicants during the application assessment process will be carried out primarily via email. It is therefore recommended that applicants notify Better Incubation if they change the email address they apply with during the application process.  

Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible to apply and participate, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Their companies must be founded by entrepreneurs from one of the following groups: women, people with disabilities, migrants or refugees, youth (18-29) or seniors (over 50).
  • Must have a clearly established social and/or environmental mission.
  • Must be an SME, startup company or a foundation that is a legal entity (legal person) such as a private law company, association or foundation, that is fully registered under the laws of a European Union Member State, or an EaSI Progress Axis associated country.
  • The venture must be already in existence for more than 1 year.

Assessment Criteria

One the eligibility check is performed, the Jury will review and evaluate the nominations using the following criteria and scoring:

  • Solution description > This criterion will assess the proposed solution in terms of how it will address the proposed challenge, on how it will implement the proposed solution, its feasibility and the involvement of stakeholders.  (15 points)
  1. Scalability >  This criterion assesses the scalability of the proposed solution, considering both the scaling up trajectory of an already existing product/service, and the future scalability of the solution. (15 points)
  2. Innovation dimension > This criterion assesses the innovative capacity of the proposed solution. (10 points)
  3. Impact > This criterion assesses how the solution is going to generate social impact (15 points)
  4. Motivation > This criterion assesses the elevator pitch submitted by the applicant -120 seconds. (10 points)

65/65 is the max scoring. The minimum threshold for accessing the programme is 35/65.

Competition timeline 

Timetable and deadlines
Contest launch  21 June 2022 
Applications due 1 September 2022 23:59 CET
Evaluation  2 September –  23 September2022
3 Finalists announced week commencing 26 September 2022
Mentoring and Coaching  September- November 2022
Incubation (1 week)  September – November 2022

Winners can also join the “Techcamp 2022 |Better Incubation” taking place in Sezana, Slovenia the 19-20 October 2022 where they will connect with the EU|BIC that will host them in the targeted destination
Pitching session(s) 1-2 December 2022 (Better Incubation Final Event at EVPA Impact Week)

Useful information

Join us for the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Workshop : Seniors, 22 June

Posted on by Michaela Lednova

The deep dive workshop on seniors is a part of Inclusive Entrepreneurship Workshop series.

It will focus on senior entreprenuers (50+) as an underrepresented group in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.  The workshop will create a safe and supportive space to offer inspiration and guidance for business support organisations, based on actions and methodologies already successfully implemented on the ground across Europe, to support implementation of inclusive practice.

You will learn from subject matter experts, social entrepreneurs with lived experiences of the challenges being explored, and business support organisations leading the way in developing and delivering inclusive incubation services.

REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN!

 

PROGRAMME

10:00 -10:05 Welcome and introductions

  • Introduction about the workshop + brief overview of the whole training programme and Better Incubation initiative
  • Overview of the agenda  of the workshop
 Tom Johnson, IHUB

Concepción Ramos Vela, CEEI Zaragoza

Mona Moldovan, The CareHub

 
10:15-10:45 Learnings from the Community of Practice

  • Better Incubation for senior entrepreneurs – overview of work and learnings of the COP
  • Better Incubation for senior entrepreneurs – Pilot programme of IHUB Lisbon
  

Concepción Ramos Vela, CEEI Zaragoza

Luisa Rodrigues, IHUB Lisbon
10:45-11:00 Insight from the expert “The Rise of the Silver Economy “  

Dr. Isabel Gomes, Founder & CEO – NutVitae, Researcher

 
11:00 -11:10 Break
11:10 -11:45 Plenary  : Meet the entrepreneurs

  • 3 senior entrepreneurs share their entrepreneurial journey, challenges and future plans
  

Silvia Paula Pelham, Village Souvenir, Portugal

Silvia Oviaño, Caravan Proyectos de Cultura, Spain

Carmelo Heras, EUTORI, Spain
11:45-11:50 Reflection on learnings and commitments by participants  

Concepción Ramos Vela, CEEI Zaragoza

Mona Moldovan, The CareHub

 
11:50-12:00 Closing Remarks Tom Johnson, IHUB

 

The Better Incubation Switch Pitch Series starts in June!

Posted on by Better Incubation

Join our new Switch Pitch Series, where investors for impact will share insights on how they work with incubators and accelerators – and how this collaboration can be improved to better support impact driven businesses. The series is part of our Better Incubation Project.

The series will facilitate an informal conversation between a diverse range of investors for impact and business support organisations with regards to pipeline building. We will also discuss experiences and ideas on how to foster collaborations. The sessions will reflect different perspectives and country/regional contexts existing in Europe.

What can you expect?

  • different investment approaches applied by one or two EVPA members,
  • collaboration experience of social investors with incubators and accelerators
  • possibility to engage in discussion through an informal space, moderated by an EVPA team member.

Your ideas and insights will contribute to the Better Incubation Chart, a methodological guide for the mainstream business support organisations on how to better support impact driven businesses and connect with investors for impact.

When and what?

Date Timing Region Speakers EVPA Moderator Registration
30 June 2022 12.00-13.00 Benelux Jan Verkooijen, World Startup Martijn Blom Register here
5 July 2022 12.00-13.15 CEE Renata Brkic, Feels Good Capital & Elemér Eszter, Portus Buda Group Ewa Konczal Register here
11 July 2022 10:00-11:00 Europe Wingee Sampaio, Cartier Women’s Initiative Sara Seganti Register here
1 Sep 2022 12.00-13.15 Spain Oscar Ugarte Gamboa, Seed Capital Bizkaia
& Xavier Pont Martin, Ship2B		 Arnau Picon Martinez Register here
8 Sep 2022 12.00-13.00 France Jean Michel Lecuyer, INCO Gianluca Gaggiotti Register here
27 Sep 2022 12.00-13.00 Europe Markus Freiburg, FASE Martijn Blom Register here

About the Organisations

  • Feelsgood Social Impact Investment Fund is designed to invest in Croatian and Slovenian ventures that have typical private equity/venture capital for-profit-aims like commercial business models, led by strong management teams and ready to scale, but in addition can and will deliver measurable social impact. Feelsgood is spotting and supporting businesses that can find a way to address, if they already have not, one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and make measurable impact a conscious sustainable strategy of their business models.
  • Portus Buda Group FMC is a venture capital fund management company in operation since 2011. Our primary goal is to profitably manage capital entrusted to us while furthering the excellent reputation of Hungary. Our majority owner – Portus Buda Group – created the firm to channel and share its accumulated expertise and sector knowledge. We target companies that – with their products and services – address underserved needs in a well-defined yet broad range of customer groups.
  • The Cartier Women’s Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. Founded in 2006, the program is open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and/or environmental impact. Applications for the the 2023 edition are open! Join the Switch Pitch to discover more.
  • WorldStartup is a collective of international entrepreneurs, experts, mentors and investors, dedicated to help the best impact-driven startups and scaleups. WorldStartup supports purpose-driven innovators creating long-standing impactful ventures and promotes the Learning Circle ‘How to find the right impact investor’.
  • Seed Capital Bizkaia was founded in 1989 and for more than 30 years of working history it has been firmly committed to encouraging innovation, social impact and the promotion and regeneration of the business fabric in Bizkaia (Basque Country). The Entrepreneurship and Social Impact Fund (FEIS) was established in 2014 with the aim of supporting the promotion and consolidation of business initiatives with social impact. Social innovation initiatives are supported with investments of up to 600,000 euro.
  • INCO is a global organization that is building in 50 countries a new economy that is environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. INCO invests and supports innovative companies that are the future leaders of the economy. INCO provides training and support to those who wish to work in this new economy.
  • FASE has the vision to create a thriving ecosystem for social innovation by boosting impact finance across Europe. FASE is passionate about building bridges between outstanding social entrepreneurs and investors inspired by the idea to create a sustainable, positive impact. By helping their clients to raise capital in a highly professional way, we improve their chances to achieve impact at scale. So far, we have channelled more than 45 million EUR with 65+ successfully closed transactions to the sector. FASE also initiated the ESIIF and teamed up with avesco Financial Services and the European Investment Fund (EIF) to offer this new impact investing option for German semiprofessional and professional investors
  • Ship2B Foundation’s mission is to boost Impact Economy, an economic model in which the main purpose for startups, businesses, investors and organisations is not only to maximise profitability, but also to improve their social and environmental impact. At Ship2B we have the support of the European Commission to boost Impact Investment in Spain, a financing model based on investing in startup capital with the intention of generating and measuring economic, social and environmental impact. To do this, our team of analysts constantly studies impact startups from all over Spain to invest in through the different tools of the Foundation.

Webinar: Social Economy Action Plan – Opportunities for BSOs

Posted on by Better Incubation

Webinar hosted by EBN on the European Commission’s recently released Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) on 19 May 2022.

Our key speakers was:

  • Guy Lejeune, Senior Expert on Inclusive Entrepreneurship from DG Employment, European Commission.
  • Karel Vanderpoorten, Policy officer –Proximity, Social Economy, Creative Industries from DG GROW, European Commission,

Background

In its recently launched EU Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP)“Building an economy that works forpeople: an action plan for the socialeconomy“ (2021-2030), the European Commission has signalled an important role of the business support organisations (BSOs) in supporting the social economy organisations and social enterprises, while advising the EU Member States to encourage BSOs to better incorporate these entities in their business development services (p.14).The SEAP proposes 38 concrete measures to be implemented in the coming nine years, in different core areas, including :

  • promoting social economy at local, regional, and international levels,
  • business support,skills,youth entrepreneurship,
  • access to funding and finance,
  • social impact measurement,
  • social economy contribution to the green and digital transitions,
  • socialinnovation.

Webinar Objectives

Besides providing the summary of the key aspects of the SEAP, the Webinar “Social Economy Action Plan : Opportunities for BSOs” focused on how we can increase the impact of the BSOs in the implementation stage of the SEAP, looking at the following :

  • how to maximise the potential of the BSOs to translate some of the recommendations in the SEAP into practical initiatives on the local, national and EU level.
  • what are the existing and future synergies of the SEAP with other EU programmes/initiatives which will enable BSOs to foster social innovation, local development, and green and digital transition while reaching social impact.

During the session

During the session the speakers talked about the importance of the transition pathway on proximity and social economy referring to the Annual Signle Market Report 2021 presented an analysis of the challenges in 14 industrial ecosystems and the transformative initiatives to achieve the twin green and digital transition and increase resilience. They will also build on the social economy action plan, which proposes a series of actions for the period 2021-2030 to support the development of the social economy.

They also emphasised the different types of business companies present in the European Union, highlighting achievements such as entrepreneurship, social innovation policies, the Single Market Act, the Small Business Act, among others. In 2023 the European Cooperative Statute is expected to be adopted.

They gave relevance to the role of clusters and similar business forms that cooperate in fostering the development of the social economy, through the report that identifies the model of Clusters of Social and Ecologic Innovation (CSEI) and explores their presence across the European Union.

The European Social Economy Regions initiative (ESER) initiative was also discussed during the session. Launched in 2018, has become a powerful social economy community of practitioners across Europe, generating more than 100 new regional and local partnerships on social economy. Its key objectives are to raise awareness of social economies at the regional and local level and to build regional networks of social economy stakeholders.

The different forms of funding available to EU and non-EU citizens were also highlighted. Referring to microfinance, social enterprise finance and other relevant EU funding programs during 2021 – 2027 such as The European Social Fund Plus, Horizon Europe Projects, Enterprise Europe Network , Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs ans more.

Also important is the EU Funding Toolkit, an interactive EU funding guide, that provides detailed information on the relevant financial and non-financial support programmes made available to social enterprise support organisations by various public institutions and private organisations. It also showcases all novelties presented under the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027, to make sure social enterprises and their support organisations are well aware of new EU Funding programmes and adaptations of already existing programmes

About Better Incubation

The seminar is organised as a part of the Better Incubation programme (2021 –2023) funded by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation, and is led by three network organisations: The European Business and Innovation Centre Network, Impact Hub and the European Venture Philanthropy Association.

The aim of Better Incubation is to strengthen the role of the business support organisations as catalysts of the entrepreneurial support ecosystem, while experimenting with the inclusive incubation practices to foster inclusive and social entrepreneurship across Europe. Read more here.

You can watch the session again here

Next Webinar

The next Better Incubation webinar related to Social economy funding instruments will take place towards the end of the year (December 2022). We will inform you about the date and details soon.

EBN 2022 Congress Panel on Innovation Community Growth : powered by the Better Incubation

Posted on by Michaela Lednova

This year we will welcome again over 200 participants from innovation community to debate, learn and explore challenges and opportunities demanded by transition of our societies towards 2030.

The Panel  ‘Innovation community growth – Unlikely innovators & untapped potential’ will address importance of diversity of perspectives needed to be in place to move towards a more inclusive and impact driven approach to innovative entrepreneurship. Powered by the Better Incubation project, the session will bring together speakers from different sectors to discuss how the ecosystemic change can be fostered to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment as means to create jobs and develop skills of vulnerable groups of the society.

Date: 25 May 2022, 10h05 – 10h45

Moderator: Dorijan MARSIC, Director – EU|BIC Sezana, Slovenia

Panellists:

  • Steven Serneels, Chairman of the Board – European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA),
  • Carole Thurston – Business Consultant, South East BIC, Ireland ,
  • Maud Garnier, Entrepreneur and Founder of the enterprise Ordestie , France

Main questions to be discussed :

  • Why should the mainstream intermediaries engage in the process of supporting social and inclusive incubation?
  • What are the synergies and challenges of different stakeholders in the process of development and strengthening of the impact driven innovative entrepreneurship and how they can be better engage in this process?
  • What are the tested best-practices how to encourage the BSOs to take on the leadership role in the transformation of the impact driven entrepreneurial ecosystem leading to the sustainable transition?
  • How to how adapt and modify business acceleration support services to help social and underrepresented entrepreneurs transform ideas into viable businesses and grow them by accessing new funding and market opportunities?

Check our Congress website to learn more about the event : https://www.ebncongress.eu/ 

 

 

Call for Design and Facilitation services : Better Incubation Bootcamp #2

Posted on by Michaela Lednova

Call for Design and Facilitation services : Better Incubation Bootcamp #2

 Impact Hub on behalf of the Better Incubation project consortium is looking for a contractor to design and deliver the 2nd Better Incubation Community of Practice  (CoP) Bootcamp.

The goal of the bootcamp is to:

  • Reconnect the CoP participants
  • Present conclusions from each CoP
  • Developing a set of policy recommendations

Location : home-based (preparation), plus 2 days in Prague, Czech Republic (delivery)

The duration of the consultancy : May-July 2022.

Deadline : 17th May 2022

Please consult ToR Call for facilitators Bootcamp #2 for details

For further information please contact Lucia Radu : lucia.radu@impacthub.net

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